iPhone: Perhaps a unique perspective…but maybe not

Picked up two iPhones over the lunch hour today: one for my daughter and one for me (I’m guessing we’ll convert my bride too). There has been so much written about this device, I won’t go on and on about it but instead, perhaps I’ll bring forth a new perspective worth a few more bits of text into the Internets.

Anyone lobbing anything negative at Apple right now is nuts. This device is such a huge leap forward in usability and packed with so much technology that just shutting up and marveling at it for awhile is what’s warranted.

OK…enough marveling.

Instead of talking about the iPhone’s shortcomings, however, I’m going to point out what might come to fruition and pretty quickly.

I think we’ll see tighter integration between Google web services and Apple (both computer and iPhone based). New form factors (tablets?) that use this new user interface paradigm. The use of iWeb to create iPhone-centric apps (similar to what Rapidweaver has done here).

Though this device absolutely needs third party application development and delivery, you can see how it’s already positioned to be a user generated content machine that’s with people at all times.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been as blown away with a product as I am with this one. I see so much and get early peeks, I’m usually jaded…but not this time. This is — as Dave Winer said — “Basically I like all Apple products. To me, it’s a way to buy a BMW every month, without having to pay $60,000.” There are certain products that you get into and say “Whoa!” and then “Ahhhh” as you get into the experience. It’s that way with the iPhone after you get over the initial shock that it costs $600 for the 8GB model!

UPDATE on July 4th: After setting up the iPhone at Noon, it took until 10:30am this morning — 22.5 hours later — for incoming calls to be routed to and accepted by the new iPhone. Until this morning, I was carrying around two phones.

But here’s the kicker: several people I talked to today were surprised and stunned when I told them we were talking on my new iPhone. Comments like this one from my sister, “Oh my gosh…I thought you were on a landline” were common. Besides all the aspects of the iPhone that everyone is writing about, this is simply a great phone.