You usually need to wait until a product actually ships until you hit the “Trough of Disillusionment” (see Wikipedia definition).
But some negative articles are (and have been) already starting to appear about the iPhone.
The EDN / Brian’s Brain blog ran this post back in January: “The Apple iPhone: 10 Significant Shortcomings.” This SmartOffice article from just this week “Long Term the Apple iPhone May be a Dud, Price a Big Issue” quotes an IDC report that questions whether the masses will adopt the iPhone. In terms of enterprise adoption issues, Network Computing had the following story last week: “Applications May be the iPhone’s Shortcoming.”
So far, though, I think most people would agree that Apple has played this pretty masterfully. Since Steve Jobs delivered his pitch earlier this year, the iPhone has seemed to be a mythical, elusive creature as Apple has gradually unveiled features and teased us with fleeting glimpses showing flash, brilliance and innovation in its recent commercials.
This can be a dangerous game as expectations have been built sky high and buzz and speculation have reached a fever pitch. It would be all too easy for this all to come crashing down if the promise eclipses reality when the phone finally become available next week.
On the other hand, introducing the iPhone in this way has also gradually let the air out of heightened expectations as people wake up to the reality that the phone might not be the Holy Grail people everyone expected. It has also given Apple time to respond to some of the criticism, e.g. Steve Jobs addressed developers’ concerns at WWDC show last week.
The way the iPhone has been introduced also allows time for people to plan. It means people have more time to save up so they can purchase it as soon as it’s released. It also gives people time to plan the sorts of apps and things they want to download. There are thousands of apps available in the App Store so go crazy! And if you muck things up by getting over excited, there’s no need to worry as you can restore your iPhone to its original state if you use Tiny Umbrella. Used on Windows devices, Tiny Umbrella is easy to download and just as easy to use.
I can’t wait for it to be released but knowing my luck I’ll be looking for iPhone repair services after one week! Although I had been skeptical (there are price issues, and anyway Verizon is the only carrier that has good reception in my town), I must say they have my attention and I am looking forward to checking it out. Hopefully they will boost RV cell phone signal and the quality of my calls will be so much better!
