TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: iPhone Mania Nears Fever Pitch

iPhone Mania Nears Fever Pitch

Monty Solomon (monty@roscom.com)
Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:00:40 -0400

By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
June 20, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Christopher Parr won't go so far as to bring his
sleeping bag to his local AT&T store to be first in line for Apple's
coveted iPhone when it goes on sale next week.

But he will be there opening night to plunk down $599 for the
combination iPod, cellphone and wireless Internet device within hours
of its debut.

"Cellphones have under-delivered," says Parr, 40, of Madison, Wis.
"This fills a real void. Most Internet over the phone is a terrible
user experience. I love the idea of having the real Internet in my
pocket."

June 29 is the day many gear-heads have marked on their calendars as
iDay, the release of what independent analyst Richard Doherty calls
"the most eagerly awaited consumer technology device of the last 20
years."

Since January, when it was first announced, the iPhone has captivated
consumers, Wall Street investors and the media as the right product at
the right time.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has positioned it as the most advanced meeting of
the Internet and wireless technology, with an iPod thrown in for good
measure. And it looks really cool, and unlike any phone before it.

For Apple, the release of the iPhone promises to effectively double
the company's revenue within just a few years, based on the worldwide
thirst for cellphones. For consumers, the trick is going to be nabbing
one of the early iPhones on opening day before stock sells out.

The iPhone is being sold only at Apple's 200 retail stores, Apple's
website and nearly 1,800 AT&T (formerly Cingular) stores beginning at
6 p.m. local time across the country. AT&T says it will close its
stores at 4:30 p.m. and reopen at 6 p.m. Apple would not comment on
its plans. No pre-orders are being accepted. Fans are expected to camp
out in front of stores for days.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-06-19-iphone-mania_N.htm

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, we will see ... we will see. PAT]

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