andrew carter

So I bought an iPhone. It cost me a lot of money because I had to cancel my T-Mobile contract early. I got sucked into the hype and have an uncontrollable weakness for the latest gadget. In short, Apple has robbed me again.But I love the thing. It’s not without its faults but it changes the game so completely. This past weekend, my wife and I went to Victoria BC for our 13th anniversary. I tend to bring my laptop on all my trips even when I don’t really need it. This time, I just brought the iPhone. It is perfectly suited for use when traveling. I used it on the boat up to Victoria (with Edge connectivity nearly the entire time). It’s much easier to use in tight spaces and frankly is better as a media player than a laptop. We used the map feature to plot out our restaurant reservation from our hotel. Granted, I was trying to find things to use it for but it fit what we were doing. I could stay on top of messages if I had to and surf a little as well.It changes how we will think of computing devices. It advances user interface unlike anything since the Macintosh came out in 1984. Everything on the iPhone feels alive. Animation is used very effectively. Your attention is nearly always focused on the task at hand. I was extremely skeptical of the touch screen. No longer. It just works. Typing will take some getting used to and there are a few tweaks I hope they will add. But it won’t take more than another week to be fluid on it.This is where computing devices are headed - extremely capable appliances instead of general purpose machines. I believe there will be a time when fewer people will want a full featured computer. They will want something that just works. Think Tivo, Xbox, iPod, iPhone. Not Windows, not even OS X. Something tuned to the task they want to do. There will always be the developer/technology aficionado that will be the realm of the general purpose machine. But the rest of the population should really say enough is enough, give me something that works.The iPhone is overpriced and underpowered. It will pale in comparison to what comes next. Just like the 1984 Macintosh. Right now though, it is the first computing device in years to feel like it is pushing us into the future and not repackaging the past. It is going to challenge everyone that has anything to do with software to think a little more about user interface and economy of presentation.I wish I could work on one thing as cool as the iPhone during my career. Most of us will never create something this disruptive or industry altering. To those Apple (and AT&T) employees who created it - this is an amazing achievement. You deserve all the praise that is being given. Ignore the criticism. There is more jealousy in it than anything else. You will be able to look back on this as a pivotal point in computing. Congratulations and thanks for pushing the rest of us into a new line of thinking.