iPhone? iDontThinkSo.

The Apple iPhone does look amazing, and judging from the comments on the NY Times blog which seem to be representative of the country, its unveiling is much anticipated and going to be a hit. Maybe even the 1% of the world market hit that Steve Jobs is aiming for.

Or maybe not. It all depends on whether the special features of a $499/$599 phone are worth it to everyone. It's true that the iPhone can access the internet, but if already travel everywhere with a laptop, is it worth doing everything on your phone, using teeny tiny buttons? Or the opposite problem, are you someone who requires more than just the standard email program and Safari? Adobe Acrobat? Good luck with that.

Where the corporate world is concerned, the device isn't secure enough, nor is it designed to run with corporate systems. There are already recommendations out to IT departments to start creating policies which won't allow the iPhone to access corporate networks.

Replacement for an iPod then, you ask? I don't think so. Maybe for those who are representative of the 'average 300 songs on their iPod,' but for all of the people who have thousands of songs, 4GB of storage space won't hack it, and 8GB might not either.

2G data coverage, when 3G exists? The speed is comparable to dialup or just slightly faster, which is fine for extremely limited web browsing and email, but anything extensive? Try again. Other smart phones include common features that the iPhone failed to include.

The battery has the same problem as iPod batteries...that they can't be removed or replaced, without a hefty fee that is. Who is able to give their phone up for a week or two these days, to send it back to Apple to get the battery replaced? Nobody I know.

Do you love having your most frequently dialed people on speed dial? Good luck pressing "5, send" on your iPhone. Maybe they will come up with a method that is easier than needing to scroll through a possibly ridiculously long phone book for every call.

$600 for a phone that could be easily lost or stolen, in a world where most phones are either free or heavily discounted with a 2 year service plan? $600, when many customers are going to be considering paying another $100-200 to cancel their current contract to switch to Cingular? Not to mention Cingular is going to be rolling out new rate plans to go with the iPhone. I don't know about that.

In China, they have already wasted no time coming up with a copycat version of the iPhone. Should be interesting considering it uses Windows instead of MAC software, which implies that it may be easier to add other programs onto the phone once they become available. As a PC fan, I'd have to say I'm interested. Check it out. Reviewers are already saying the Meizu M8 is everything the iPhone should have been. The website points out how interesting it was that Steve Jobs claimed they were 5 years ahead of technology, when it took about 5 days for this clone to come out.

My personal problem with the iPhone is the touchscreen, that I get the feeling I might damage within 2 weeks of owning, the same way I cracked the top screen of my new V3X within 2 weeks of owning it. Apple, what's going to stop the screen from breaking after being dropped once from 2 feet off the ground?

Are you one of those businessmen who can't use it, someone like me who can't keep things in one piece, someone who doesn't want to spend money on a phone when they could get one free, an avid music listener, or someone who is a diehard Verizon/T-Mobile customer?

Apple hopes not!