iPhone? No Thanks

As my current mobile phone contract winds down, I have started a casual search for a new mobile carrier. With all the hoopla regarding the iPhone deal with Cingular/At&t it was on my radar. Priced at around $500 dollars Apple can forget about my business. I am quite content with my iPod and do not see a need to have a cell phone that's also an mp3 player. For 500 dollars I might as well get myself a swanky phone upgrade with a carrier and buy myself an iPod nano while treating my friends out to a crazy night on the town. For 100-200 dollars you can get a pretty nifty cell that takes low quality pictures, functions well as a phone, and looks very sleek. I predict that the iPhone will not move in high numbers. Spoiled rich kids and ubertechnophiles will run to Cingular on launch day but typical consumers as well as businesses will stay away. Apple is betting on style over function which is a dangerous game with mobile phones. I want my phone to work. I want to be able to dial numbers without looking and if I am going to spend over 300 dollars I want my phone to sync with my e-mail while allowing me to send quick responses. I can not imagine the frustrations that will be experienced by those who attempt to write text messages or emails that are longer than a few abbreviations unless apple has an innovative new entry method. So while I may be slightly jealous of the trendy folks chatting on their iPhones later in the year, my practical side won't mind.