The iPhone is here. Now what?The iPhone hits retail today, and not a moment too soon. The hype reached Bill Brasky-like proportions months ago and has grown even more absurd in recent weeks: According to various accounts, the iPhone not only plays back video and audio content but also cures leprosy, smells of crisp, delicious bacon and arrives manufactured from the armor of fallen Imperial Stormtroopers. Speaking of which, like Star Wars: Episode I–The Phantom Menace, the Super Bowl or Christmas morning, the iPhone will inevitably fail to live up to expectations. Early reviews on the device itself are positive, but already critics are beating AT&T’s EDGE network like a rented mule.
So now what? Well, now it gets interesting. Now we find out if the iPhone truly is the tipping point of portable media, or simply the must-have toy of the moment–the Furby or Tickle-Me-Elmo du jour. Now we find out if consumers will still embrace the device even if the corresponding network speed is comparable to dial-up. Now we find out if AT&T’s competition will rise to the occasion or buckle under the pressure. Earlier this week, Sprint announced a marketing overhaul spotlighting its multimedia initiatives and high-speed services while effectively relegating its Nextel co-brand to the shadows–apparently, there is no room for its resolutely blue-collar push-to-talk service in the iPhone world. Verizon Wireless, meanwhile, said it will keep its retail outlets open until 9 p.m. today to give “customers plenty of time to test drive the leading wireless company with the most reliable voice and data network.” (No word on pony rides and free balloons for the kids.)
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