iPhone 4.0 Sucks

At least, that's what a variety of analysts are saying - pointing out various imagined slights against technology or themselves from the announcement last week. I'm not really on board with this sentiment for a variety of reasons.

• AT&T vs Verizon. I don't care much about this issue - though apparently Verizon users do. I am probably in a minority of cell phone users who both carry a personal and professional cell phone and carry one from Verizon and AT&T. In my area, there is little that distinguish the two. Try driving through the canyons in SoCal and see if you can hold a call. The last time I was on a conference call on a drive to the airport through Topanga Canyon/PCH/10 I lost signal 3 times with Verizon. Once was even on the 10. Long story short, you are going to have problems with any particular carrier in specific areas.
• Too small of a screen. Folks - you do realize this is supposed to be a phone right? I would really prefer that this be able to fit in my pocket and not require a backpack.
• The data caps, well, I've talked about that before. For heavy applications such as streaming video, I still think WiFi is the only practical solution until the 4G standard is approved and widely available - think a decade or so.
• Speaking of... No 4G. Ok, let's get this straight. Regardless of all the marketing by Sprint and others, there is no 4G standard. This is neither in AT&T or Apple's hands.
• Not enough storage. This is probably one area, I might agree. If I were a iPhone user who needed to walk around with a ton of music or video this one would be a problem. However, I'm not. I have my iPad for video and I don't take my whole library with me. I just take playlists. The only way this might impact me is that since the phone now records HD video, it might fill up the storage pretty fast. That's a point where you would need more storage and badly.
• Facetime is only on WiFi. I can see the point here, but once again let's think about this. How often have you had a seamless video chat session at home, over a fast Internet connection? I'll answer that. Never. Now, try to take that onto what are now straining 3G networks and it would be useless. This is actually a good call right now and since it's a software setting can always be changed in the future.

Now, here's why I think the device is going to do just fine in the marketplace.

• The price is excellent. To bring out this product at a price as low as $199 is pretty darn good.
• The speed is going to be awesome. This is the same chip from the iPad and the 'Pad is incredible snappy with applications, video, etc. Time is just about the only thing you can't make more of. This gives you something back. 
• High Def video. That's pretty sweet. This is already on top of a really sharp looking screen.
• The gyroscope. Just wait until the games come out for this version of the phone. It's going to be like a Wii in the palm of your hand. 
• And one last small thing. Glass front and back. I can't tell you how scratched the back of my iPhone 3G is. I can tell you that the front has not one - and I don't use any kind of case. This is going to make this unit a lot more durable.