Andy’s Home, Home on the Range

Andy January 9th, 2007

Well the well hyped and highly speculated MacWorld keynote by the head Apple, Steve Jobs, has come and gone. For the first time ever, I’m under-impressed. For the first time ever, I was not driven to immediately run to the Apple store and place an order. For the first time ever, Steve Jobs has not “wowed” me.

And this troubles me.

I’m impressed with the announcements…the Apple TV DVR type deal device and the ultracool Apple iPhone are very cool and very “Apple”…but…they don’t call out to me.

Maybe it’s a problem with me. I don’t think I fit their target demographic anymore. Being a 40 something family guy is not who Apple is targeting with their latest offerings. They are trying to hit the 20-30 somethings that are single or attached but with ample disposable income.

I’ve always wanted Apple to come out with a PDA device. The iPhone is it. All the PDA functions one would expect from Apple complete with iTunes integration. This also gives it the ability to download and play videos and movies as well as pictures. It has a doc connector and will surely be capable of utilizing the existing array of peripherals on the market.

Sure it’s cool and with a phone built in. I should be chomping at the bit to get one. I should be the guy that’s camping out at the local Apple store pitching a tent and waiting until June when the device is expected to be available.

But I am not.

I guess I’ve finally come to the point in my life where I have enough “stuff”. The things that I want more than anything right now is the health and safety of my son and wife. I don’t need a whole lot of “things” anymore.

My reputation has always been as an early adopter. I currently have (or have had) just about every sort of handheld PDA you can imagine….a Psion 3a, Palm 3, 5, 7, Handspring Visors, Prism, Sharp Zaurus, Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have (or had) just about every type of iPod Apple has offered. I should be drooling at the new iPhone. It’s what I expected I would want…it’s OS X based and has a freaking 2 megapixel camera built in too boot….but I am lukewarm to this great device.

It’s a flash based device with an expected retail of $399USD for a 4 GB model and the 8GB model running at $499USD. Plus, you’re obligated to a 2yr Cingular contract with unlimited packages at around $20/month that’s nearly $1000USD over the course of the 2 years..about $75.00 /mth for the 2 years.

It’s not just about the money…I think I’m getting too old to be this excited about a hunk of hardware….

Now…my son getting over his cold…now THAT excites me!

iphone

• Rant , Tech Tips