The madness of line waiting is upon us, as Apple introduces the iPhone 4 today. Also in this App Industry Roundup, we provide a first look of the Motorola Droid X and note that Apples can go bad sometimes.
The line is long, at least the sun is shining
It couldn’t be a lovelier day to stand in line. After a spring and early summer dominated by stormy weather, Thursday brings a welcome break. Where I’m sitting and typing — next to a window in my Chicago home where I can see the sun is shining — I feel a slight pang of jealousy for all of the people waiting to buy (or pick up) their spiffy new iPhone 4’s. If the wait is long, so be it. Enjoy the fine outdoors while you can — because once you purchase that iPhone 4, say goodbye to the sunshine and hello to your living room, where activation awaits.
Of course, today is the day you can unbox that iPhone 4 and start to learn all the fancy new tricks and new conveniences it brings. (Have you ever seen an unboxing video? They are oddly popular. Here’s a video of some guy unboxing his iPhone 4, courtesy of Gizmodo.) The lines have started to move and people are buying their iPhone 4’s.
This annual march of summer gadget lust has led to some curious news coverage, such as the “I’m waiting in line” blog post, those crazy campers and the wacky stuff they bring, and the usual efforts to cover product love as serious news. We see this every year, and frankly, I can’t imagine waiting in line myself for a phone, even if the weather is so lovely.
Yet not everyone who waits today will get a phone. There are reports that shortages persist, news one could expect given last week’s iPhone 4 pre-order chaos.
And even if you do get an iPhone 4, tech blogs are starting to report problems. Gizmodo notes that some iPhones have yellow bands and spots and that if you hold the phone the wrong way, there could be reception trouble. (Hint: put the top of the phone next to your ear, with the bottom pointing toward your mouth.) And if you can believe this, Engadget has discovered that you can scratch an iPhone 4. Egads!
Yes, people, we have officially gone crazy over the iPhone. My solution? Enjoy the nice weather and buy one next week, or the week after.
Motorola Droid X on sale July 15
I doubt people will wait in crazy lines for the debut of Motorola’s Droid X when it goes on sale at Verizon ($200 after contract/rebate) on July 15. But they should think about it. The Droid X is yet another sweet Android phone, continuing an impressive string of product releases for the Google-backed platform that got a lot of energy last year when the first Motorola Droid went on sale at Verizon.
The Droid X has a 4.3-inch display (like the HTC Evo), an 8-megapixel camera (the iPhone 4 has 5 megapixels), an HDMI jack, it shoots 720p HD video (like the iPhone 4) and uses a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect up to five devices through Verizon’s network. It lacks a front-facing camera, however.
I spent a lot of time with the Droid X yesterday, and here is my first review. It’s a phone I plan on experimenting with a lot more over the coming weeks. In particular, I’m anxious to use it as a GPS device for an upcoming road trip as Pandora Radio streams through my speakers. (Tim Westergren, Pandora founder, was on the Colbert Report last night.)
Apple’s new role as a bad Apple
Apple “finds itself in a bewildering position,” writes Miguel Helft in today’s New York Times. “As the tech industry’s perennial underdog, Apple was frequently scorned and dismissed by larger and more successful competitors like Microsoft or Dell. Now, with growing frequency, the company is seen by competitors and other industry players as a bully.”
Helft looks at the recent inquiries by the feds into Apple’s practices. This includes Steve Jobs’ spat with Adobe, Google’s complaint that Apple’s iAd platform is exclusionary and worries from app developers — while happy with the success Apple has provided them — who say the company is too controlling of its platforms. It’s a good read looking at the evolution of our favorite tech company.
Perhaps that person waiting in line next to you has a copy.
