July 16, 2008

Here's an example of yet another autobiographical cartoon. Yes, I actually bought an iPhone on Friday morning. I wasn't going to succumb to the glitz and the usual hysteria regarding new Apple products, but once Rogers dropped the data rate to something decent, I fell like a led balloon and sheepishly lined up like all the other pathetic fan boys in front of the Rogers Wireless dealership. It's amazing how much respect one little gizmo can give you. When I pull the iPhone out of my pocket to collect email, or peruse the Internet, I literally stop people in their tracks. I don't know how many times already this week I've been gawked at by adoring prepubescent boys and heard the gasps of "cool!" Suddenly, I'm a rock star. Now I pull it out whenever I see young, attractive women and I'm pretty certain it's working. It's like I'm 20 again, only now I look like Brad Pitt. Other than the cool factor, it is an amazing piece of technology. To call it a phone is to do a great disservice because it is more than just a phone -- it's a revolution in thinking and design. The phone aspect is just one, very small component, as it serves as an iPod, camera, PDA, Internet browser device, gaming device, GPS unit, e-mail device, and more, as applications from the App Store continue to be developed.  In short, it is a computer and the future of computing. My friends laugh at me gushing over it, but really I'm just blown away. It is the most revolutionary thing I have ever beheld, since probably the first Macintosh arrived at the Ottawa Citizen in 1985 and changed how graphics were created. It is that good. No doubt, RIM is working hard to catch up and probably will, but the game is completely different, thanks to Apple.