June 4th, 2008

Went to an Apple store yesterday and got my first chance to really play with an iPhone. Obviously not a perfect device, but one heck of a lot better than any other phone I’ve ever seen. The screen is terrific and seems very scratch-resistant (given how none of the ones out for public handling had any evidence of scratches, even after I saw someone try to operate one with their keys). Battery life is supposed to be great, there really is a dock connector, etc. etc.

Why the title of this post? On the way back out to my car, I called T-Mobile to ask when my contract is up; it runs through June 3rd, and it’s $200 per line to break the contract. Since this would involve my wife’s line as well, that’s $400. With the iPhone itself being pretty expensive, we’d be talking a grand to switch. It’s cool, but it’s not that cool. And maybe the second generation iPhone will be out by next June, or at least there will be a drop in price. (3G would be great, Apple, really.)

The really funny part is that the T-Mobile customer service guy asked me why I was asking about my contract date, and I told him I has been looking at the iPhone. He was ready with all the “usual suspects” of what was wrong with it. I guess that’s to be expected. No, the really sad part is what he tried to sell me, the T-Mobile “Wing.” This has to be some kind of joke. Windows Media Player? Synchronizes with Outlook? Ugh. If that’s the competition, I’m even more sure that I’m waiting for an iPhone. Yikes.