Is that your iPhone or are you just pleased to see me?

Judging by our tagcloud at TheGoodBlogs, the world is abuzz with the iPhone offering from Apple. Who can blame them, Apple once again introduces another object of desire. With a 3.5 inch wide screen, it is more like a PocketPC than a phone. If it were anyone else, they would be the laughing stock of the industry. As manufacturers like Nokia, Motorola fight over who has the smallest and thinnest phone, Steve Jobs makes you salivate over a gadget that would probably not fit most pockets. But then if you can afford it, you can afford a new shirt.

The legend goes that when Sony first introduced the Walkman, they were too big and bulky to put into your top pocket. The marketing geniuses manufactured larger shirts for their sales folk so that the device would fit. I can imagine all the phone manufacturers and Apple stores issuing custom shirts and trousers... a preview for this spring's fashion trend. Perhaps, iBags will be the next big accessory. The factories in Asia must be so excited at the new opportunities.

A great segway to the picture I created for today's post. At first glance, the iPhone looked vaguely familiar like an old friend. Then the aha moment came, my trusty Dell Axim, had curves not unlike the new phone. At this moment I'm probably going to risk the wrath of all the Apple fans, comparing the new generation phone to an old computing device. But check out the picture and tell me there isn't some similarity both in looks and format. The question I then asked was smartphones like the iPaq hosting Windows Mobile has been around for quite some time. So the iPhone in essence is not new in concept. But Steve and his creative geniuses at Apple have taken what is essentially a known concept, no doubt made it infinitely more user-friendly, gave it designer curves and woven a aura of "I want that!" around the iPhone. Time magazine picture of the year should show Bill Gates exchanging gifts with Steve Jobs at CES, your Zune for my iPhone.

Now if only my fairy godmother could turn my Dell into an iPhone.