Jeff the Great: Steve Jobs was iWrong

For the iPhone launch Apple set up a web site for customers to find out which Apple stores are in stock with the iPhone. The way Steve Jobs talked about the iPhone, I expect that just about every Apple store would be sold out.

I checked Apple's site today and guess what I found? Oregon, all Apple stores are in stock. California, in stock. Washington, in stock. New York, in stock.

You probably get the point. So was Steve Jobs wrong when he said that stores would sell out? Or is this just a marketing ploy by Apple to get people into the stores?

Check it out for yourself: http://www.apple.com/retail/iphone/

-Jeff the Great

Jeff the Great and an iPhone?

Time for Jeff the Great to weigh on on the iPhone debate. The coveted device drops on June 29th and is being called by some the most anticipated consumer products launch of all time.

I know you are all waiting to hear if Jeff the Great approves of this new Apple device. In a word, 'No.' It is my prediction that the Apple iPhone will fail miserably, and here is why (in no particular order):

1. AT&T: This wireless company has struggled more than any other in the past 10 years. Just a few years ago they became Cingular, and they are again AT&T. Anyone confused yet? Buyers of the iPhone will most likely be virtually forced to sign a 2 year contract with AT&T. Too bad AT&T isn't the largest or best wireless carrier in the nation.*citation coming soon

2. AT&T, part 2: AT&T operates on GSM technology. GSM is great for making phone calls but terrible as a high speed data technology. On Verizon Wireless or Sprint/Nextel users can get up to 1.5megabits per second. I am hearing that on AT&T you are looking at 300k-700k per second (or only half as fast in a best case scenario). The web won't be nearly as fast as the Apple commercials would like you to believe.

3. Price Tag: Take a look at the web site of any wireless carrier out there...Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc and look at the prices of their phones. See much? That's what I thought. So who does buy the rare $300 or $400 phone? Business people on the go. Why do they buy these phones? For email capability. Anyone excited to type an email to their boss on a virtual keyboard? It may be okay for typing in a phone number or texting your friend, but good luck responding to your clients concerns while waiting for a flight.

4. Storage Capabilities: Or lack there of. The iPhone comes with two options, 4gig or 8gig. More than most cell phones, yes, but hardly an iPod. Go to the Apple web site and you'll see you can pick up an 80gig device.....ten times more memory than the larger of the two iPhones. So in addition to storing all of your contacts, cached files from web surfing, and attachments from emails, how many songs and/or videos will you be able to hold? About 90% less than a regular iPod?

UPDATED

5. No Outlook Sync: A friend of mine informed me today that word on the street is the iPhone will not be able to sync with MS Outlook out of the box. This may be updated by Apple or a 3rd party app might be released, but this is a big hit to the previously discussed business users that rely on Outlook in their office enviroment.

UPDATE: A Reader has pointed me to Apple documentation proving #5 wrong. Thanks to reader "RO."

In conclusion, if you are a business person you might spend $500 on a cell phone but wont get the iPhone when you could spend $100-$200 less and get a Palm Treo or Blackberry. If you are a hipster you might be interested in an iPhone to use it for its media capabilities. But why when it has the short battery life and small amount of memory like a cell phone?

Instead of $500 for a device that is okay at everything, I'll spend my money on a PDA cell phone that rocks and an 80gig iPod.

-Jeff the Great

updated 6-19-07, added point #5

updated 6-21-07, #5 incorrect, see link

JeffTube

A few months back I wrote a post about a great example of top notch customer service. Today I found a YouTube video featuring this business and thought I'd share:

Jeff the Great: "Oh Shit!"

Just realized something:

If Hillary Clinton wins the 2008 presidential election, our country will have 24 years under the rule of 2 families.

If she wins in 2008 and gets reelected for a second term, make that 28.

And I wouldn't count Jeb Bush out for a presidential run. Can you say 32 or 36 years under the leadership of TWO FAMILIES?

Scary, scary thought.

-Jeff the Great

Jeff the Great saves the world!

I've been running around this crazy world I rule with little time to blog lately. I actually have so many post idea's I don't know which to pick! I've been thinking a lot about how history will view the united states. I think about how the Roman Empire was once such a dominate civilization and I am sure there was a time when it's people thought they would never fall from grace.

So I wonder. Is the USA as untouchable as we think it is? I personally think it's the greatest country on earth and I am proud to be part of it. But will we last? a couple hundred years is really nothing in the grand scheme of human civilization. Not to mention that our world dominance is only a mere 100 years old. This doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence.

To make matters worse we have the lowest common denominator running this land, and most of the folk vying to be our next president don't offer me much hope. During one of the debates this week, I heard a candidate mention "our interests in Israel" and the rest of the middle east. I guess I just worry that all these 'interests' beyond our borders could lead to our demise.

Let's hope history is kind to this young, cocky nation.

-Jeff the Great