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iPhone: round up of many enthusiasts!

You get the flavour of the world's response to Steve Jobs the showman from the first report listed by Google: "An unqualified YES!"

The rave comes from TrustedReviews:

The answer has to be an unqualified YES. Although the product branding will surely meet with legal threats from Cisco, Jobs’ announcement was greeted with a level of acclaim I’ve never before witnessed in my seven years as an IT journo and his proclamation that the device is “Three revolutionary new products” in one rings true (please excuse the pun).

 So much for the greybeards of IT journalism. What about the stock market? According to the MercuryNews.com: 'Revolutionary' cell phone iPod tiny computer propels Apple stock," Frank Michael Russell wrote:

"Steve Jobs introduced Apple's new iPhone during his keynote speech at Macworld Tuesday in San Francisco. Apple Computer shares soared 8.3 percent today after the Cupertino electronics maker revealed plans for an all-in-one cell phone, digital media player and OS X-powered handheld computer.

And Palm shares and RIM shares dropped... and did you notice? Apple renamed itself said the Houston Chronicle:

Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies, said the iPhone could revolutionise the way cell phones are designed and sold. "This goes beyond smart phones and should be given its own category called 'brilliant' phones," he said. "Cell phones are on track to become the largest platform for digital music playback and Apple needed to make this move to help defend their iPod franchise as well as extend it beyond a dedicated music environment."

At the New York Times, John Markoff gave some interesting tech details:

The iPhone will offer five hours of operating time and 16 hours of audio playback, Mr. Jobs said.

Markoff added that the phone will be compatible with Cingular’s digital EDGE data network as well as WiFi and Bluetooth networks(he left out the sad fact that it's not a 3G phone) - and then pointed out the dilemma: battery life:

Mr. Jobs defended the higher price of the new phone in a market where smartphone prices are rapidly plunging to $200 and below. He compared the iPhone, which has only one mechanical button on its surface, to smartphones from Motorola, Research In Motion and Palm. Rather than what he called “small plastic keyboards,” the iPhone will have a display that becomes both the keyboard and control panel, morphing to suit the current application. “After today I don’t think anyone is going to look at these phones in the same way,” he said.

And the missing scroll wheel? Not needed! -The Register reversed its dire predictions of failure from two weeks back:

The device offers a wider, 3.5-inch screen with touch controls that vastly improve upon the iPod's scroll wheel. To scroll through a list of artists, contacts or photos a user runs a finger down the screen. A faster flick will move further down the list than a slow one. The iPhone features an improved menu structure that makes it faster to find playlists, artists and albums.