Wired’s verdict: Not worth the money [LINK].

Good job Jobs.

Is the iPhone worth supporting the evil AT&T empire?
The iPhone is super-hyped, but is it worth getting if it means giving money to the privacy-hating, monopoly-having bastards at AT&T? Gizmodo examines why it might be worth skipping the iPhone to maintain a clear conscience. [LINK]

$175 Fee If You Cancel iPhone, Even Though You Paid Full Price
You better like your full-price iPhone because if you don’t, AT&T plans on charging you the full $175 early termination fee, even though the phone’s cost isn’t at all subsidized under a long-term-agreement. [LINK]

Will the iPhone be a Security Nightmare?
With Wifi, Bluetooth, an API based on Safari which had numerous low complexity zero day exploits I think this is a valid concern. I’ve also got concerns around an Ajax API that can read from on-phone resources such as the calendar and address book.
[LINK] 

Hackers Can’t Wait for iPhone

Technology fetishists aren’t the only people itching to get their hands on an iPhone. Hackers want to play with Apple’s new toy, too.

Within hours of Apple’s iPhone unveiling this week, the iPhone was a hot topic on the Dailydave discussion list, a widely read forum on security research.

Much of the discussion centered on the processor that Apple may have chosen to power its new device and what kind of assembly language “shellcode” might work on this chip. “Is this beast running an ARM?"

[LINK]

Lastly, I think the battery life on this device will be pretty poor. You’ve got a large power hungry screen, with a touch-sensitive layer over it. Add to that the bluetooth and wifi components, I think it’ll drain pretty fast.

1. Apple is running ads with all load times removed (edited out). Have you seen where the guy opens up Google Maps? That’ll never be that responsive in real-life as the network is just not fast enough. Expect the backlash to be significant.
2. The device is set to run on GSM networks which in North America is not as widespread as CDMA. The latter is faster and some would argue more flexible. If you’re ever stuck out of digital service range on a GSM phone you can’t make a call, wheras with CDMA you can "roam". Call quality is king and without a solid implementation of a cell phone’s core functionality people will loose interest.
3. The cell phone market is already crowded and fiercely competitive. Why will consumers will rush to purchase an unproven device from an unproven cell phone vendor?
4. Folks change cell phones every 2 years or sooner. Technology in these devices moves incredibly fast. Within 2 years a device will be out with a better form factor, better features and cheaper price. $600 for a device that’s defunct within 2years is too much.
5. Personally I don’t want a device that combines MP3s with phone. I already have two devices and like it that way. I can take whichever one I want with me and ditch the other.
6. My cell phone is so small I hardly notice it’s there. Its battery lasts about 10 times longer than my Mp3 player. I like that. I don’t want to worry that bopping to music on the subway will impede my ability to call home if I need to.
7. No keyboard. Sorry, I love the technology, unfortunately I don’t like the practicality. You can’t dial whilst driving (c’mon we all do it). You can’t dial without looking at the device.
8. Locked platform. I want to develop thick-client apps, not just Ajax browser apps.
9. Suspicious Safari on Windows – I’ve heard rumors you’ll HAVE to use Safari with the iPhone. Sorry, that’s not going to cut it either. The Safari uses OS/X font rendering tech that blurs all fonts. Makes me feel like I’m going blind. It’s also much slower loading the browser. Thumbs down.
10. Corporate use – this thing is aimed at the consumer but is touting business-user price. Apple needs to address RIM’s dominance in this space to justify such an expensive device. BlackBerrys are much more rugged and secure than iPhones. I can’t see the iPhone surviving much of a drop.