Brian Lam’s iPhone review on Gizmodo has a lot of salient points: there are things that the iPhone doesn’t do that lots of other, 1/10th-the-cost phones do perform, and that the iPhone could have many of these with software updates. Therefore, he argues that people wait on buying an iPhone if they haven’t done so already until some of the updates have rolled out. That’s reasonable. I do think those rollouts will come, too—after all, the iPhone was announced with 11 apps originally, and now there are 12 in the initial production run. Looking at the home screen, the UI would easily accept four more apps without anything having to be swapped out, re-ordered, or anything. [One could argue that Apple could put any number of apps on the phone, but two things jump out at me: one, having to scroll the main UI would stink, and two, those apps would have to be small so as to not cripple the 4GB iPhone.]

But here’s what makes Lam’s review slam-worthy: the conclusion:

One more thing. What took you guys so long to review this? And where are the fanboys I know and love/hate?
Like you, I’ve coveted the idea of an Apple phone since it wasn’t any more real than a unicorn. And when it was delivered last Friday, almost seven months after the announcement at Macworld 2007, the hype and spin were so thick, there was no way anyone could write an objective review. Ten days after I camped, plunked down $600 for one, and signed the two year contract, I think I have the perspective to understand what it means to live with this phone. Many reviews abound, but I don’t think anyone has written about it from the perspective of ownership yet. That’s my take on the situation. My mind is clear; this isn’t a knee-jerk reaction.

Ten days? Really? I know that we’re living on InternetTime these days, but ten days is an eyelash blink. That’s what makes the “I want to defend the skeptical nature of this review” thing so laughable. Ten days isn’t enough time for anyone to evaluate it.

Face it: most everyone who’s bought one to this point is a gadget geek. [Check.] Whether or not the device truly has any lasting impact isn’t going to be known for some time yet—probably not even in 2007. Sure, you’re going to see brisk early sales for a device that’s this hyped—just like Hollywood blockbusters have an initial boomlet. But for an early adopter to argue that ten days gives him enough perspective … sorry, I don’t buy it.

[My initial feelings on the iPhone---with just three full days of ownership---are twofold: one, I really like using it, and two, I really like watching other people use it. But I really only care about the first in the long run; the second just strokes my considerable ego.]