I know… but the point is that some people want a keyboard and larger screen whilst on the move.
You are not going to carry a docking station, monitor and keyboard around with you when you could just have a laptop.
sigh
Yes, I realize it cannot replace full-fledged PCs.
Yes, sometimes it’s more useful to simply have a full fledged laptop.
But for someone who does a lot of traveling, it is amazingly useful. A laptop without an extended battery has a horrible battery life. It also takes up a lot of room, something that isn’t convenient on public transportation. The list goes on.
And yes, I’m aware that much of the functionality was available in one form or another on previous hardware. It’s that the iPhone made it all very accessible with a very flexible interface. Simple as that.
That really depends on what kind of laptop we are talking about here doesn’t it 
Laptop battery technology has come a long way in the past few years, we now see 12 inch IBM thinkpads that have a battery life of 11 hours approx, not exactly poor.
Hydrogen cells are also planned for commercial use, a hydrogen cell can power a “desktop replacement” laptop for 48 hours approx of constant use - when these come into play in the consumer market it will spell the end for Lithium Ion. The Military currently uses them on the field.
As for iPhone’s interface, I’m not sure what’s flexible about it… it is “pretty” but I found it quite limiting in a lot of regards compared to other phones, most importantly, when it comes to function. It might have touch screen, but the software behind it leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes.
I’m not into copying other people… but this is just too good to pass:
I’m sorry, but I just cannot see the possibility that it will replace PCs at all.
If anything, replace is the wrong word.
“Alternative” to PCs is probably a more correct term.
Good point with the “replace” vs “alternative.” That’s more appropriate.
And what I meant by the interface being flexible was that the multi-point touch screen can be adapted to, well, pretty much any sort of interface. It’s extremely flexible in that respect. The one thing that pisses me off about the iPhone to no extent is the lack of a right click. Yaaarg!
[quote=“Chizzles”]I’m not into copying other people… but this is just too good to pass:
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d87/betamaxboy/ilol.jpg[/quote]
Maddox’s take on the iPhone, while certainly an amusing read, is a bit dated now that the iPhone 3G has been released. For a start, third parties now can develop applications for the iPhone, which has opened a world of new possibilities. Many of the shortcomings of the old iPhone such as no instant messenger are now possible with third party applications.
Abadd makes a good point about the interface being extremely flexible. I haven’t actually used an iPhone myself, so please correct me if I’m mistaken, but the ability to tilt the screen looks really handy, as different kinds of applications are going to work better in landscape and portrait. It’s this kind of polish which makes the iPhone an attractive platform (as a portable device).
The tilt is certainly useful, but for me, the multi-point touch screen is what makes the difference. Having the ability to zoom in on things with a simple gesture really makes it much easier to navigate around pages and whatnot. While some handhelds feature a nub in place of a mouse, the touch screen is a much more elegant solution… it’s biggest flaw at this point is the lack of a right click (or single click, in the case of an Apple machine).