The only downsides that I see as a consumer are the seven different versions and the requirements. It may be difficult for some people to choose which is the best version of the OS. Also the top end version (Ultimate) is $400 from retail stores. The system requirements also pose a problem for many home users. The $300-$600 machines that sell so well from Wal Mart and Best Buy will not be able to run Vista and utilize many of the new features. This makes my recent home computer upgrade a well timed investment. I can’t wait to get my hands on Microsoft’s latest offering and see if it is worth the wait.

The pros of this device are obvious. It combines just about everything you would ever want to have in you pocket at once. I almost would buy one just for the touchscreen iPod. Being able to watch movies on a 3.5 inch screen compared to current iPod’s 2.5 inch screen will show a world of difference. The other amazing feature of this phone is how incredibly it integrates a streamlined version of Apple’s operating system to allow the full version of Safari not to mention with the full qwerty keyboard it will make browsing the web a snap. This is one of the problems I had with other Smart Phones. Using a stylus to type is clunky and inefficient. It almost makes me want to buy one today…almost.

The cons of this device. Now not having tested a device it is really hard to criticize it. There are two major factors that are going to play in how well this phone does. Number one is the price. It weighs in at a whopping $600 with a two year Cingular contract. Ouch. That is a little much for me to pay for this device, even if it does everything I want it to do. I think Apple has priced this higher than most people will be able to afford for a device of this kind. The second problem I have with the iPhone is Cingular. Cingular may have great coverage in most metropolitan areas, but for people that live in rural areas in the US or people who travel to rural areas this is a nightmare. Cingular is hit and miss on their coverage. It also requires people to sign up for a required contract. For people like me who can’t even fill their current minutes plan it means more wasted money on a contract they don’t need. This will cause me to pass on the iPhone for now.

I just really wanted a touch screen iPod.