stEVE's New Bite of the Apple

This isn't the post I had originally planned for today, but I'm preempting in favor of breaking news.

You've probably heard by now that Steve Jobs had a big announcement over at Apple Computers today.

First of all, it's no longer "Apple Computers." They officially announced a name change today: to Apple, Inc. According to the Associated Press (AP), this name change is "meant to reflect Apple's transformation from a computer manufacturer to a full-fledged consumer electronics company."

To help launch the new company, Jobs introduced Apple's entry into the mobile phone business with the iPhone, which will be available in June, starting at a price of $499. It's "controlled by touch, plays music, surfs the Internet and runs the Macintosh computer operating system." Jobs believes "it will 'reinvent' wireless communications and 'leapfrog' past the current generation of smart phones. (AP)

According to the New York Times (NYT), "Investors took quickly to the pitch, sending Apple's stock price up to a record close, while shares of established cellphone makers slumped."

The NYT said that "Jobs defended the higher price of the new phone in a market where prices of so-called smartphones--those combining voice calling with Internet functions--are rapidly plunging to $200 and below."

He's clearly counting on high tech lovers to snatch up his new product; he hopes to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.

While I applaud the arrival of the iPhone, I'm not so sure I'm going to be interested in buying a phone based on Mac technology. Will I be able to sync this new iPhone up with my own non-Mac computer?

I've stuck with my old Palm Pilot for nearly ten years now. Blackberries hold no appeal for me. I'd been hoping that Job's announcement would help me to decide exactly which direction to go in the next iteration of consumer buying.

However, I think I'll stay put. The iPhone's price is bound to come down and--who knows--maybe the next generation of smartphones will have something that calls out to me.