IDG News Service — Anything that happened in the world of IT this week that wasn't related to the iPhone could have happened on another planet. The run-up to the commercial release of this totemic object of desire left the tech press in one quivering mass of anticipation, from blogs to the mainstream. Steve Jobs has once more masterfully orchestrated a Media Event; only time will reveal whether he has created a blockbuster product.
For those who don't have an RSS feed of iPhone news on IV drip, here's a look at the top stories this week.
1. Cue the Queue
As of Friday morning, the "gotta-have-its" formed lines at Apple stores in New York but were only a few hundred strong, Reuters reported. Devotees who had arrived earlier as reported in InfoWorld were led by a distinctive everyman of the modern media event, Greg Packer—famous for providing "man on the street" quotes on diverse topics for the past several years.
2. Why, Oh Why, Go With AT&T?
There are a few clouds in the sky of the saturation media coverage. Both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal noted 11th-hour anxieties over Apple's service-provider partner in the iPhone release, AT&T. The carrier's EDGE wireless network may not show the new phone's online capabilities in their best light; Apple seems to be hoping that customers will connect via Wi-Fi hotspots to get better performance.
3. The Anointed Few Weigh In With Reviews
There's a bit of crankiness in the blogosphere about just who got the few devices Apple made available for review. Here's a roundup from Crunchgear on the first looks from Walt Mossberg, David Pogue, Edward Baig and Steven Levy. In fact, Levy was victim of the first attempted iPhone mugging, reports blog Valleywag. Apparently he was jumped while appearing live on Fox News; his assailant was apprehended.
4. The Messianic Comes into Play, Again
In the meantime, thanks to a hype-prone medioblogracy, the nickname "Jesus phone" had appeared in more than 100 news stories by Friday, scoring for Jobs a viral brand tie-in with someone whose Q Score is probably dangerously higher than the CEO's own. Rocco Palmo runs with the religious metaphor on bustedhalo.com: "June 29th marks the feast day dedicated to the founders of the church of Rome: Saints Peter and Paul. The observance is an ancient one, but this year it coincides with a religious festival of a more modern sort. For the believers of this other faith, it's the day of deliverance they have long awaited, the moment when they'll finally be able to grasp the Holy Grail which they've long lusted and defended against all naysayers, sight unseen." More alarmingly, he notes a Vatican-Apple tie-in that could feed conspiracy theorists for years to come, reporting that the "Vatican webmistress" had recently disclosed a Mac conversion.
