Maybe it's Java-script that's supported, not Java. This would make more sense in a way, but not for the user, who wants it all to work.
Javascript and Java are radically different. Javascript IS supported by the iPhone, but whether or not there will be a Java VM implementation is still unknown. Look no further than the New York Times website demo--their site uses Javascript all over the place.
I only have one computer with only one free USB port that I have to swap out between a whole myriad of gadgets as necessary and don't know what I would do if I had to charge my cell phone via my computer as well since you'd have to do it almost everyday.
Buy a USB hub. Sounds like you need one anyway, if you're that hard-pressed for free USB ports. My main desktop has 8, with an additional pair on the monitor, and I still need a hub.
There is absolutely no way a $500-600 plus two year commitment phone is going to be a roaring success. Jobs himself has said as much, he's only expecting a 1% marketshare (which actually probably means he's expecting 2%, but, whatever.)
Define 'roaring success.' A 1% market share for ANY smartphone would be heretofore unachieved heights and an unparalleled success in the market. As for the price, it's not the first phone to enter the market at this price point. The past several years have seen
many high-priced launches. Blackberries have been introduced at much lower prices lately because their market was floundering; the Q and the Blackjack are both heavily subsidized by their carriers--selling at $299 locked, retail. It's not known what amount of subsidizing, if any, Cingular has taken on with the iPhone. The German launch doesn't necessarily reflect a final price for comparison.
iPhoto -> Nice UI - but once again, all other smartphones allow an open platform. When people think smartphones they ( who have used them ) think open platform.
Actually, 'open platform' didn't really occur to the non-geek users at all before their geek friends decided to complain about the iPhone's closed system. In a building full of smartphone users, no one ever really thinks to install all kinds of random crap. They're used for handling contact information, calendars and reminders, taking down quick notes, sending maps and directions, keeping up with email out of the office, web browsing, making calls, and often playing a few short games or some music.
The iPhone does all of this (not to mention its photo management and extremely user-friendly dashboard-style widgets). Almost no one I know uses the Office mobile--they ruin the files and even worse, lack any real features that can't be replaced by any basic text editor or an HTML table. A few people have selected a few applications to add, but apart from Salling Clicker and, humorously enough, a photo slideshow app, people don't install anything too exciting. Joe Smith's app of the week certainly doesn't make an appearance on any professional's smartphone. So long as Apple makes available useful applications for download or sale, not many people will care.
It's a bit disappointing for geeks, I'll give you that, but it's really not going to bother any real-world professionals. The iPhone offers almost everything that real people use smartphones for on a day-to-day basis, and if it lobs off some of the rarely-used features and makes the device accessible to a wider audience, it will more than compensate for that loss.
