Not Too Hot

The heat wave scorched the rest of the West, but those who dwelt by the Bay were spared its worst. Inlanders fled to the air-conditioned comfort of shopping malls and movie theaters. Here, the light breezes mitigated the heat and drew people out, cooling T-shirted tourists and suited businessmen alike.

The lines at the cable car station snaked around the Powell & Market turntable, but there were no lines one block away at the Apple Store. I played around with the product that everyone is talking about. First impressions: beautiful screen but aging eyes will have trouble reading the tiny print, very cumbersome to type on, slow Internet (maybe not Apple’s fault), and good sound. Much better than my basic phone that costs 10% as much. The iPhone is really a mini-computer with a mike. Maybe the ultimate game is to have it displace laptops as well as other handsets, but you’ll still need a PC or Mac at home or office to host the data and sync it up. If I were a laptop manufacturer, I’d be worried.

I kept my credit card holstered and will wait for iPhone v 2. Meanwhile, as a holder of Apple stock, I wish them every success.

In mid-afternoon the fog rolled through the Golden Gate, engulfing Alcatraz and lapping the edges of Treasure Island. © 2007 Stephen Yuen