Apple just released three new ads on it's website for the iPhone. At the end of the ads, it says "Coming June 29" - so I guess we finally have a release date! The ads are cool. They are really simple (typically Apple) and have kind of a how-to feel to them. In one ad, the announcer takes us from watching Pirates of the Caribbean to finding all the seafood places nearby on a google map of San Francisco, but pretty much shows the steps. The "empowering you to quickly respond to a whim" aspect of the iPhone is what I think will be the best selling point of the device, (seconded by it's sleek Appleness of course), and honestly it's why I think I will actually buy one. There are SO many times when I just need to find something out now, or email that finding to someone, or listen to a tune, or look up lyrics, or... all those things that are built into one device in the iPhone.
Luckily for me, my Verizon phone plan expired in April, and when I called them to inquire about what would be necessary for me to do if I wanted to "leave" them for Cingular, and they said, "nothing, we'll take care of everything for you. You're on 'month to month' now, so call us when you want to switch over, and we'll even move your phone number." Me = smiling. It was odd, like they wanted to help me leave them. And you know what? It actually spoke volumes about them to me, and made me certain, in this world of so many choices and plans and phones and coverage clarities, that if I ever leave Cingular in the future, I will be certain to go back to Verizon. And frankly, that's the best thing Verizon could hope of me at that moment. They realize that I'm going to switch anyway, why not leave me with a GOOD taste in my mouth. So kudos to Verizon for bracing for the storm of switchers by being easy to deal with. Apple hasn't started taking orders for iPhone yet, and when I called the Apple store just now, "Andrew" told me Apple hasn't even told anyone internally when pre-orders will be up - and then he said, "believe me I'm waiting to order mine, if I knew I'd tell you." I really need a new iPod anyway.
