"tomreedtoon":

Unlike Bill Gates, Steve Jobs isn't stupid enough to taunt people to write a virus for a iPhone. I also highly doubt it would have as many gaping holes in it's security since it uses OSX. What you call "crap" is actually an amazing device, but you probably wouldn't know that because you've probably never tried one. Mine kicks ass and is way easier to use than any phone I've ever used. Before you spout off about durability, maybe you should watch this:

http://www.pcworld.com/video/id,545-page,1-bid,0/video.html

Then throw yourself down a set of stairs!

Johnny Random, are you Trump in disguise?

-->I have a full head of hair!

The iPhone is technology for Rich Boys. It is not for the common man. Period. It's fun for the Kool Kids, but for someone who's barely able to make rent payments each month, it is NOT an essential, any more than a Maserati is.

-->Well, I'm not rich and I own one. I'm not struggling to pay rent either though. If I was, I'm sure my priorities would be about many other things and not a phone/ipod/internet device.

And as for RealName, sensitive about your right-wing politics, aren't you?

-->Well, someone has to be. I'm not going to let a blowhard jackass try and intimidate me with his bullshit. Besides, it's hard not to notice the response patterns.

Perhaps you'd be more impressed if you got advice from the Freepers, who'd blame the XBox problem on Clinton.

-->Freepers, creepers. Clinton doesn't have my '08 vote for many reasons, btw.

For the record, there are people on Democratic Underground that talk more than politics; they have a pretty good grounding in the real world.

-->And?

Why not take the question to a tech site?

-->Um, what question?

If I'd asked anybody on, say, Slashdot or CNET, the answer I'd get from the community would be "Who cares about some lame-o burn-outs? It's KOOOOOOOOOL! Smoke a Doob!" But there are some people who might want to know about the reliability of the mind-destroying device they waited in line for hours to buy for their kid.

-->Well, it's pretty simple. I did plenty of research before I got mine. I also took a gamble, knowing it might take a first gen nose dive. So far, it hasn't. Though I did drop it for the first time today, right onto my driveway. I though for sure it was going to be scratched and there wasn't a single tiny scratch anywhere on it. I don't know what they used to make this thing, but it's crazy tough to take a spill like that and not have a mark to show for it. It even slid, screen down for a few feet. Nothing. Any of my other phones would have been messed up from that for sure. Btw, I got mine last Saturday. No lines for me.

And it does have real-world ramifications. If I buy a router from Microsoft, is it going to be reliable or a piece of crap? Or if I buy anything with a made-in-China label, will I have to worry about it catching fire five minutes after I plug it in?

-->What isn't made in China?

The columnists on tech web sites won't answer that question, since their advertisers are the ones selling the Towering Inferno game systems. And, sadly, no one will reliably advise on it here on Salon, either.

Well, click the link I posted earlier. I'm sure you'd like to see them abuse the iPhone. :)

I'm assuming you'd get a faster charge with this device if you have the Muzak cranked at a high volume?

Did a point by point response confuse you? Sounded like some oxycontin addled response from Rush Limbaugh. Let me know if that changes. Right now I have to light a fire under your ass with a pile of money created by investing in Apple over the past 10 years. It's a better pig roast when you know someone's GOP funds are lagging. Ahhhhhh.

So Tom, a "real" counter argument? How about this: Name one thing I've posted anywhere about the iPhone that isn't true. Just one. I am counteracting flat out lies posted in here. From the iPhone not having EDGE to them screwing up the launch.

As far as over-reaching hype? Blame the phone companies that have cranked out thousands of mediocre phones with ugly screens, slow operating systems, unintuitive design, etc. People have been sick to death with their phones. That is why there was so much hype about the iPhone. Everyone was hoping Apple would break through all of that and based my use of the device so far, they have. I also don't know anyone who has gone broke buying one or anyone who thinks it's crap...except for Apple haters who haven't tried the device and post in here.

The Apple commercial you mentioned is pretty ironic. As usual, the bottom line prevails with any company. I think you were onto a good start with your ad pitch of throwing a hammer through a giant screen with a iPhone...except I'd have my own twist: Instead of a hammer it would be a Windows based phone. Instead of breaking the screen, it would bounce back and bonk you on the head.