But there are people paying me. That’s part of what I’ve been doing the past two weeks. Setting up 4 new iPhones for clients. Most of them had a mish-mash of addresses in different phones, PIMs, mail applications & address books. This is how I plied my trade. I exported, synced, set up IMAP mail accounts on both their Macs & their iPhone. When it was all said and done … it is was beautiful thing. No more, “Damn, did I download that eMail to my desktop? Now I can’t see it on my phone. And I need it NOW!” That’s the wonders of IMAP. You see the same mail on every device you set up an IMAP account on. Desktop … check. Lapptop … check. iPhone … check.

In two weeks of use, I have some quibbles about iPhone. But for the most part, for what I need …. I’m in love. ! As a computer tech, and consultant, I use to carry around a HandSpring Visor all the time. (See I was always a Mac friendly early adopter. And that iMac translucent blue … to die for!) If I was at a client and I had to look up a password, or an IP address, I’d go to my address book & look up the info in their associated notes field. It was so much better than having to lug around my ancient PowerBook. I love that I am again able to update notes & they update to my desktop … no problem. I also love how elegantly all contact information is presented in iPhone’s address book. God … I’ve even taken to hunting down logos for companies and photos of clients and friends and adding them to my contacts. It’s just too easy on a Mac and now iPhone. But you knew that already. Hey …. I’m an ‘artist’ … so ‘the visual thing’ works for me! Oooow look …. pretty icons!

Well … I need to go now. I need to get ready … I have a date with iPhone.

One of them is a writer for MSNBC. Joe Hutsko … he’s getting lambasted in “comment hell” on his blog JOEyGADGET for writing a story about his failed iPhone and his experience getting a replacement. I wrote a little blurb yesterday about a client of mine that had ‘his precious’ overheat. Jilted Joe is a writer for a company that partners with Microsoft (MSNBC) and he wrote about his experience with AT&T and Apple support. No matter what this guy wrote short of slagging Steve Jobs or his mother personally … um … let’s cut Joey boy some slack!

Good press or bad press … this little phone that could is going to do just fine. Short of some MAJOR bonehead move on Apple’s or AT&T’s part … this is going to sell sell sell. The myth is too big. The hype too big. The momentum too big. So yeah … there are going to be folks who have a bad experience with this mythological creature. Just by the sheer numbers sold. And they might write something about it. It’s the way things work. But as Apple users if we are going to be all Pollyanna about our beloved company THAT CAN (and does) … then we are no better than those who cut Apple for no reason.

But Mr Hutsko did have a reason to tell his story, and a right to tell his story too. iPhone is too new. Those that do own it haven’t put it through its paces yet. Not in a six days time.

So let’s sit back and wait a bit. Lets sheath some of those vitriolic tongues and listen for the sweet marimba tones of your own working ringing iPhone. Or … embrace you inner curmudgeon and send everybody to voicemail! Damn them all!