I saw the articles on this and on some other hacks for iPhones too.  I just don't get it myself.  If you are paying that darned much for the phone, it should be usable on just about any network (that uses GSM technology), but even if it isn't usable on other networks, the cost of the phone is such that I would think most buyers wouldn't really care what network they were stuck with using.

I give the kid props for his efforts though.  Cool that he and others have been looking at making the devices capable of use for T-Mobile customers (the only other major GSM carrier in the U.S.A.) that want to spend a ton of money on a phone.

Well, as much as people whine about the alleged Windows monopoly, Apple is 100 times worse. And the iPhone is no exception. Sure, it's a cool gadget, but I won't buy one on principle, that principle being that I don't like companies that make their goods 100% proprietary.

Frankly I doubt Apple could care less. They have had huge Brand awareness for free amongst all the silly natter and antics thats going on. You couldnt buy such effective Brand Awareness. Its a standard product launch technique, and they have executed it extremely well. Sometimes there is a negative downside to that strategy to be mitigated, but so far little negative comment has emerged apart from ritual moans about price.

Its a dream world to think they want to restrict its use, however on first time to market its useful to make a virtue out of necessity, they knew the fuss would start. More people have taken a "private" look at the beast (whatever their claims in public) than could ever have been the case with a "normal" product launch.

Eventually production and infrastructure will ramp up to the stage of being able to support wider Distribution, Sales and Use. At that point they will show their "full support for the principles of the free market and make available the IPhone to all networks worldwide willing to carry it". We will all feel grateful that consumer power can still overturn Big Corporations. Win - Win, everyone's happy, especially the Apple Marketing Director.

And good luck to him, job well done.

Not likely. After many years on the market, you still can't build your own Mac from components. Or purchase the Mac O/S for PC architecture. I doubt they're suddenly going to have a "user friendly" conversion just for the iPhone.

The Mac O/S has run on Intel architecture since Jan 2006, and as time moves on each new Apple model will be based on Intel Architecture. You can already run nearly all "PC" products on the new Intel based Macs. They have dumped the Motorola architecture, the prime reason being incompatibility with the mainstream market. Still some way to go of course, its only been 18 months since the strategy went public.

I also hope that the silly PC/Mac "wars" type of discussion that used to prevail in some circles also get killed off as a consequence. If a product meets what I need at the price I want to pay, I'll buy it. I dont give a hoot if it comes from a PC, Mac or a six legged Martian. At present I use the "traditional" PC, but that market space is fast disapearing in the old sense as more O/S target the mainstream computing world - being propriatory does not cut it, and many have at last realised that - albeit forced on them by market realities.

I also doubt there will be a "conversion", thats the last thing they need. Apple are trying to move back into mainstream computing, they couldnt survive based on propriatory motorola architecture.

The iPhone is compatible with most mainstream "PC" applications, thats all they care about. Its a phone not a computer (without getting picky over the obvious that 'computer chips' run phones)- compatibility is all they need, and for the most part they have that.

Once the launch dies down and its made available outside the US at sensible prices, I'll have a look at it. Until then I doubt my world will fall apart whether or not I buy it. Its a product not an Icon.

Where can you buy a Mac O/S as a standalone to install on a build? Honestly, I believe if this were to happen, the price of Windows' state of the art O/S's will halve overnight!

Nowhere at present, which is hardly surprising, they only started the move in Jan 2006. It takes a whole world of hurt to change instruction sets and compilers to run independently on any intel chip in that manner. I'm sure they will do it in the end - would be suicidal not to now they are going down the Intel route.

I agree, it probably will halve overnight, hence my keeness for Apple to suceed. I am not an Apple or MS or Intel or Linux or whatever Fanboy, each has their target market. Competition is a wonderful thing, as it hurts the bottom line - nothing like the latter to galvinise innovation, and we need innovation in the PC world.

Apple made the same mistake as Betamax in the old VHS / Betamax wars - they got the marketing wrong, and we were stuck with one technically inferior standard and reduced innovation. I hope Apple dont make the same mistake twice, I dont think they will, iPhone marketing has been exemplary so far. I'm hoping in 10 years time there will be three out there Windows, Linux and Mac fighting for the same market space. It'll take that long for the Mac and Linux to get to the stage of seriously challenging the PC space, and I hope they do - then we will see the sparks fly   

Exactly...which is why we need competing operating systems. For Pete's sake, Vista Ultimate is coming out priced about the same as a low end SYSTEM!

Competition is a wonderful thing, as it hurts the bottom line - nothing like the latter to galvinise innovation, and we need innovation in the PC world.

I have always said that if Apple sopped trying to be a hardware company (they are a lousy one) and tried to be a software one, they would clean MS's clock (at least give them a good scare).

Bravo to youth and the ability to waste 500 hours.