Jonathan Richards
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They are the titans of tech reviewing, whose opinions can make or break a product in a couple of taps of their keyboard, and today Apple breathed a sigh of relief after they cast their blessing on the iPhone.
Walt Mossberg, the chief technology writer at The Wall Street Journal and David Pogue, who holds a similar post at
The New York Times, today posted largely glowing reviews of the company's new phone/iPod/handheld computer, which goes on sale at 6pm on Friday.
As fanatics began queuing outside Apple stores three days before the device is put on the shelves, Mr Mossberg declared the device "on balance a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer", while for Mr Pogue it was "revolutionary", in particular its "real dazzler" of a web browser.
Both praised the phone's touch-screen interface (Mr Mossberg said it is "a beautiful new interface for music and video playback", while Mr Pogue said it is "fast, menu-free, dead simple to operate") and the fact that, despite smudging, the 3.5in display was not prone to scratching.
Mr Mossberg also said that despite his "deep initial scepticism", the decision to replace the physical keyboard with a virtual one, on the screen, "turned out to be a non-issue".
The fact that it could take as many as six steps to make a call niggled at Mr Pogue, as did the fact that the camera was only 2 megapixels. He said: "In low light, things tend to fall to pieces," adding that the GPS wasn't "real". (The phone has maps built in and can plan routes, but it doesn't know where you are.)
For Mr Mossberg, the "major drawback" was the speed of the network. The phone doesn't run on the fastest connection offered by AT&T, the exclusive carrier in the US, but instead on a "poky network" called EDGE.
He was also irritated, despite the phone's generally "effective, practical and fun" interface, that there was "no way to cut, copy and paste text", and that, when typing, one has to switch to a different view to insert a full stop or comma, which was "annoying".
Mr Mossberg, who has been chief technology writer at the WSJ for more than 15 years, is reportedy approached by technology companies for feedback during the development phase of devices, and his opinion is widely respected in the industry.
The fact that, in describing the iPhone, he found space for the phrases "simply beautiful" and "a whole new experience and a pleasure to use", will be a large relief to Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, and will only add to the pre-sale buzz about the device, which has grown steadily since it was first displayed at a presentation six months ago.
Shares in Apple fell by 2.2 per cent in regular trading yesterday to close at $119.65, but rose $1.15, or 1 per cent, in extended trading after the reviews were published.
Yesterday, AT&T released a series of monthly price plans for device - $60 buys 450 minutes, 200 texts and unlimited internet use, and for an additional $20, the talk time is doubled.
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The IPhone does sound worth buying despite a lesser spec than some other phones, and I was prepared to be very critical. The user interface has set a new bench mark for handheld devices - especailly phones of course. I very much hope that Nokia for example produce something with the specs of the N95 but with an iPhone style multitouch interface - now that would be a dream phone.
The other thing to remember with the iPhone is that most potential buyers will not compare it to the best out there on the the market, but will see it as a lovely, stylish, all in one device that fits in with their daily life nicely and that is not a geeky chore to use, unlike many other devices. We must not underestimate the power and appeal a great user interface has for the average non-technical buyer.
Alex Kerr, London, UK
The thing that gives it the edge is that the iPhone is also the best-yet video iPod, which no competitive handheld device on the market today can boast. This focus means it is less business-focused, which all other handhelds basically are, and more people-focused, which is clearly the market Apple wants.
I will probably wait until second generation arrives, simply because of the high price point, but if someone handed me £500 on the day it comes out in the UK, I know what I'd spend it on.
Pete, London,
It may have received a glowing review on the whole, but the drawbacks mentioned are enough to make me not buy one. I'll wait until they improve it.
Unlike the iPod, which was a leader in its field despite a few niggles- this phone is competing against a plethora of excellent pda/phones, camera-phones and handheld computers that are almost perfect at the current level of technology. On this occasion, the pure fact the iPhone is Apple does not yet make it worth buying.
Seb, UK,