iBuzz

According to Nielsen BuzzMetrics, the launch of Apple's iPhone on 29th June is the most anticipated ever; with more media and blog posts than any other new product launch. Hitwise reports that searches for the term "iPhone" increased by 583% in the last four weeks making Apple's iPhone website the most visited site of all in the "Computers and Internet" category.

One does get the feeling that the product has been hyped so much that the actual owner experience just must have some downside/disappointment.
One of the beneficiaries yesterday was Vodafone which is heavily tipped to get the iPhone carrier contract in Europe. AT&T have a 5-year exclusive deal in the US.
Credit Suisse said "The winner could sell more than 6m such devices over the next three years. Assuming half these are to new customers, this could add 8p to our valuation if Vodafone were to win" .
I have long expressed the view that the iPhone will alter for ever the relationship between the handset makers and the carriers. Ie that the handset will be far more important than the carrier; which in turn will become the same kind of commodity service as Broadband. We are not there yet. I want to buy an iPhone (or whatever handset I choose) for the market price and then shop around for the best/cheapest/fastest carrier. I really hope, in time, Apple will allow me to do just that rather than having an exclusive carrier.
Also, the main moans about the iPhone - price, memory size and speed of network (EDGE has been selected in the US rather than the faster 3G) - are all easily solved. Apple will bring out a range of iPhones in time - just like they did with the iPod.