Shenzhen has a lot of good things going on…

but it’s microbe density is too rich for my blood. I’ve been there 3 times, and it’s gotten me three times. Projectiles in all directions… nuff said.

I’m trying to get some work done before the New Year.

Saturday, I am leaving on a romp around APAC. I’ll be hitting Hong Kong, Shenzhen China, Tokyo, and Taipei. Just a couple weeks before Chinese New Years, it’s a chance to sure up some projects and make sure the hiatus doesn’t make efforts stale.

I’ll be able to visit some customers, some suppliers, and some sales folks. Should be a good tour. Anxious to get out there and kickstart some cool products!

Apple iPhone. My 2 cents.

Totally agree with Mats. Economics of mobiles is nothing to oversimplify. Apple has made a serious bet on this market, taken many technical risks, and will need every ounce of its mystique and reputation to make the iPhone a success.

Here are my predictions:

1. The iPhone will invite critics for its touch screen. While I suspect the gesture interface will be a revelation, I think it is wrought with two huge problems. Fingerprints and people-grease will make it look stank, and unsanitary. Secondly, the lack of tactile feedback for control inputs will impact usability negatively. Particularly when typing emails.
2. Battery life will suck for anyone who actually uses more than one of its core features. Can Apple tell us how much talk time we get if we listen to the iPod mode for an hour? Or if we watch one episode of Lost? Or if we just fiddle with the cool GUI and never give the backlight a rest? Prediction… users will not last a day if they use it as a primary device for any two of its applications.
3. People will pay. The price won’t matter to the users who must have this device. AT&T (Cingular) customer service will be real problem though. The three years I used Cingular were the worst consumer experience years of my life. T-Mobile missed the boat… their service rocks, and they could have used the iPhone to generate new momentum for their market penetration in North America. I’m suprised Apple couldn’t negotiate a better subsidy from them. Tisk, tisk.
4. My BlackBerry Pearl is too awesome. Why switch? Apple never told me this.