The first device to integrate a video iPod with a cell phone and a Web browser garnered more hype before its public release than any of Apple's previous product launches. Operated solely by touch — with no external keyboard or stylus — the iPhone drew a steady drumbeat of publicity in the five-month interval between Steve Jobs' announcement of the phone and its June debut. Apple hopes the device will catch on like the iPod, not flounder like the Newton.
By Jeremy Caplan and Brendan Lowe