Shiny Objects! Consumer Goods! Part Two

We're sorry. If you've been trying to reach any of the Apple fanatics you know today, you may have been experiencing some difficulty.

You see, the MacWorld Expo is going on now, in San Francisco and on live-streaming websites worldwide, and this morning is Steve Jobs' keynote address.

How can I summarize this succinctly? It's like the Super Bowl for dorks.

Trying to get an answer out of any of us this afternoon will be like requesting change from a parking meter.

We're glued to our computer screens, where we're viewing minute-by-minute updates from people who are there in the room, and they're (awesomely) posting photos of the presentation screen and abbreviated, telegram-like reports:

9:42 am
widescreen ipod
9:42 am
crowd goes wild
9:42 am
2nd
9:42 am
mobile phone
9:42 am
revolutionary
9:42 am
3rd
internet communicator
9:43 am
crowd goes wild again

Did you catch that? This is the big news: Apple is making a cell phone.

The iPhone.

Only it's different (of course): it's also an iPod. With video. And a web browser. And it doesn't have any buttons. There's a sensor that knows when you put it against your ear, and somehow it just dials like that.

You can look up stuff on the internet with it. Check your email. Find directions to where you're going -- *from where you are* with Google Maps.

To say that I'm geeking out over this would be putting it mildly.

We're taking bets on price -- Tim here says it'll go for $350; Foust says $800; I say $500. Whatever they ask, I'll wager that the Apple Store will either crash or sell out by the end of the day.

In fact, it looks like the Blogger servers are pretty clogged themselves -- I can't even seem to post this... sheesh.

Isn't it fun when it feels like the whole world's excited about the same thing you are, even though you know not really?

A heady experience, delusion or not... I'm in favor of it.

I should call Lope and let her know the great news. On second thought, no.

She's on a walk with Vince, strolling along the riverbank and winding through the woods.

I'd hate to ruin that for something like this.

*****

Update -- Okay, I still haven't been able to post this, but they've announced how much it will cost.

I was right.