iDay is here

Unless you’ve been in a cave for the past six months, you know that Apple and AT&T are set to begin sales of the iPhone today at 6PM in the United States - hallelujah!

At least, that’s the reaction of gadget lovers in the United States in Canada at least.

VIP phone reviewers such as David Pogue of the New York Times have published glowing reviews in various large U.S. publications which has whipped people into an even greater frenzy about the product. It’s clear people want one - gadget geeks, including the mayor of Philadelphia, have been lined up for days in front of AT&T stores so they can be among the first to put their paws on the much-ballyhooed device.

http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=200000972

It’s reminiscent of the Cabbage Patch Kids craze way back in the 1980’s.

One sick iPhone desperado even tried to snatch an iPhone from the hands of Newsweek tech reporter Steven Levy yesterday.

http://break.com/index/iphone-jacking-attempt-on-live-tv.html

Now that the iPhone has been crowned Best Consumer Electronics Device Ever, the question is ‘how many devices will the company be able to sell?’

Apple and AT&T want to ship 10-million units this year, which will give the company a share of 1%. Not bad for a company trying to break into a market with entrenched competitors such as Motorola Inc.

The real challenge for Apple and AT&T will be to match supply with the extraordinary demand for the iPhone in the United States.Overseas markets are another question.

It may be tough for us to imagine here in North America but Europeans really aren’t aware of the iPhone. A sign of the greenfield opportunity in front of Apple? Perhaps. It’s true Apple has done little-to-no marketing overseas thus making Europe a market ripe for the plucking by Apple.

Doubtful. The real reason Apple won’t sell as many iPhones outside of North America is due to the fact Nokia, Sony Ericsson and other phone manufacturers already offer great handsets to those who are willing to plunk down hundreds of dollars on a cell phone/Swiss Army knife.

Europeans may not want one given the dearth of quality smartphones here, I’ll try to buy one soon. In fact, I’ll be in Detroit this weekend with hopes of getting my hands on an iPhone. Wish me luck!