Second, since I live and work in Keynote, which is part of iWork, I went to the Apple Store to buy the upgrade. I picked up a copy of iLife while I was at it. While I was there, I played with an iPhone. I think Steve has put some secret device inside the iPhone that interferes with the normal functioning of your brain. Right then and there, I started the rationalization process. I knew I was being sucked into the tractor pull.

Third, I met a guy who was talking about blogs, social networks, wikis, and all kinds of Web 2.0 technologies. Then I visited him in his office. As they say in Texas, “the guy was all hat and no cattle.†He had an ancient—and I mean ancient—computer on his desk. It was running Windows 2000. His phone was also ancient. I felt like I was in a museum.

I thought, How can you talk about technology and contribute anything meaningful to the discussion if you are not using the technology? Duh. So, afraid that I was going to be left behind, or worse, end up a techno-hypocrite, I went out and bought an iPhone.

As it turns out, some of my concerns were misguided. The iPhone will work in a corporate environment with an Exchange Server. I am able to receive and send e-mail from the device without any problems. True, unlike the Blackberry, it won’t wirelessly sync my calendar and contacts. Instead, I have to connect the phone to my MacBook Pro and sync. But this is not that big a deal. The iPhone does so much more. It’s honestly one of the coolest pieces of technological joy I have ever experienced.

Whatever you may think of Apple, the iPhone is an icon of what the future holds. Electronic devices are going to become increasingly simple and elegant. And, I am more convinced than ever, an eBook device that will change everything is right around the corner. Those of us in the publishing world had better be ready.

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