Mossberg just kidding about that whole "3G iPhone in 60 days" thing

Oh Unkie Walt, you toy with us so. Just a couple days after promising that the 3G iPhone would be out within 60 days, the Moss-man is saying that he was simply making a prediction based on the same data as the rest of us: price cuts, dried-up inventory, and all kinds of rumors. That's not at all what it seems like on the tape, but sure. Walt also thinks that a little meta-media-analysis is due here, asking Silicon Alley Insider, "If I knew when this date was, why would I announce it in the middle of a sentence at the Finnish embassy, rather than report it in the Wall Street Journal?" Excellent point, but you might want to be a little more careful the next time you flatly declare "The iPhone will be 3G in 60 days" with no caveats and the cameras running, okay?

[Zaraki Kenpachi Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:32PM]

hahahaa, "the Finland" was a typo, i was going to say "the country's" but erased only country when I wrote finland. boooooo on your nitpicking hahaha

[TheNightPhoenix Posted Apr 8th 2008 3:57PM]

Who thinks walt got a phone call from steve?

Steve: You said what?? Make a retraction!
Walt: ....
Steve: You have thirty seconds to comply.

30 seconds later steve moes down walt in a shower of bullets.

[patcom8 Posted Apr 8th 2008 6:10PM]

thats what it looks like to me

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 8:02PM]

Yep thats what i am thinking

[psyclotron Posted Apr 8th 2008 3:58PM]

engadget, you forgot a caption for the guy on the left saying "wow.. this guy is really an attention whore!"

[psyclotron Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:04PM]

oh sure NOW you put a caption up but on the wrong dude! why don't you listen to me anymore? we used to be so good together, like Mike and I

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:04PM]

Of 21 comments so far, you posted 6. I would say you're the attention whore.

[Razor Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:05PM]

Looks like they just added one for Walt about a minute ago =P

[psyclotron Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:08PM]

i see what you did there sdh. but you're right, certainly posting here is the key to international notoriety.

anyway, commence continued backlash all ye of poor humor

[Anonymoose Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:15PM]

yeah, phan is such an attention whore!

*says it loudly while wearing glittery cape and bedazzled loincloth and banging on a drum made of human skin*

[Jared Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:00PM]

If all he can do is state what the public already know (price drops, lack of inventory), why does the WSJ even bother paying him to work? I'm going to get a reporting job my first headline will be:
"Windows XP is going to be phased out sometime in the next 5 years" I'll sound like a genius who really understands the market...

[Android Overlord Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:10PM]

I agree. But we all know phone 2.0 will be about in the next 50 odd days. can i be a journalist too.

[patcom8 Posted Apr 8th 2008 6:10PM]

Im thinken hes doin a little bit of covering of his own a$$

[KAL326 Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:03PM]

Wow this guy and Gates sure are giving old people a bad name when it comes to tech news with their crazy dropping of product time tables.

[Anonymoose Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:16PM]

and all the old guys who give tech news in the world now cry. like all two of them. that you mentioned. in your post.

[TheNightPhoenix Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:00PM]

yer the younger generation are far better at guessing a products developement time! Let me work for the wsj!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:28PM]

The 3G iPhone's are already being tested in New Zealand ;), 60 days is a reasonable time-frame for testing/production

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:28PM]

mossberg is a douche?

[MonstaChuck Posted Apr 8th 2008 7:05PM]

don't think i've ever heard that as a question before

[dizilbdog Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:29PM]

Yeah right you know Steve Jobs was waiting in Walt's house when he got home and smacked him upside the head...

[ronin691 Posted Apr 8th 2008 4:39PM]

Note to Mr. Mossberg: Beloved Los Angeles Lakers game announcer Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn once said during a game, live on the radio, "If he makes that shot I'll buy everyone here dinner...". The player made the shot. Needless to say, none of the 20,000 in attendance at the Forum that night got a dinner. For the next ten YEARS every other fan that Mr. Hearn passed in the street yelled "Hey Chick, I'm hungry!" - you may expect the same Mr. Mossberg.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 9th 2008 12:53PM]

I'm a Whore too!!!! 80% of these comments aren't even on topic, LAME!

Me!

[huskerbadger Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:00PM]

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED:

(We hear the theme to Man of La Mancha, Walt Mossberg's ringtone in the near distance)

Walt pulls his 64GB 3G iPhone from his pocket to see a very familiar face on the screen.

Walt: "Hello Steve"

Steve: "Walt, what in the hell are you doing talking about future product releases?"

Walt: "Gee Stevie J, it's not like the WHOLE world doesn't know you're coming out with a 3G iphone."

Steve: "Yeah, but it's my job to stand up in front of a worldwide crowd of millions wearing my $300 t-shirt and Levi jeans and introduce those new products, damnit."

Walt: "Well gee Steve, I'm really sorry..."

Steve: "Listen and listen good, son't let ithappen again. If it does, I'm taking away that 500GB 1080i HD iTouch with 7.1 surround sound that you've been testing. And I'll cancel your free iTunes membership."

Walt: "Listen asshole and listen good. Don't threaten me. I can stop devoting 85% of my columns to a company that has less than 10% of the technology market in a New York minute! Steve Ballmer has been calling me a lot lately and maybe I'll start writing some nice things about his company for once." ANd then Walt slams his phone down as Stevie J begins to whimper......

[simblor Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:06PM]

Whatever?

[KAL326 Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:10PM]

@DJ
Wow, that took more liberties with the truth then former president Clinton's definition of sexual relations and with whom they were with.

[IndiaTech Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:17PM]

iTunes membership is free... Mossberg got duped...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 9th 2008 10:30AM]

f**king epic!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:42PM]

i reckon hes just covering himself up because for what he accidentally said it in the first place.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:53PM]

Or may be he does know it's coming in 60 days, but Apple PR Staff called and request him to pull his statement.

[Method2Madness Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:51PM]

My dog just farted.

[Chris8pie Posted Apr 8th 2008 7:23PM]

I hope they done come out with a 3G iPhone, I just got mine! And I can honestly say that (at least in my experiences) EDGE isn't that bad, and I'm writing this on
my iPhone on a subway.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 8:27PM]

If you look up Walt on Wikipedia there's a picture with him and Steve Jobs.. Walt has his hand in his pocket. I think he's having an erection lol

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2008 8:42PM]

lol, cat got your tongue?? someone isn't getting new ipod this christmas...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 9th 2008 1:10AM]

Loose lips sink ships. Poor old journo.

The optimist in me says I hope Apple decides to release their 3G product _sooner_ than 60 days to prove Mosquito-coast-berg was off with the fairies instead of delaying revenues for 90 days.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 9th 2008 2:26AM]

'Mossberg kidding about "Steve Jobs having 60 days left to live" thing.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 9th 2008 2:28AM]

@ DJ

That was a lot of fucking words for something so unfunny.