I'm with trekkie on this one. This is going to be a nightmare if it's not limited in some way. Having to listen to one side of strangers' phone conversations is a special kind of torture.

I commute to work by train 30 minutes each way, and if it weren't for the existence of a "quiet car" where cellphone use is forbidden, I would probably have multiple convictions for assault and battery by now.

SMS is fine as long as the phone is set to silent/vibrate, but voice service should remain off limits for the comfort of everybody onboard.

Clearly the "Always Turn Off Your Cellphone in a Hospital" rule was waived in this case. ;^)

Agree on all points. My initial reaction to the non-usuer-replaceable battery was that the transaction ought to be "while-you-wait"...kind of like a a 15-minute oil change. Then again, I always have my most recently retired cellphone to use as a back-up.

Maybe this was part of a Master Plan to build even more loyalty? Forcing people to go back to their old phones for a couple days every 15 months or so will only reinforce how amazing their iPhone is...?

I'm of the exact same mindset. Buying the first generation of any new technology is always a bit of a gamble. I live in Sweden, so the phone is at least six months away here...which is a good thing. If I were in the U.S. right now I doubt I could have resisted the temptation!