KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's first iPhone owners are globe-trotting technology entrepreneurs who see business opportunities for themselves in Apple's sought-after gadget.
Tech sector veterans and regular visitors to the US, Steve Simms and Derek and Geoffrey Handley, picked up iPhones after the combined phone and music player was launched last
week.
While the three share an interest in gadgets, their iPhone purchases also fall into the category of market research - they may soon be tailoring services to meet the new gadget's requirements.
The three will not be able to use their phones on the local Telecom or Vodafone networks as they signed up to exclusive contacts with US operator AT&T.
Hackers are already working on ways to bypass the exclusivity deal so that the iPhone can be used on any GSM network.
Simms is the founder of Wi-Fi hotspot service provider Tomizone, which allows you to turn your wireless internet connection into a commercial service, selling access to others with Tomizone providing the back-end billing functions.
The iPhone has Wi-Fi connectivity built into it, allowing users to surf the web from wireless hotspots.
Derek Handley's company, The Hyperfactory, designs and hosts internet-based advertising and branding campaigns for companies with a focus on the mobile internet delivered to phones.
If his clients take an interest in the iPhone, Handley will have to adapt services to suit its format and the Safari web browser that is used by iPhone owners to access the internet.
Still in their honeymoon phase with the most desired of gadgets, Simms and Handley suggest the iPhone lives up to much of the hype.
"It has a really slick interface, beautifully silky," said Handley, who was also impressed with the iPhone's suite of applications."There's a nice Google Maps function, you can get directions to go places. There's a very cool YouTube widget for streaming YouTube videos.
"It's not some old stylus thing or one-touch wonder. I'm talking Minority Report styling. Touch the screen with one or more fingers, pinch or expand photos and websites. It's cool," said Simms, who was given his iPhone by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The pair share a passion for the geeky sport of Segway Polo.
But it's not all praise from New Zealand's first iPhone owners.
Simms picked out Apple's "dumb exclusivity deal" with AT&T which limits use of the iPhone to one mobile network in the US. The model is likely to be replicated around the world, with Apple rumoured to be in the final stages of negotiating a worldwide deal for the iPhone with Vodafone.
"The keypad is crap, it will never replace the Blackberry," said Handley.
"The browsing experience is designed for Wi-Fi and Edge, not 3G."
Handley admits that Hyperfactory's philosophy for how the mobile internet should be presented to users differs from that of Apple boss Steve Jobs.
"He thinks that the [regular] internet 100 per cent on the go is the way forward, but no one goes from Wi-Fi spot to Wi-Fi spot. Things need to be designed for the mobile internet," said Handley.
"When you get to a mobile internet site on [the iPhone], it treats it like a web page, which is completely unworkable," he added.
With his business case resting on the availability of Wi-Fi internet hotspots and devices that can connect to them, Simms naturally has a different view.
"Wi-Fi is massive on this, a great call by Apple not to get painted into a corner with the 3G argument," he said.
"The ease of use for Wi-Fi in the iPhone is a dream and in the field its faster and cheaper than 3G any day."
Both Simms and Handley saw plenty of opportunity to develop their offerings for the iPhone.
"Our opportunity is to take advantage of their stubbornness and their view of the mobile world and render content in a much smarter way, recognising the Safari operating system," said Handley.
"We are looking for a widget for the iPhone that will auto-detect and log in to a Tomizone hotspot or any other hotspot you are registered with,"said Simms. "My guys will be figuring that out shortly."
Locked out
* Apple's iPhone cannot be used on the Vodafone or Telecom networks, but can be used outside the US where AT&T has roaming coverage. International charges apply.
* iPhone owners have to sign up to mobile plans starting at US$60 ($76) a month, locking them into a service contract for two years or more.
* Hackers are working to crack the lock-in technology that prevents the phones from working with sim cards from other mobile network operators.
* No date has been given for the iPhone's arrival on the market here, however Apple is rumoured to be in discussions with Vodafone for a worldwide partnership to launch the iPhone where Vodafone has subsidiaries.
