iPhone Hype, Links, And Opinions: From A to Z.

Apple’s iPhone marketing and promotion may go down in history as text book classic—Best. Campaign. Ever.

What other pre-launch marketing campaign even comes close? Windows ‘95? Nope. Ford’s Mustang? Nope. Original Mac? Nope. And ditto for about anything else you can think of short of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.

I’ve been a public relations, media, advertising, and promotions professional for nearly 20 years and have never witnessed anything like Apple’s iPhone campaign. You are witnessing history in the making.

What we know of the iPhone started with a Macworld keynote presentation back in January 2007. Until recently, Apple published a mere handful of press releases, a single TV commercial, and a few online videos and specifications.

More recently, Apple’s iPhone details have slowly become available in an orchestrated manner, along with more comprehensive videos, and a superb series of TV commercials; classy and effective.

Everyone is talking about the iPhone, yet few have even seen it—fewer have held it, myself included, though the promise of five minutes was closer to three and felt like 30 seconds.

Is it all hype? No. Most hands-on reviews are highly positive and favorable. Detractors are few and far between and mostly representative of the typical anti-Apple, anti-Jobs variety, for whom Christ’s return to earth, and a walk down the strip in Las Vegas would be met with criticism.

Enter yet another golden age for Apple and once boy-wonder, Steve Jobs. The iPhone era is here. Just as the Mac made computing totally different than the past, and the iPod made listening to music totally different than the past, the iPhone, and future generations, will change how we communicate.

Look at these headlines and links from the past week.

iPlayboy
It didn’t take long for Hugh Hefner’s heavenly bodies to make it to POV and the iPhone.

Bloomberg
In a masterful turnaround, Bloomberg calls the iPhone the most successful marketing effort ever. They agree with me. We’re both cool.

The Street
Apple’s New York store had the first iPhone campers, waiting in line all week. The Street offers photos. Where are the live video cams when we need them?

The Financial Times
One way to sell papers and get hits to a site is to publish outrageous rubbish. The Financial Times doesn’t disappoint in this hack job against Apple, Mac users, and the iPhone.

This tactic may have worked when Apple had a few million customers and looked like a cult. Apple has well over 100-million customers these days, thanks to the iPod. The iPhone will add tens of millions more.

BusinessWeek
Some online news rags have done a more in depth view of Apple’s transformation from high-tech maverick to a global trendsetter. BusinessWeek is anything but a trendspotter, but they get this one right.

New York Times
You’ve read everything there is about the iPhone already, right? What? You still have questions? David Pogue has answers. He also has the questions.

Ring Tones
One of the questions often asked is, ‘What about ring tones?” Most of us pay a couple of bucks for good tones, and Apple includes a few dozen very good ones in the iPhone.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could get ring tones via iTunes? MacRumors and others think that’ll happen. 99-cents? That works for me.

I Don’t Want An iPhone
What if you don’t plan to buy an iPhone? Should you care about all the hype and hoopla anyway? Yes, says Farhad Manoo in Salon.

The iPhone is a society-changing, watershed moment that will alter the physical universe as we know it. Pay attention.

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cool
Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple shortly after the Mac debuted a few decades ago. He’s baaaaaack. This time it’s for real. The era of Steve’s Revenge.

But revenge? Yes. Microsoft looks old and tired and crusty, despite their banked billions of ill-gotten gains. First OS X, then the iPod, now the iPhone. Even Nintendo is trouncing Microsoft’s Xbox360.

The Fonz Loves the iPhone
You’ve seen it on TV commercials, but no product is really cool until The Fonz says it’s cool.

In a delightfully pleasant give and take, Craig Ferguson of CBS Late Night discusses the merits of cool and iPhone with The Fonz, Henry Winkler, Arthur Herbert.

Death to AT&T
The most criticized component of the iPhone doesn’t even belong to Apple. It’s AT&T and the laggard, 20th century network technology called EDGE that garners plenty of criticism.

Even PC Mag, long a Microsoft wag rag, figured out the AT&T’s iPhone plans and rates are—here it comes—pretty good. Except for the crummy network.

The iPhone Halo Effect
Remember the iPod? Steve Jobs invented it, dude. Over 100-million Windows owning, iPod owners love their iPods. Many have begun switching to Macs.

Will the same thing happen to the Mac as tens of millions more customers come streaming to the hallowed halls of Apple Telephony? Yes, says AppleInsider and a research group known as ChangeWave.

iPhone Playground of Porn
What can I say? I live in Las Vegas, the home of heavenly bodies—at least, they look that way after dark.

Now they can look that way on your iPhone, too, thanks to Digital Playground’s free full-length movie trailers available for download to run on your iPhone and iPod with video.

Wait. There’s more.

USA Today
I don’t know why I’m not on Apple’s pre-release list of iPhone reviewers. Maybe there’s a maximum height requirement. Maybe it’s an issue with blonds. Whatever.

Even USA Today’s blah lah tech reporter, Edward C Baig got an iPhone in advance. His pants are still wet.

Too Much Hype? No.
David Pogue of the New York Times got a pre-release iPhone to review. I wonder if he likes tall blonds?

Does the hype overshadow the iPhone, or is it an even match? It’s a match.

Bad Keyboard. Bad. Not.
The well respected, bespectacled, bearded one of All Things Digital, Walt Mossberg loves almost blonds (check photo). He also loves the iPhone.

How about that keyboard that everyone says is so crummy, though they’ve not actually used it? Walt used it and gave it two thumbs up.

I Hate The iPhone
Surprised? Who hates Apple? Who hates the Mac? Who hates the iPod? Who hates living on planet earth?

Yes, friends, it’s John Dvorak spouting off more nonsense about iPhone mania but manages to contribute his fair share.

Everybody Else
Forbes says Apple’s stock might rise on the iPhone. Or not. The Chicago Sun-Times says media folks are in cahoots with Apple and the iPhone. Consumer Reports thinks AT&T’s network and service are not up to Apple’s level.

What about you? Are you ready for your iPhone? Are you ready for the hype to die down so you can concentrate on your real life? Share your opinion about the hype, hoopla, and phone mania in the Comments section below.