Negative And Positive Hysteria Over iPhone.

I’ve never seen anything quite like the hysteria surrounding Macworld 2007.

It was either “love the iPhone” hysteria, or “criticize the iPhone” hysteria. Ditto for AppleTV What’s going on?

At first, nearly everyone was stunned by Apple’s presentation and introduction of the iPhone. First the Mac, then the iPod, now the iPhone. Is Apple revolutionizing again?

The hysteria of “ohmygawd, I gotta have me one of these” was matched only by the barrage of criticism and unanswered questions the next few days.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was fully and completely eclipsed by Steve Jobs’ Macworld announcements.

The iPhone and AppleTV were nearly eclipsed by a growing barrage of criticism, questions, and opinions which lasts to this day.

AppleTV, itself a cozy product in the Apple-ecosphere, was nearly overshadowed by the iPhone’s positive and negative hysteria.

Hysteria? Isn’t that a bit strong, Kate?

No, I don’t think so. The ooohs and aaahs of the Mac faithful and media during the iPhone’s introduction were not much more than muted hysteria, and I was there.

The crowds on the exhibit floor were verbally hysterical as the iPhone was topic number one in nearly every conversation.

By the next day, that hysteria gave way to days of unanswered questions and unprecedented criticism.

Why Cingular? Why no wireless synchonization? Why no 3rd party applications? What chip is inside? Why no removable battery? Those questions and hundreds more echoed throughout our Mac and iPod world.

I’ve never seen such a bi-polar reaction to a product release from Apple. Never. Even the iPod, which carried its own Jekyl and Hyde personality at launch (some loved it, some hated it, many bought it) didn’t raise noise like the iPhone.

Why? Why have we become so bi-polar when it comes to products from Apple?

The stock market seems to like the iPhone and AppleTV news? AAPL rocketed for a couple of days. Nearly everyone I talked with said they’d be buying an iPhone.

Yet, nearly every Mac and techno web site of any repute had a huge list of questions, commentary, and plenty of criticism over the iPhone (and, to a lesser extent, AppleTV).

Mac360’s iPhone reader poll from last week indicated most responders would buy an iPhone—15 to 1, yes vs. no. Nearly 75-percent would buy within the first year of release.

For a product that is arguably six months away from release and perhaps a year away from general distribution, the iPhone has garnered tremendous praise and criticism within a week of introduction.

Why? What is it about this particular product that attracts or creates such positive and negative hysteria?