Byline: Troy Wolverton
Jun. 29--Even some of of the valley's wealthiest, most prominent players can get excited about a new tech product, it turns out.
With Apple's much-hyped new iPhone handset going on sale today, just about all of the technorati -- like a good chunk of consumer America -- seems to have been pondering whether to buy it or not. For the tech elite, price is generally not a concern, but usefulness is.
Some are more than ready to ditch their BlackBerrys, Treos and other gadgets for the iPhone -- or add it to their collection. But for now, many others have decided that the iPhone isn't good enough to replace what they're already using.
Count Sun Microsystems Chairman Scott McNealy among those who are saying "no" to the iPhone.
"I love my BlackBerry," he said, referring to the popular phone and e-mail device from Research In Motion.
Still, a sizable contingent of the tech elite plan to be waiting in line with the masses today -- or sending surrogates to do so for them.
Jim Breyer, managing partner of venture capital firm Accel Partners, said he's "excited" about getting one today. In fact, Breyer's already mulling what song he will play first on his new device, probably one from The White Stripes, a hard-rock band.
"I have seen the phone, and it's as compelling as the iPod was at introduction," Breyer said.
In case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard, the iPhone is Apple's first cell phone. Its signature feature is a large touch screen, which does away with a typical keypad and even the standard cell phone "call" and "hang up" buttons.
All the tricks
In addition to making voice calls, the iPhone can store and play digital music and videos, surf the Internet and check e-mail. The device, which will come in $499, 4-gigabyte and $599, 8-gigabyte versions, runs on a special version of Apple's lauded Mac operating system.
The buzz surrounding it is in spite of the fact that few among the elite, not to mention the hoi polloi, have even touched the device, much less played with one. Other than Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Google CEO Eric Schmidt -- an Apple director -- is the only tech titan known to have had an iPhone before its official launch.
"This is the privilege of being on the Apple board," Schmidt said, while showing off his iPhone at a Google event on the company's campus earlier this month. "I have to guard this with my life around here."
Not many among the Silicon Valley elite will admit plans to join the enthusiasts already in line. In fact, many of those who said they'd be buying the phone said they'd hold off until after the first days' rush.
Zach Lynch, executive director of the Neurotechnology Industry Organization in San Francisco, sees the iPhone as a "neural prosthetic" and looks forward to seeing how he'll use the device. But he plans to wait several weeks to buy one.
"It's a brand new product," Lynch said. "They say the battery lasts. But I want to see if it really does last."
But at least some will join the masses.
One of them could be Hank Barry, an attorney with Howard Rice and the former CEO of Napster. Barry's wife wants one to replace her aging Nokia phone. Barry's considering getting one as well after he tests hers out. Meanwhile, he and his wife are negotiating about who's going to have to stand in line to buy the phones.
"She'll be delighted to have it," Barry said. "She's a big fan of Apple products."
Indeed, the iPhone may find its biggest fans in the valley not among the tech elite themselves, but with their wives, sons and daughters. Mitchell Kertzman, a partner at venture capital firm Hummer Winblad, for instance, plans to get one iPhone for himself and one for his 15-year-old daughter, Abigail. But Kertzman expects that his daughter's will be the only one that really gets used.
"Abigail . . . is an iPod/iTunes fanatic and . . . has thought of little else since she first saw the announcement (except maybe the new Harry Potter book and movie)," Kertzman said.
The e-mail factor
While he will buy an iPhone because he loves gadgets, Kertzman is a big mobile e-mail user, which means he might not use his much.
"I don't think this release of the iPhone will be quite ready for prime time for business/e-mail users," he said.
Many of those who plan on holding off on an iPhone cite similar reasons for why Kertzman doesn't plan on using his.
That the phone won't support "push" e-mail from Microsoft exchange servers and runs on AT&T's relatively slow EDGE network are two deal killers for Bill Burnham, a former venture capitalist who now runs Inductive Capital, a small hedge fund.
"It looks like a great phone," said Burnham. "If Apple solved all these issues I'd take a serious look but until then, I will just admire from afar."
Mercury News Staff Writers Nicole Wong, Scott Duke Harris, Steve Johnson, Sarah Tribble and Constance Loizos contributed to this report.
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Copyright (c) 2007, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
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