On June 29, Apple will release the long-awaited iPhone, and we know at least two things about is already.

First, it will be lauded as the ultimate phone/iPod/Internet appliance/gizmo, the first and finest such device to ever hit the market, with innovations and features that would put small events like the discovery of penicillin to shame. (To this end, some have already dubbed it the “Jesus Phone”, as in “The Second Coming of…”)

Second, it will be derided as the worst junk ever to be foisted upon an innocent and unsuspecting public. There will be reports of how it can be scratched by cotton balls, has the sound quality of a turntable with a rusty needle, has a battery life of roughly two minutes, and will dissolve if subjected to vibrations strong enough to disturb a glass of water.

Obviously, this contradictory analysis will be released by those who have an interest in how well the iPhone succeeds or fails and, as usual for any new product, the truth will be somewhere in the middle. My guess is that it will be a fine device that, for the most part, will work as advertised, but will have drawbacks and outright flaws that may be addressed by revisions or new models down the road.

As always, YOU should not be the one to discover the truth by trying to grab the first one off the line. (That is, even if you could. By all accounts, the the first shipments are already sold and I think it will be weeks before the masses can get their hands on them.) Wait for objective reports as to whether it is worth the price after others have had the chance to use it for a few months, then be sure to go to an AT&T store to hold one in your hands before making the decision.

You can get more hype… er, that is, information, here:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

[Written by Kem Tekinay]