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Many people assume Mac fans are fanatics and thus just blindly follow wherever the Apple train leads. But the truth is that there is no one more critical than a Mac fan: we have the highest expectations and tend to react over tiny flaws.

I expected this with the iPhone. While I'm a monster Mac fan (I've been using Macs since 1988 -- the kid who sold me my iPhone said he first used a Mac in 2005), and I've been drinking every drop of iPhone Kool-Aid I could find, I had no intentions of giving Apple a free ride.

My pre-use impression of the iPhone was that it was a fantastic concept and I loved everything that I'd read and seen. The real question was how finalized it would feel. Would it feel like a 1.0 product? Would there be major bugs, occasional awkwardness, or fundamental design flaws?

I tried to minimize my expectations so that I wouldn't feel disappointed. I figured the gesture-based interface would be a little rough -- good, but not quite ready for prime time. I assumed the iPhone's included applications would be mere shadows, almost prototypes, without the depth of mature desktop apps. I expected the virtual keyboard to be awkward, and I assumed that web pages, shrunk to the 3.5" screen would be flashy but not particularly practical since text would be too small to read and would require constant zooming and panning.

But I hoped the core of the device would be solid, and though this is a 1.0 product, it would have a Mac-like heart in its interior, and that people would be able to see a glimmer of the future through the iPhone's crystal face. I knew software updates would only make the iPhone better, but I hoped that even 1.0 iPhone would be more than just flash and have practical usage.

My first impressions, once handed my iPhone in a gorgeous black iPhone bag, was that Apple was doing everything right. The roll-out was handled in an amazingly competent manner -- from the politeness and helpfulness of the AT&T and Apple employees to the brilliant self-activation feature. Granted, it was not flawless: the activation system was overwhelmed Friday night and some disappointed people had trouble getting their iPhones working right away. But overall, considering the number of products sold in such a short period, the complexity of the technology, and the difficulty of cooperation between AT&T and Apple to make everything go smoothly, this was one stunning product launch.

As expected, Apple's iPhone presentation was first class all the way. From fancy iPhone bags -- that perhaps dangerously advertised to the world that you were carrying expensive brand new electronics -- to a neat little compact box that contained the world's most coveted new toy, everything was gorgeously well-designed.

Inside the box the impression was minimalist. I wanted to say, "Is that it?" Just like with iPods and Macs we hold such wonder for the supremely capable devices that when you peer into the box it seems distressingly empty. The plastic-wrapped iPhone itself rests on a custom-fit clear plastic tray. Underneath that is a black paper envelope of sorts that holds some minature documents (a thin "FingerTips" manual describing some common iPhone interface gestures and a legal information pamphlet), Apple stickers, and a cleaning cloth. Underneath that are just four items: earbud headphones (with built-in microphone), USB power adapter, USB cable, and an iPhone dock. That's it!

The iPhone itself felt surprisingly solid to me. It looks so thin and svelte and while I wouldn't describe it as heavy, it's definitely not made of cheap plastic. It comes wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap: one around the entire body and one sheet that covers the face. I took off the outer wrap and left the face sheet on, at least initially. I've done that with my iPods and it helps keep the screen scratch-free. Third parties sell plastic sheets specifially designed for the front to help protect the glass, but I figured I'd just use the one it came with, at least at first.

Hardware-wise, the iPhone is definitely gorgeous. The front is gleaming and smooth and the edge trim in shiny metal acts like a frame to really make the screen's black border and color interface stand out. I'll admit I had never really paid much attention to the back of the iPhone -- I supposed I'd assumed it was more shiny metal like iPods. But it's made of different materials: a smooth black plastic at the bottom and a silver-colored plastic for the majority. The plastic means you don't have to worry about scratches, smudges, and fingerprints on shiny metal and it enhances the metal frame on the front, making it seem more important.

Feature-wise, the hardware has just enough and not too much. There's a standard iPod 30-pin connector at the bottom, framed on either side by the device's built-in speakers. On the left side is a rocker switch that controls volume (audio volume during a call or iPod use, ringer volume in other situations).

Next to that is the brilliant "silent" switch which mutes all iPhone sounds. It uses vibrations to indicate calls or messages or alarms. It's a hard switch so it can't get set or unset accidentally, just like the hold button on iPods.

At the top of the iPhone is a simple on/off/sleep button. Unlike most cell phones which recess the power button making it a frustrating challenge to turn them on or off, this one is a simple push-button. Even if it gets pressed accidentally, the iPhone screen isn't active until you unlock it with a simple finger swipe, so this still safe, and I much appreciate the simpler, easy-to-push power button.

The power button has several uses. Pressing it sleeps or wakes the iPhone instantly, while holding it down powers it off (you must confirm the power-off with a finger swipe). But it also acts as an instant silencer if the phone's ringing. A double-touch to a ringing phone sends the call right to voice mail -- a sweet feature.

Next: In Part 2, Marc activates and syncs his iPhone.

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 1 of 10
Buying the iPhone

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 2 Of 10
Activation and Syncing

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 3 of 10
Using the iPhone

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 4 of 10
Customization

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 5 of 10
Exploring the Applications

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 6 of 10
Exploring the Internet

iPhone: First Impressions Part 7 of 10
Exploring Photography on the iPhone

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 8 of 10
Working With eMail

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 9 of 10
Using the iPhone as a Phone

iPhone: First Impressions - Part 10 of 10
iPod on the iPhone