The iPhone is a success not because over 500 million of them have been sold (or, I should say, not only because over 500 million of them have been sold; that’s a lot of phones!), but because the iPhone, in just a few years, has reached the status of a cultural icon. Even people who don’t care much for gadgets in general and cell phones in particular know about the iPhone. And for those of us who do care about gadgets, the iPhone elicits a kind of technological longing that can be satisfied in only one way: by buying one (or, in my case, by buying all six versions!).
Part of the iconic status of the iPhone comes from its gorgeous design and remarkable interface, which makes all the standard tasks — surfing, emailing, texting, scheduling, and playing — easy and intuitive. But just as an attractive face or an easygoing manner can hide a personality of complexity and depth, so too does the iPhone hide many of its most useful and interesting features.
When you want to get beyond the basics of iPhone and solve some of its riddles, you might consider making an appointment with the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store. More often than not, the on-duty genius gives you good advice on how to get your iPhone to do what you want it to do. The Genius Bar is a great thing, but it isn’t always a convenient thing. In some cases, you may even need to leave your iPhone for a while (No!) to get ...
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