Lots of people--including yours truly--are drooling over the recently announced iPhone. Here's a mobile that combines stunning industrial design, lots integrated features, and ease-of-use. These aspects, combined with the strength of the Apple brand, make the iPhone an immediate contender in the smartphone and PDA phone markets.

Hopefully though, Apple's first foray into the smartphone market will avoid:

Easily-Scratched Exteriors. The earlier iPods, especially the 1st Gen Nano, were very prone to scratching. Hopefully the iPhone's touch-screen will prove much more resistant to scratches.

Not Working as Advertised. Many first-generation Apple products, like the MacBook and again the iPod, suffered from significant flaws. Apple's first Intel-powered laptop would shut down randomly, while early-adopters of the iPod complained about the music player's poor battery life.

Lawsuits. Cisco already released an iPhone under the Linksys brand, now it's suing Apple over the name. This high-profile product is sure to attract its fair share of patent infringement lawsuits.

I also wonder how effective the touch-sensitive input will be for texting. My experiences with the SGH-D830, which had a very thin keypad reminscent of a touch-screen, make me worry.

Even if the iPhone does fall victim to any of the obstacles, it probably won't slow Apple down. The company has proven pretty resilient against controversy, and has satisfied users by responding relatively quickly to complaints and finally revealing a long-awaited product. Perhaps only total catastrophe can turn the iPhone into another Newton.

What do you think, dear readers?