Again, the prototype had been returned and details already leaked to the public. There was no need to break into the man's house, and no manner of Apple-fan psychological gymnastics changes that. It was overkill.

So, wait. You're blaming *Apple* for the police breaking into the man's house? That implies Apple had some sort of operational control that I seriously doubt they had. Nor do I see any evidence that Apple pressured the police into taking that specific action. Wether or not the police should have acted that drastically, until someone can show Apple's involvement in that decision beyond filing a complaint, I'll have a hard time buying Apple should bear much if any blame for that decision.

As for wether the police should have seized computers and whatnot: I'm under the impression they were looking for any proprietary software that may have been offloaded from the iPhone prototype -- given the actions of the Gizmodo folks in regards the hardware of the prototype, a very real possibility. Where else would they have searched if not computers and memory devices? If the question is more about the method of the search (i.e. breaking-into the premises), that, again, would be the police you'd want to question, not Apple =)

I think you've picked one quote from my reply and in doing so have completely tossed the context.

I'd say at this point the motivation is, more or less, to win an argument than acknowledge what's right out in the open.

What is it about the iPhone? Its success shows how Apple has triumphed at two crucial qualities: status and simplicity. And it's a reminder that while intense Apple fans will obsess over the upgrades the iPhone is expected to get this summer, such details won't matter as much to everyday buyers.

Other phones have higher-resolution cameras and can shoot high-definition video. The processor seems faster in new phones such as the Droid Incredible. A more energy-efficient touch-screen technology is eclipsing the one used in the iPhone screen. And competitors are matching features that once set the iPhone apart, including its slim shape and its store with thousands of applications and games.

"This thing is not state of the art," says ABI Research analyst Michael Morgan.

But whether the iPhone has the best technology doesn't seem to be the question most people ask.

Instead, many people crave the aura of cool that iPhones seem to convey.

"When you see people with them, I'm like, 'Oh, OK, they get it,'" says Jason Sfetko, a designer at Complex magazine in New York. When he sees someone with a BlackBerry, "I might think, maybe they're an accountant or something. They're answering too many e-mails."