We're all really excited about the new Apple iPhone. Well, almost all of us. Dan Miller of Opus Research is skeptical:

"I can hardly express how profoundly disappointed I am that this shiny, new thing -– the first must-have product since Nintendo’s Wii -– has less voice processing than Tickle-Me Elmo."

And what of Cingular, the wireless service provider that secured an exclusive deal with Apple?

The good news, observed VocaLabs' CEO Peter Leppik before he corrected himself, is that Apple will be doing all the tech support for the phone, not Cingular. "Apple's decision to support the iPhone itself means that the company is determined to maintain control of the complete customer experience, and make sure the Apple brand keeps its value," He wrote.

If only it were so. As Leppik discovered later, Cingular actually is doing the support. Which makes his point all the more interesting: the Apple brand is golden. Why would Apple let Cingular's erratic customer service to taint it?

Cingular hasn't had the best record in customer service, according to VocaLabs' Sector Pulse reports. It's usually somewhere behind T-Mobile and Verizon, but well ahead of Sprint. The AT&T acquisition has done much to drag it down though.

I'm wondering how the exclusive partnership between Apple and Cingular will play out. I can't imagine happy Verizon and T-Mobile customers will risk losing their satisfactory service (and pay a contract cancellation fee for the priveledge) just to get the newest technology. I know I won't.

As David Pogue explains in his Ultimate iPhone FAQ:

Can it be used with anything but Cingular? –No.
Is it an "unlocked" phone, so I can use it with a carrier other than Cingular? –No.
Will there be a non-Cingular version? –Not within the first two years.
Can I put my T-Mobile SIM card in it instead of Cingular? –No.
But what if I keep asking? Then will it be available beyond Cingular? -No.
Is there a Verizon version? –NO!!!!