The announcement of the iPhone today made me think that it is now possible to load the entire Millenium Star Atlas on it or a similar teeny device. Perhaps even a telescope controller via the headphone jack. Camera interface, image file acquisition and storage, even manipulation.

As far as the iPhone goes, nothing has yet been announced on whether 3rd-party software will be supported. The display is 1/2 VGA (320x480), so you might be able to see a few things on it. But Apple calling it widescreen is a stretch. This actually points to a few things that haven't been addressed in the early press coverage. This is the first product using OSX that doesn't require a hard disk. As a technologist myself, I see that as representing a rather significant accomplishment. This MAY mean that future laptop or tablet devices can be created that don't require an energy-sapping hard drive. And while the iPhone does (or it's better to say 'will') have wireless support, the physical interfaces are restricted to what's on the Apple dock connection. I don't have a pinout of the connection, but I'd be surprised if there was anything on it that could be used to control a scope. So Joe, don't throw out the laptop just yet. I think you'll continue to appreciate the fact that it can show you a lot more information than an iPhone. And perhaps a not-too-far-away Apple laptop will ditch the hard drive and let you stay up late. --MC