or more than a few tech-heads and Apple enthusiasts, the torture of the last six months or so might just have rivaled anything from the movie Hostel. Anticipation for the Apple iPhone had been escalating ever since CEO Steve Jobs ceremoniously unveiled it at the Macworld Conference in January. But the anguish-filled seven month wait finally approached extinction as the iPhone was released at 6pm local time on June 29.

It was only a matter of time before Apple would build on the success from the sale of their ever-popular iPod MP3 players to diversify into the technology market. Cellular was the next logical step. In 2005, Apple collaborated with Motorola to create the ROKR E1, the first ever cell phone to include iTunes. But for Apple, compromising with a second party limited the potential to create their own distinct cellular vision. They swiftly discontinued support for the ROKR phone.

It was at this point that they started to hint at the iPhone’s future existence by referring to it in a new version of iTunes, readying the media and loyal fans for the official announcement. Since then, the hype surrounding this elusive little device has been nothing short of legendary.

For a high-school student, owning an iPhone defines social-worth in the same way that driving a Corvette would have in the 1950s.

The people at Apple know what they are doing. They laid the seed for the buzz, but it’s the fans that are in the driver’s seat. With DIY broadcast web sites like YouTube and personal blogs kept by everyone and their grandmother, Steve Jobs and his henchmen at Apple have been able to sit back and enjoy the hailstorm of eager anticipation created and circulated by the internet community. A CBS-released “Closer Look at the iPhone” video has been viewed on YouTube a whopping 4.2 million times, while a Conan O’Brien iPhone commercial parody has been viewed nearly 4 million.