Steve says the iPhone is using OS X, but no where in the Keynote does Steve say that the iPhone can play ALL, ANY or MANY of the thousands of Mac Apps currently available. Many folks seem to think the iPhone is using a stripped down version of OS X and IMO, they may be right and the answer is really not clear.

If it were truly using standard OS X (or a superset and enhanced version of OS X) that would be just great and would more than justify the price. But there were no comments regarding "it's an iPod PLUS a true Mac in your pocket", or comments indicating compatibility with the thousands of existing Mac applications. While you might assume all of that just from the OS X claim, the marketing value of SAYING those things EXPLICITLY seems to be much too great for him to have left them out, if true. Notice how none of the press coverage refers to those advantages either. IMO it wouldn't be like Steve to fail to hawk such a tremendous advantage.

It seems more likely to be to OS X what windows mobile is to windows. (better in many ways, but with far fewer available applications). I'd love to be wrong and discover that it's a true OS X.

Isn't this the big question about the iPhone that no one seems to be asking? Any thoughts?

Pete