The NYT has finally put up a piece on the iPhone that isn’t a complete panegyric. The concern is over the lack of a keyboard—something that quite a few commentators have been noting for a while as a possible negative amongst the texting set. Apple thinks that its touch screen technology will be just as easy to use, eventually…“That, of course, requires users to learn the new system, a task that Apple executives acknowledge may require several days. Last month at an industry conference, Mr. Jobs dismissed doubts about the decision to rely on a virtual keyboard, saying that users only had to learn to trust the keyboard, “and then you will fly”.” Getting customers to learn a new system is always very difficult and has spelled the doom of more than one new and innovative piece of technology—but customers aren’t likely to worry about this before they buy the iPhone because they’ll be going on the strength of the Apple brand…and once you have spent $500 on a phone, you’re probably going to take the time to learn how to use it. “At worst, customers will return the products. Currently AT&T gives customers 30 days to return handsets, but it is not clear whether it will maintain that policy for the iPhone. Any significant number of returns of the iPhone could conceivably undermine what until now has been a remarkable promotional blitzkrieg that culminates in the phone’s release June 29.” Personally, I don’t think we’ll see a big return of the product unless there’s a manufacturing issue, like the screen cracks or something.