yep, the stylus is a crutch, but its also the only way to click some of those links without blowing the page up 200%+...

as for insecurities, i would not be surprised.

electronics are no longer just a tool. and for that i think we can thank marketing, spinning of anything from the brand of flavored water one drink, to what one wear and drive as a mark of what kind of person you are.

and apple, for one, have made that a art form with their pc/mac ads among other things. but its funny to note that people like the pc character more then the mac character...

that said, me and others here is probably reacting more to the "iphone is the second coming of christ" mentality then the device itself. problem is that as geeks we try to argue on features and capabilites, while others argue experience of use and style.

in the end its the age old "nerds" vs "jocks" kind of thing...

the trick i guess is to find a way to coexist.