It’s here! The wait for Apple to release a tablet computer finally came to an end last Wednesday when the iPad was launched. So is it any good? Were we right to believe the incredible hype? And could this be Apple’s first big mistake in years?

I’ll come straight out and admit how I felt initially. In the small hours of Thursday morning as I closed down the QuickTime stream of the keynote I couldn’t help but feel a little disillusioned. While the knowledge of the very little kip I was about to get before work clearly contributed to my gloom, it was more how the now, very real device matched up (or not) with the months of rumours, speculation, gossip, guesswork, theories and supposed leaks I’d read that left me feeling let down.

Over the next 24 hours or so it was obvious that I wasn’t alone in feeling this. Websites, tabloids and tech blogs all over the world discussed the iPad in as much detail as they could but while there was definitely praise for certain features and the price of the new device, there was also a distinct overall feeling of disappointment. So what was the reason for our displeasure? Hadn’t Apple just announced yet another brand-new piece of very clever gadgetry? What were we all expecting?

The answer, as far as I am concerned, lies in that last question. It was about expectation. Since the birth of the iPod, the majority of us in the Apple-adoring tech world seem to have got ourselves into a mind frame whereby nothing that Apple releases is quite good enough. Put simply, we expect too much. When this is combined with month upon month (years in some cases) of discussion about what will or won’t be included in a new product, all we are doing is setting ourselves up to be disappointed. The iPad has a 9.7” screen and personally, for what I would use the iPad for that is perfect. But there are many other people who had different ideas for Apple’s new tablet computer; some of these people think that the screen is much too small for doing any sort of serious work on whereas others think it’s simply too large to carry around with them. The truth of the matter is that evidently we love the majority of Apple’s products and devices because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t get so worked up about them in the first place.

A vast majority of the negative attention the iPad received in the days after its launch was the same whether it came from hardcore gadget-lovers ‘in the know’ or from the non tech-obsessed individuals who saw it on the front of their favourite daily newspaper. The description of the new device being banded about was simply that it was ‘just a big iPod Touch’. In all seriousness there would be little point in anyone denying this because quite obviously, at heart, this is exactly what the iPad is. Oddly, for once in this situation, those of us with more in depth knowledge of the new device are the ones most unlikely to go out of our way to refute this.

I can confess to having spent at least the last couple of months caught up in the crazy speculation leading up to the iPad’s launch. I spent countless hours reading the latest rumour on one website then I’d go straight to another to read the exact technicalities of a new multi-touch patent Apple had just been awarded. It wasn’t long before I’d find myself zooming into what may or may not be a leaked photo of the new device looking for the presence of a front-facing camera just before I turned to the comments to read what other people were saying about the ‘slightly more grey bit at the top’. This is just one example of why I was left feeling a little cynical and frustrated by some of the final design and functionality choices Apple had made – we already had a fairly good idea of what we wanted the iPad to be and in a lot of our minds, it wasn’t ‘just a big iPod Touch’.

At the time of writing it’s been nearly a week since the launch and it’s only now that I’ve started to fully appreciate the iPad’s good points. In fact, with very little, if any, extra information provided by Apple since the launch, I’ve had a near complete turnaround of opinion. Sure I am still slightly disappointed by the lack of any sort of camera and the fact that despite the bump in processor speed from the iPhone there is still no true multi-tasking. I am also a little bothered that despite it’s size, there are no extra dedicated hardware buttons and that there is no haptic-feedback for the onscreen keyboard.

So without these expected and desired features what am I left with? Just a big iPod Touch – is that it? An iPod Touch with a larger screen, a slightly modified version of the iPhone operating system and an iTunes-style book store?

It’s only really in the last couple of days that I’ve realised something quite important in all this – describing the iPad as a big iPod Touch or iPhone is quite possibly its best asset, not its worst.

I can only vouch for those of us with a great fondness for whichever version of the iPhone or iPod Touch we either own, have used or would like, so iPhone-haters and Apple-loathers need not read any further. What is it we love about our iPhones? Is it the sleek design, how it feels in our hands, the only one main button or the Apple logo on the back? They might all be contributing factors but the iPhone’s massive success is all in how we interact with the device. It’s the operating system, the amazing multi-touch that’s become second-nature and the way everything ‘just works’ – the perfect interface that can only ever be created by a company that designs both the software and the hardware themselves.

It’s this operating system, this interface that we already know how to use and love that makes the iPad so special. The iPhone and iPod Touch are devices that let you perform a number of tasks very well – whether that be surfing the web, reading the news, checking email, updating your favourite social networking site, playing games or watching videos. In fact, for many people, their iPhone or iPod Touch has become their primary way of doing some of these tasks even when they’re at home. That in itself proves quite how amazing the iPhone platform is – that despite having a complete desktop system with a full keyboard, mouse and large monitor at home, many people favour their iPhone or iPod over their main computer. And I am one of those people.

So let’s just take one of those tasks – surfing the web. If I had been asked any time in the last couple of years ago to describe my vision of the perfect way to browse the internet I am pretty sure I know what I would have said. Take the best bits of the iPhone – the interface, the multi-touch and combine it with the one thing the iPhone can’t beat a fully-fledged computer at; the screen size. My dream web-surfing device would have been an iPhone with a bigger screen. Similarly, my fantasy gadget for reading people’s tweets, viewing their posted photos, following links and updating my own Twitter would be a larger iPhone.

In many different ways it seems that Apple have just launched my dream gadget. But where does it fit into my life and more importantly the lives of all of Apple’s potential customers? If we already own an iPhone or similar smartphone and possibly a laptop or netbook, when and where are we meant use this device? Standing on stage presenting this new device to the world, Steve Jobs explained with enthusiasm how this new product was designed to be all the best bits of a laptop as well as the best bits of a smartphone and in my eyes, for the most part at least they’ve achieved this. But the iPad wasn’t being sold to us as an alternative to either of these already well established products; this was meant to be a third device that we’d fit into our daily lives.

In addition to the already mentioned uses, the launch of the iBook store and companion book reading app mean that Apple is clearly also aiming this device at the growing e-reader market. How well this particular feature of the device takes off depends on many factors, not least whether people are willing to spend hours reading text from a screen as opposed to on paper. If Apple had it their way, they’d sign international deals with all of the world’s major publishers and we’d all sit in bed each night with our iPads, reading then buying new books from the store that they take a cut from. But will this happen? How many people are prepared to do this? And what about the easy-on-the-eyes, battery saving e-ink technology that the majority of the e-readers already on sale are using?

E-ink, in its current form unfortunately has a few huge limitations (the slow screen update speed and lack of colour to name two) which would prevent the iPad from being able to perform its many other intended tasks so it’s understandable why Apple chose not to use it. But is ignoring the technology that was designed to help launch e-readers the right thing to do? In many people’s eyes, the publishing world as we know it is in for a huge change and if the hype is to be believed then the digital age we live in will soon mean that newspapers, magazines and books will all be consumed in different ways. Seemingly e-readers in some form are going to be a part of this but whether Apple’s new full-colour IPS display on its iPad is going to help or hinder this advancing revolution, only time will tell.

Apple was also keen to show us that the iPad wasn’t just a device for consuming content. The brand-new version of Apple’s productivity suite ‘iWork’ feature word processor, spreadsheet and presentation creation software and when combined with the large display, almost full-size onscreen keyboard or optional hardware keyboard accessory it goes to show what great potential the iPad has for the creation of content as well. I envisage that software developers will be able to unleash this potential and give us useful, intelligent and powerful tools for the creation of new content. Whether it be content creation or content consumption, we’ve already seen some incredible things that ingenious developers have been able to do with the iPhone and I can only imagine what some designers and programmers will be able to achieve with more screen real-estate. In the same vein that broadband gave rise to the Web 2.0 revolution where access speed resulted in the emergence of amazing new technologies, the iPhone platform gaining a device with a larger screen shouldn’t be underestimated and will mean that the iPad will lay host to a whole-new breed of multi-touch enabled applications.

The more I think about what the iPad is and what it’s able to do, the more I begin to love it. So while I am only one of Apple’s very many potential customers, does this opinion mean that the iPad has already succeeded in some way? After all, Apple is in the business to convince us that we need each one of their shiny new gadgets.

The way I see it, the iPad is primarily a device you’ll use in your home. It may be taken around to see the relatives as a great way to show off your photos and a certain class of business will no doubt be able harness the iPad’s power of creation to find genuine reasons for its employees to have one but it’s in the home that the iPad will really shine. Provided that you synchronise your favourite content over to it in the same way that you do with your iPhone or iPod I can imagine how the iPad could quite easily become the primary device you use when you’re not on the move; an iPhone for home, if you like.

The vast majority of your web surfing and emailing will be done from the comfort of your favourite chair in your living room before browsing the app store to find a clever new recipe app with built-in tutorial videos to use in the kitchen. Later, you’ll retire to the sofa to play a cool new game while also listening to an album you just downloaded or sit up at the desk and continue typing that blog post you’ve been meaning to finish. Afterwards, when you’re tucked up in bed you’re faced with the choice of renting a movie from iTunes or finding a new book to read from the iBook store.

It seems that despite my initial bad feeling towards it, the iPad does, after all, have incredible potential to be a genuinely great device. Whether or not it becomes a success remains to be seen and depends on so many factors. The way the iPad is marketed, the software 3rd party developers release, the deals Apple signs with publishers and whether people really are prepared to read whole books on a screen like this are just a very few examples.

Ultimately, the future of the iPad is in our hands. If enough of us with smartphones, laptops and desktop computers decide we can afford to spend on another portable electronic device then theoretically we can, by ourselves, make the iPad a success. But in addition to us tech-obsessed people with all our other shiny gadgets, I can definitely see it appealing to new markets. With the right advertising and price the iPad could, for example, be the perfect device for the older generation – the first gadget that certain parents and grandparents aren’t afraid to use where the interface is simple yet powerful and the screen neither too small nor too large.

Even if in the end Apple’s new baby isn’t a success, I honestly believe that it’s already set a standard and paved the way for future devices of this type, whether they be subsequent versions of the iPad or new devices by other manufacturers. Whatever happens with this particular model, I think Apple have just given us a pretty sweet taste of things to come.

So February came and went without Apple’s promise of an iPhone SDK being released but at the end of the month, Apple sent out invites to a special event which was to take place on March 6th. Invitations to the “iPhone Software Roadmap” event contained little information other than a promotional image of a map on which were the words ‘Enterprise’, ‘SDK’ and ‘Software Update’.

Pre-event

Numerous Apple and iPhone websites were abuzz with news and rumours in the days leading up to the event with the general opinion being that Apple were about to announce some much sought-after new business-related iPhone features as well as details of the official iPhone SDK and 3rd party applications.

While Apple has been extremely successful with getting the iPhone into the hands of the general public, until now its adoption by companies has been another story. For many of the same reasons that the iPhone works so well for home use, it has amazing potential to be a great business tool with every possibility of it being able to replace the hugely popular and successful Blackberry devices that many businesses currently use.

However, one of the main reasons that businesses have been slow to take on the iPhone is the fact that its software lacks many of the business features that companies consider indispensable having used other devices – features such as Microsoft Exchange Server support, Push Email and Calendar and the ability to remotely wipe a device’s memory should it be stolen. Seeing its marvellous potential, many companies have been desperate to start using Apple’s device so any announcement of new software features specifically for businesses was keenly anticipated.

But Apple’s special event wasn’t just for business users – home-use iPhone owners were extremely excited about what was to be announced regarding the iPhone SDK and details about how and when 3rd party applications would be released. Thousands upon thousands of people (myself included!) waited for the day in hope that by the end of the event, a way of installing 3rd party applications would be possible by some means or other – perhaps by new firmware for the iPhone or through an update to iTunes.

So… companies were eager to see what Apple had managed to do to help get the iPhone in the hands of business users, developers were keen to know what the official SDK was to consist of as well as how and when they’d be able to get hold of it and everyone else couldn’t wait to get their hands on some Apple-sanctioned 3rd party applications. All in all, people everywhere seemed very excited about the event.

And what an event it turned out to be!

March 6th

Most of the rumours turned out to be true as the event mainly centred on two big announcements. The first of these was new software features for business users. The crowd applauded as it was announced that the list of requested business features shown were all to be included in the next iPhone software update.

Not only would the iPhone feature full Microsoft Exchange support but it would also have Push email, calendar and contacts, Cisco IPsec VPN, security policies, remote wipe and more. I don’t think many people outside of Apple were expecting quite such a huge announcement! Based just on this, the iPhone was suddenly a real alternative to many of the other devices currently being used by businesses.

Next up was the one I was waiting for; the SDK announcement.

After a quick mention of how successful Web Apps have been, Scott Forstall, VP of iPhone software, announced that “starting from today”. 3rd party developers will be able to build native iPhone applications using the same SDK that Apple use.
Developers were in for a treat next as he went on to discuss some of the iPhone’s technical details. This included specifications of the main four layers that make up the OS, further detail about the APIs that make up those layers as well as what hardware features (such as the accelerometer and camera) developers will be able to take advantage of. This was the first time that Apple had publicly discussed so much about how the iPhone works and what exactly it is that goes on in the background when it’s in use.

Next, he talked about what the SDK itself actually comprised of and I think it would be fair to say that developers were pleasantly surprised to learn of all the clever tools they would soon be able to use. Included in the SDK amongst other things were the main source code editor, a cool looking drag and drop interface builder and two very clever application testing tools.

The first of these was the ‘Remote Debugger’ – built into the SDK was the ability to debug applications from the computer as they run live on a connected iPhone – a very clever and useful tool for developers I imagine.

Rumours that there was to be a simulator were also true – the SDK features a full working software simulator of the iPhone – an eerily identical copy of an iPhone recreated through software and useable on the screen of your computer. Like the ‘Remote Debugger’, this works alongside the SDK development tools so that unfinished applications can be properly tested at any point in their development.

After a short showing-off of the simulator, Scott went on to demonstrate how quick and easy it is to build a simple ‘two minute’ application and then run it live on an iPhone. What could be better than the infamous ‘Hello World’ app! He compiled it, sent it over to the iPhone, ran it and started the debugger all in one step – pretty neat!

Continuing to show what’s possible with the SDK in just a short space of time; Scott then showed off an application that Apple had built in “two days”. Touch FX was a simple, fun, photo-manipulation tool. Once a photo was loaded onto the screen, the iPhone’s multi-touch abilities were shown off – pinching and unpinching would implode and explode parts of the image while dragging a finger around the screen applied a clever distortion effect. The crowd applauded and laughed as Scott then showed that the iPhone’s accelerometer had also been put to good use – a shake of the phone triggered a short undo animation and the photo returned to its original state.

Scott was soon to hand over to representatives from other companies but not before showing off one last Apple-built application – this time; a game they’d built in two weeks.

Touch-Fighter, a 3D, space, shoot ‘em up looked very impressive. Control of the game once again took advantage of the 3-axis accelerometer – physically moving the iPhone around steered the ship while tapping areas of the screen made the ship fire. The audience seemed as surprised and in awe of it as I was – until that point I don’t think anyone outside of Apple really knew that the iPhone was capable of such remarkable 3D graphics. Not a single one of the numerous games available on ‘Jailbroken’ iPhones are even close to matching the quality of Touch-Fighter.

Proving true the rumours that Apple had let select developers have access to the SDK already; Scott announced that Apple had asked a few companies to send out a couple of software engineers to see what they could do with the iPhone’s SDK in just two weeks.

A representative from each of the five companies then took to the stage one after the other to show off and explain what their company had developed in the limited time they had. All five applications shown were mightily impressive and serve as great examples of the sorts of things possible with the SDK, especially if the two week time frame was genuine. The performance and quality of the applications that were shown can only instil confidence in developers that writing programs with the iPhone’s SDK will produce great results.

My favourite of the five would have to be ‘Sega’ who showed off a stunning, full 3D version of the classic “Super Monkey Ball” game. Seeing what looked like a console version of the game running on an iPhone was truly dumbfounding – the iPhone’s hardware obviously coping well with a full 3D environment filled with great looking textures and animations. Other than the graphics, the best thing about the game is that it uses the iPhone’s accelerometer to its full – the main control of the game being done simply by tilting the device. I am very much looking forward to playing “Super Monkey Ball” on my own iPhone!

The other four applications showcased were; a cut down, cartoony version of the game Spore by EA, a clever, corporate sales app by Salesforce.com, a useful medication database tool for doctors by Epocrates and a special iPhone version of AIM; AOL’s Instant Messaging program.

For the last part of the conference, Steve Jobs came back to stage to announce how applications and games such as those shown would make it to the iPhone.

Pleasing a lot of the people that were looking forward to 3rd party apps on their iPhone; Steve announced the ‘App Store’, a new application for the iPhone from which 3rd party apps are found, downloaded and installed. This was one of my favourite things in the conference. I, like many others had been hoping for something just like this – a way to get new programs onto your iPhone without having to touch a computer. The ‘App Store’, like the iTunes WiFi store, was to have separate sections for helping you to find what you want – Featured, Categories, Search etc.

Another cool thing about the ‘App Store’ is that if a developer updates an application, every iPhone owner that has their app installed is notified that a newer version is available. One tap of the update button and the old version is replaced with the new one. It was also announced that in addition to the ‘App Store’ on the iPhone itself, applications will also be able to be downloaded through iTunes on a computer.

Steve then talked about the business deal between Apple and developers for the iPhone. The exclusive way for developers to get their applications onto people’s iPhones was to be through Apple’s distribution methods – developers wouldn’t have to pay any fees for Apple to host their app and would keep 70% of the revenue made, Apple keeping 30% to pay for running the store. Developers that wanted their application to be available for free also got a good deal – Apple won’t be charging them a penny.

Next came the biggest disappointment of the conference – the software update that was to contain all the great things we’d been hearing about wasn’t to be released until late June! Over three months away! The iPhone’s next firmware was to be version 2.0 and would contain support for 3rd party applications, the ‘App Store’ and all the new ‘Enterprise’ capabilities.

But there was to be something released on the day – an hour or so after the conference, the official SDK including all the tools mentioned before was available for download from Apple’s site and a beta release of the new firmware made available to “thousands of developers.” While it wasn’t necessary in order to download the SDK; to actually release and distribute applications, developers would have to join Apple’s ‘iPhone developer program’. Costing just $99, this also included the ability to test applications on the iPhone and access to official Apple technical support.

Before the conference ended, Steve Jobs invited one last person up to the stage, John Doerr from the premiere VC firm in the world, KPCB. The Venture Capitalist company has started the ‘iFund’; a $100m investment fund to help young, innovative developers create great 3rd party applications.

All in all, the whole event had been a huge success – everyone heard something they wanted to hear. Companies knew that they could soon adopt the iPhone for use as a business tool for their staff, developers could start coding straight away with the release of the SDK and the rest of us knew that while we would have to wait a few months, what was coming to our iPhones was something really quite special.

Every day that I see another cool native application or game released for ‘Jailbroken’ iPhones I get just that little bit closer to Jailbreaking my own!

But hopefully the wait for Apple’s official iPhone Software Development Kit to be released is finally coming to an end meaning that I should be running some 3rd party applications on my own iPhone pretty soon – and all without breaking my software licence.

It’s not that I am not happy with the pre-installed applications, far from it in fact, but with its fast processor, large display, multi-touch interface, accelerometer sensor and more, the iPhone has great potential for running some first rate non-Apple applications.

Some websites are reporting that it’s very likely we’ll see the SDK release towards the end of this month while others appear to be more sceptical, stating possible delays in its release.

Whatever the case may be, I have a funny feeling that even if we don’t see the actual release of the SDK this month, some of the very many questions people have will finally be answered.

Some of the things I personally want to know most of all are:

1. How are new applications to be chosen, downloaded and installed?

It seems that there are two main routes that Apple could take with this.

Firstly, Apple could open the iPhone and allow anyone and everyone to make new software available to download from their own websites. However, considering how security conscious Apple has been with the iPhone until now, it’s very doubtful that the iPhone will be made truly ‘open’. It seems likely that allowing for just any application to be installed may also increase the number of calls to Apple support lines when things go wrong due to defective software – not something Apple will want to be dealing with. Alternatively, some kind of signing and approval process could be set up where only select developers are allowed to build software but are still left to release it themselves.

What seems much more likely is that Apple will use its already hugely successful and widely used iTunes software to provide new application downloads. But quite how this will work I don’t know – will every developer have to submit applications for Apple to firstly approve and then make available through iTunes? If this is the case, it will be interesting to see just how strict Apple will be with this. Will Apple actually choose which applications will be released or will approved developers be given a ‘space’ on iTunes in which to make new applications available themselves? It would seem likely that even if just some of the new software available for the iPhone is to be charged for, Apple will want to be a part of it and only allowing new software to be installed through iTunes would be a perfect way of implementing some sort of pricing system.

It appears that there is much to be said for all these methods. On one hand I like the peace of mind I will get from installing applications that I know Apple has permitted. This will ensure applications work as intended as well as guarantee there’ll be no negative effect on other installed software. But on the other hand having a much wider choice and searching the Internet for weird and wonderful new apps, even if they don’t work quite as well as others, is part of the fun of being able to install 3rd party apps.

2. Does the iPhone need another firmware update before new applications can be installed?

Some sites are reporting of evidence that the current iPhone 1.1.3 firmware already contains everything that’s needed for new applications to be installed. However, if this isn’t the case and new firmware is needed; will new firmware bring any other surprises?

3. Has a pre-release version of the SDK been available to select developers already?

There have been many rumours suggesting that a few select developers have had an early version of the SDK for a while already. If this is true, did Apple do this so that some new applications would be ready for download as soon as the SDK is released?

4. Will developers be allowed create new ‘versions’ of current official iPhone applications?

This all depends on how strict Apple end up being with regards to what will and won’t be made available officially. Personally I am looking forward not just to brand-new applications but also to 3rd-party versions of current applications which will expand their features and abilities. A good example of this is the SMS application. While the recent firmware update added the greatly desired ability to send messages to multiple recipients, many features such as MMS messaging, a character count, delivery reports and a way of saving messages as drafts are still missing. Unfortunately I have a feeling that Apple may prevent new versions of apps such as this from being released officially – doing so would in some ways mean acceptance that their own programs aren’t quite up to scratch.

5. Will any of the current applications for Jailbroken iPhones be made available?

Again, this all depends on who Apple lets develop for the iPhone. There are many well designed tools, productivity apps and games already available for Jailbroken iPhones and it would be great to see at least some of them approved by Apple.

The bottom line of all this is that despite the mass of Jailbroken iPhones out there, lots of people are very much looking forward to choosing from a whole host of new applications and being able to install them all, secure in the knowledge that not only will their iPhone incur no damage but also that if anything does go wrong, their warranty will still be intact.

I for one can’t wait!

So I’ve had the new 1.1.3 firmware installed on my iPhone for a while now and seeing as it’s been nearly 4 weeks since I wrote this about it and have been using my iPhone more than ever recently I thought I’d write a little piece on how I’m getting along with it.

There appears to be many stories floating around about people having had lots of different issues with their iPhone since installing the new firmware – SMS messages appearing out of order, Bluetooth devices no longer functioning and an increase in the number of dropped calls to name just a few.

Ever since the first reports of people experiencing issues after installing new iPhone software updates I’ve been confused as to why these problems happen for some and not others – it just doesn’t make sense to me! I understand that issues could crop up if an iPhone has been tampered with, had core parts of its operating system changed, Jailbroken or even SIM-unlocked but it appears that many of the people having troubles after a firmware update are people who haven’t tampered with their iPhone at all – people like me. Surely all of our iPhones are identical hardware-wise and not Jailbreaking or SIM-Unlocking the phone means they are also identical as far as software is concerned so unless iTunes’ iPhone firmware updater works in different ways on different computers; I am stumped as to what could be causing these problems.

Oddly, one of the main reported ways to help solve some issues is by doing a ‘restore’ of the iPhone through iTunes – a process that removes all software for the phone, re-downloads the newest firmware (presumably in case of a bad download the last time round) and re-installs the operating system before putting back all your backed-up settings. Maybe what I said about the firmware updater being a possible cause of some of these problems isn’t too far from the truth after all!

While I am pleased to say that I am not one of those people experiencing any of the reported major issues, I have noticed two minor things since the update. Firstly it seems that my iPhone’s battery life has been slightly shortened (I am having to charge my iPhone more regularly), and secondly; something appears to have changed with the WiFi reception – at home when outside it’s slightly worse (I am getting 2 rather than the usual 3 ‘full bars’ of reception more regularly) but at work it is better (I am able to be further away from the router without losing reception).

Unfortunately though, both of my problems could be down to a number of factors. Using my iPhone more, especially for surfing the web over WiFi, could be the cause for my shortend battery life and my odd WiFi reception could just as likely have happened if I’d stuck with the older firmware especially seeing as both the WiFi routers I use regularly are really rather poor anyway. I also realised that I had read about the issues other people were having before I had even thought I was experiencing any my own – I know how much easier it is to think you have a problem with something once you’ve started looking for one!

On a more positive note; I am very happy with the iPhone’s new firmware and with the ability to have multiple ‘home screens’ and add ‘Webclips’ to them, I don’t think I could ever go back! It’s surprising just how useful it is to use multiple ‘home screen’ pages to separate and group favourite websites and WebApps – and with more site designers creating their own ‘Webclip Icon’, my home screens are looking better all the time. My only tiny gripe is that I often wish I could place icons exactly where I want them – currently icons will always move to the furthest top-left space not taken up by another icon. For further separation and grouping ability I wish icons could be placed in any of the 16 ‘available’ spaces on each screen. Clearly though – I can’t have everything I want!

Strangely, I’ve found that two of the more minor changes in the new firmware are the ones I’ve been using the most – redeemable iTunes cards and the lyrics display.

On two occasions now I’ve enjoyed coming home from a shopping trip, adding credit to my iTunes account and buying and downloading music – all without switching the computer on!

At the time of writing my full 1.1.3 firmware review I wasn’t sure how the new lyrics display feature would work and hoped there would be some way for lyrics to be displayed in Karaoke-fashion with words being highlighted on screen as they were sung in the song. Alas, this isn’t the case but the way it has been integrated works far better than I had imagined. As a track is playing and album art is displayed on screen, one tap superimposes both the song controls and lyrics over the now slightly faded artwork and lets you scroll up and down as you wish – one more tap takes you back to the full colour artwork – seamless. Adding the lyrics to songs couldn’t be easier although it would still be nice to be able to do it directly from the iPhone. Open iTunes, display the information for a particular track, move to the lyrics tab and either type or paste in the lyrics – the next time you synchronise; the lyrics will be available on the iPhone.

Even now, over three months since buying my iPhone I still feel slightly in awe of it – everything about it just seems so well designed and executed and I am continuing to enjoy using it especially for surfing the web, listening to music and checking my emails.

If future iPhone firmware updates continue to add as many varied and useful features as this last one did then they’ll be a lot of happy iPhone owners out there, myself included. Bring on the next firmware! Oh, and Apple – please can we have copy & paste soon!

In a rather unexpected move, last Wednesday Apple released new double storage-capacity models of the ‘iPhone’, now available in 16GB and its less fully-featured cousin; the ‘iPod Touch’ – now available in 32GB form.

It appears that the only alterations to both of the new units is the increased memory size, however, both come pre-loaded with the latest firmware and the ‘iPod Touch’ includes the £12.99 software upgrade announced in January which adds the same Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather and Notes applications previously only available to ‘iPhone’ owners.

The release of the new models was all the more surprising because there was no mention of them at the media-heavy ‘Macworld’ a few weeks ago. Whilst I understand that it was important for Steve Job’s to use his keynote speech as a platform to talk about the improved features of the iPhone’s new 1.1.3 firmware, it surely wouldn’t have taken long to mention the release of these new models as well – Apple truly does move in mysterious ways.

While I am mostly happy with the amount of space I have already to store music and video on my iPhone, I can’t help feeling that having 16GB rather than 8GB would assist with the storage of any 3rd party applications that I’ll want to install as soon as they become available after the official SDK release.

Whatever the reason for this ‘silent’ release and despite the fact that I am jealous of anyone owning one of the new models, I am glad Apple has done this. Upping the storage capacities will hopefully increase their appeal resulting in more sales and more profit for Apple which will ultimately fund further iPhone developments in software updates for current models and research and manufacture of future versions.

Now I just have to find a way to swap my 8GB model with a new 16GB one… hmmmm…