One of the great things about the smartphone industry is its diversity and contains a number of different mobile operating systems as well as a plethora of devices being pushed to the market by a variety of different manufacturers. There is no definition of a one-size-fits-all device with each new handset offering its own set of features and abilities that appeal to different user sets. One of the frustrating things from a consumer perspective is appreciating 95% of what a device offers, but wanting to make the additional 5% up with options from a different device.
Apple's special media events - where do we start? The hype - tremendous. The anticipation - unrivalled. The gadgets unveiled - revolutionary? Or distinctly average? Or somewhere in between? Perhaps just, well, you know, good - without being particularly earth-moving.
So, the event has finally been and gone, and before I get started on comparing the two biggest smartphones on the market, it's pretty funny how such a long-winded spell of rumor and speculation can be put to rest in less than two hours, isn't it? If you've been anxious for Apple to come out and pay heed to all the leaks then I can most certainly empathize, and barely does the iPhone 5 get to rub its eyes for the first time than it is swiftly thrown in at the deep end with the Samsung Galaxy S III.
If you didn't manage to catch the coverage of today's Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, you'll be pleased to know it's available to watch right now for your viewing pleasure.
The iPhone 5 packs plenty of new and interesting features, and among them is a significantly improved camera. To some less tech-savvy consumers, a transition from an 8-megapixel snapper to, well, another 8-megapixel camera will mean - in their eyes - the rear-facing shooter is unchanged, although as we know, there are plenty of different aspects of a decent camera, and the number of megapixels is certainly not he bottom line.
If you are a registered developer on the official iOS development program, the time has come to head on over to the developer center and see exactly what Apple has in store for us, with iOS 6 GM for iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPod touch and Apple TV just been seeded on the Dev Center.
Whenever new iDevices emerge, an update to Apple's iTunes application is usually released around the same time, and today at the Yerba Buena in San Francisco, the Cupertino company has announced iTunes 10.7.
It’s been a somewhat exciting keynote so far, as Apple has announced a good bunch of new products: the bigger, faster, but slimmer iPhone 5 with its support for 4G LTE, the lighting fast new dock connector, slick new version of iTunes, and the new iPod touch and nano with their welcome refreshes. Another product which was announced are the new earphones. Check them out after the jump.
When it comes to Apple's iDevice range, the iPod touch sits a miserable third behind the champagne iPhone and iPad devices, both of which hog the lion's share of the limelight. With Apple retailing older iPhones and iPad years after a release at much-cheaper prices, it's little wonder few consumers wish to consider a device handicapped from the word Go! At today's special event, though, Apple has really bolstered the specs of the iPod touch, and if you're the mobile device user playing games, listening to music and using Instagram a little too much, then the newly-upgraded iPod touch might be the perfect product for you.
The last couple of months consisted of intense speculation surrounding Apple as a company, with a lot of that attention being paid to the fact that they were planning on holding this media event that would feature a number of yet undisclosed product announcements. As is usually the case when these kinds of events are on the horizon, there is always going to be one major announcement with the possibility of the company introducing a few smaller, but still notably important products to the masses.

