In about 17 hours from the time I type this, Apple will open the doors at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California where they will be announcing the next iPhone. We have seen plenty of rumors and reports and leaks over the past few weeks and months which give a definite shape to the illusive device’s hardware, but there’s one thing in the air that is still heavily discussed and, so far, inconclusive: the next iPhone’s name.
Although Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system initially had everybody talking and was generating some serious excitement during the beta stages, the current hype surrounding the new OS seems to have calmed off a little as we approach the official release date. Public opinion on the OS seems mixed, but it will be extremely interesting to see what the adoption rates are like when it is eventually made available to the masses.
There's no doubt that the overwhelming majority of tech enthusiasts will be making special arrangements in order to catch the coverage of the new iPhone tomorrow, but the fruit company's smartphone isn't the only new product or feature expected to make an appearance at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
The iPhone is an extremely powerful piece of kit and comes embedded with a more than capable on-board camera which produces some wonderful images that can then be shared across a variety of social networks or uploaded to popular apps like Instagram for the world to see.
As the release of the iPhone 5 draws nearer, more and more reports have indicated what we might be seeing with the purported iPod range refresh. With most using their smartphones as digital music players, it's easy to see why the iPod has been left somewhat in the shade, but it certainly looks as though Apple isn't about to ditch its iconic brand of portable entertainment.
I don't mind admitting that I am hugely looking forward to the announcement and release of the new iPhone, as it is almost here, and the excitement will quickly subside and I'll be looking for my next Apple hardware related thrill. Thankfully for me and countless others, rumor has it that Apple is set to announce a lot of new and updated devices in the coming months, with one of those being the speculated iPad Mini that could be with us before the holiday shopping season gets into full swing.
The iPhone 5 is only a day away from announcement, but such is the veil of secrecy around upcoming Cupertino products, that we've still only had a few sightings of the device at this late stage. Plenty of dummy models have also been doing the rounds throughout much of Europe and Asia, and it now appears those non-working replicas are beginning to filter through to the United States.
Although sales of the iPod touch have been declining in recent years, it still remains one of the most powerful and aesthetically attractive devices of its kind on the market. With fairly powerful technical specifications, large internal storage and additional benefits like the Retina display, access to the official iOS App Store for downloading apps and games, it isn't hard to see why Apple is so proud of their little media powerhouse.
Although a large number of people were a little disappointed when the news came through that Apple would be removing the native YouTube app with the launch of iOS 6, but the blow was softened a little with the news that Google would release their own official app that would offer all that video viewing goodness to iPhone and iPod touch users. We are still waiting for the official launch of iOS 6, but Google have made good on their promise, with their official YouTube app landing in the iOS App Store today.
When it comes to taking digital images, the marketing ploy of many vendors is to simply quote the number of megapixels. Whilst this is obviously an important factor, there are many other prerequisites of a decent quality photo being taken, and although by no means the best, Apple's iPhone certainly doesn't perform too badly.
