A lot of the attraction of the iPhone does come from the novelty-factor of the touch screen - although I think ‘novelty-factor’ does demean the years of extensive research Apple has put into touch-screen technology. But you’re right, if you take that away, then there really isn’t that much the iPhone offers in terms of advanced technology compared to most of the phones that have been out for a year.

My brother-in-law’s Xda and the director of my last company’s Blackberry 8800 can both already do GPS Satellite positioning, telling you exactly where you are on a map as you walk around - now that is useful, especially in a big city, while the iPhone, out of the box, cannot.

The Xda is a pretty good all-round mobile phone/PDA, but I have to say, despite it looking quite nice (in my opinion - and I was tempted!) the Blackberry 8800 is a truly abysmal phone for the exact reasons Steve Jobs stated in his iPhone Keynote speech in May - the buttons/keyboard. Although it doesn’t help that the software and general usability of the thing is terrible as well.

I think another point about Apple is that, very few companies, if any, do usability as well as Apple does. I think there’s no doubt that the iPhone is probably the best phone on the market in terms of usability. But is that usability worth the price tag? I think for most people the answer will be no.

I have a lot of respect for what Apple have done with the iPhone – there’s no doubt, in my opinion, that it is a brilliant piece of technology. And for professionals who do need permanent access to their emails and the Internet, as well as phone calls, voicemail, texts, etc, I think it’s probably the best solution out there right now.

We’ll have to wait for two months to find out though!

I think in the US it is a big deal because their mobile (cell) phone system isn’t quite as up to speed as ours. When you’ve got the big guns that are Nokia, Sony Ericcson and Motorola playing the field and pretty much owning the UK market, it’ll be an interesting thing to see how the Iphone pans out! Sony Ericsson with the cameras…who’s to say the gaming side isn’t going to start coming in soon.

I personally think smoke signals are a great way of communicating myself!

I also think, given that Steve Jobs suggested after the recent US price cut of the iPhone, that he wanted more people to be able to afford the iPhone, Apple has made some strange choices in the UK. Especially when you consider that it costs £270 ($540 - $140 more than the US $399 iPhone).

But perhaps they also want to keep it slightly exclusive? If everyone has an iPhone would it be less special? When it comes to the iPod that certainly hasn’t been the case, but I do think many people believe their mobile phone is more of a status symbol than their portable music playing device. And despite all the press, I still don’t think the iPhone is close to the realms of the popularity of the iPod just yet.

I think the iPhone looks fantastic and can cater to a lot of people. I could find a good use for something as tactile, flexible and beautiful as the iPhone. However, I would hope approach something as multi-functional as the iPhone as an investment, rather than a business or life accessory.

Question is, does the iPhone really fall into the ranks of ‘investment’? At its current price, at least for me, it is, rather than something I could buy outright without some serious thought.