Earlier this week, I remembered why I try not to visit the Apple Store very often…  having gone in for “just a wee look”, and walked out with the new AppleTV2 and having upgraded my iPhone!

Ok – being honest, I did actually plan to do these things at some point, but the Apple Store (and it’s brilliant staff) have a habit of encouraging you into these things..  that and the products are so seductively sexy you just need to have them.  There was also another very good reason for me simply having to upgrade my iPhone 3G to iPhone 4 – my wife got one before me, and being the true geek in the family I couldn’t be outdone for too long

So… here’s just a very short review of both these new toys:

Apple TV

The new Apple TV is tiny, and the box it comes in is tiny, and (having played with the old Apple TV) you can’t not be impressed by how tiny (and sleek) it really is.  That is until you realise that the tiny box doesn’t contain an HDMI cable to plug the thing into the telly!  Bit of a failure on Apple’s part to not make this clearer on the box, or for them not to mention this when selling it to me…  However, a quick steal from the SKY HD Box, and it was up and running.  Configuration was easy, and now have all my music, films, podcasts etc all streaming to the HD TV in the living room.  Add to that the “Remote” app that allows you to control the appleTV (and Itunes on your computer) and it all works very well indeed!

Apple iPhone 4

Not that I really needed the new iPhone (my iPhone 3G has been doing me just fine), but my reasoning behind buying it was as follows:

1. I was out of contract (with O2) so I *could* upgrade
2. I was nearly using up all my 16GB storage on current phone
3. My wife got one last week and that annoyed me

The truth is – other than it being far prettier than the old one, the new apple iPhone isn’t a massive improvment in my opinion.  Yes, it’s got new things like “facetime” (apple’s version of skype video), and includes a little compass so I know which direction I’m going in, as well as a much improved camera and new video camera (HD quality)..  but apart from that – if you’ve already updated your software to V4 on the older 3G (or 3GS), then there’s not a great deal to benefit from.  The battery (not that I’ve had time yet to fully test this) is supposedly a lot better (which wouldn’t be difficult!) which will be a bonus!

Did I really need to upgrade, probably not, do I regret paying £299 – no, especially when I’ll sell my existing iPhone 3G for approx £160.  Have I restored my position of King-Geek in my household..  (was there ever any chance of losing it?)….  Now who want’s facetime!

The iPhone4 is the latest must-have gadget, but if you didn’t manage to get one in last week’s feeding frenzy, then you may face a long wait! By last Friday almost every iPhone4 in the country had been sold, with nearly every mobile phone provider running a waiting list only. Only one major provider claimed to have any left in stock, and they were only made available to existing customers.

This frenzy has peaked despite the swift emergence of an annoying, and rather basic, design flaw. When held in a certain way, the iPhone4 loses signal and drops calls. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has openly admitted the fault and the company is working to create a band which will help prevent the problem.

The issue has arose due to the steel band casing of the iPhone4, which also acts as its antenna, making it more susceptible to drop outs when the phone is held in a certain way. It’s an unusual episode for Apple, whose signature is usually impeccable, functional design, but a speedy response from the behemoth, including the personal interest taken by CEO Steve Jobs means it has done very little to dent the ever growing popularity of the i-brand.

Of course its ongoing popularity is possibly also a result of almost unanimously positive reviews; according to those lucky enough to get one the iPhone4’s new design marks a departure for Apple that results in a practical design that captures a luxury feel. It also has image, hardware and battery life improvements galore, making the new iPhone one to get excited about while opening up a whole world of possibilities for social media and apps that will also internet designers to have some fun with their digital mobile marketing.