Steve Jobs has been on his feet again at WWDC. As usual, there was much speculation beforehand about what could be expected, not least the revelations from gizmodo about their prototype iPhone.

Anyway the highlights of the keynote are that there is indeed a new iPhone and it will be available for pre-order from 15 June for delivery on 24 June. Cool features include a unified inbox, threaded conversations, a front facing camera and of course the piste de resistance 'Facetime' also known as video calling. Personally I feel that the final aspect is a bit of a gimmick really, especially as it will only be possible initially over wi-fi and between two new model phones. 

Other interesting announcements include iMovie coming to the iPhone, the ability to select Bing as your default search engine on the iPhone and an updated version of iBooks which will be available on the iPhone.

In some ways this keynote was a bit lacking, the hype would have had you believe we could have expected everything from a new iWork/iLife package, web based itunes, updated iMacs or a new Apple TV but none of this materialised. Considering the amazing demand for iPads since the launch earlier this year I guess Apple decided it had enough on the go for the time being.

Friday was a big day for Apple fans in the UK. Almost 2 months after the iPad was launched in the USA it finally became available here too. Many people were so keen to get their hands on the latest device from Cupertino that they queued outside Apple Stores around the country from very early in the morning. I haven't got an iPad of my own yet, partly because my wife has yet to agree that I actually need one but also because I'm still not sure that the price is quite right. Having read what others have said about their experiences so far though, I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before I decide to shell out. In my opinion, the design and concept of the iPad will be game changing for technology. Sure it has its downsides and the first edition of any new device is never perfect but the way it allows the user to interact directly without needing a hardware mouse or keyboard is the kind of idea which made Star Trek: TNG seem so futuristic in the 90s.

Friday was a big day for Apple fans in the UK.

Almost 2 months after the iPad was launched in the USA it finally became available here too. 

Many people were so keen to get their hands on the latest device from Cupertino that they queued outside Apple Stores around the country from very early in the morning. 

I haven't got an iPad of my own yet, partly because my wife has yet to agree that I actually need one but also because I'm still not sure that the price is quite right. Having read what others have said about their experiences so far though, I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before I decide to shell out.

In my opinion, the design and concept of the iPad will be game changing for technology. Sure it has its downsides and the first edition of any new device is never perfect but the way it allows the user to interact directly without needing a hardware mouse or keyboard is the kind of idea which made Star Trek: TNG seem so futuristic in the 90s. 

So Steve, Phil and Scott have done their thing. Multitasking, folders, a unified inbox with capability for more than one exchange account are all features that will finally persuade me to upgrade to a 3GS in the summer. The real news though is about iAd which will enable the creation of in app advertising with some of the revenue being past on to developers. This is potentially crucial for the future of mobile advertising. I can see that there will be some debate how popular it will be, some users might dislike the intrusiveness of the in-app ads but this should drive the good developers to look at making the transition from content to ad as seamless as possible. This announcement comes only a few days after Apple's game changing launch of the iPad which I know some people might be sceptical about the new device, personally I think that it is far too soon to judge the potential and innovation of the iPad and in time it will be talked about as a pivotal moment in computing development.

So Steve, Phil and Scott have done their thing. Multitasking, folders, a unified inbox with capability for more than one exchange account are all features that will finally persuade me to upgrade to a 3GS in the summer. The real news though is about iAd which will enable the creation of in app advertising with some of the revenue being past on to developers. This is potentially crucial for the future of mobile advertising. I can see that there will be some debate how popular it will be, some users might dislike the intrusiveness of the in-app ads but this should drive the good developers to look at making the transition from content to ad as seamless as possible. This announcement comes only a few days after Apple's game changing launch of the iPad which I know some people might be sceptical about the new device, personally I think that it is far too soon to judge the potential and innovation of the iPad and in time it will be talked about as a pivotal moment in computing development.