Apple make premium products for the high end market and effortlessly they invariably hit on a winning combination of style and functionality. In recent years there has been no company near to challenge their domination of the mobile media market and Mac's are a prerequisite in design and art companies. It is not surprising then that their first steps into the mobile phone market would be equally special. The original iPhone was a stunner aesthetically and had some killer features. Unfortunately t was crippled by the omission of some fundamentals for the modern smart handset. The camera was poor but we could live with that. There was no support for cut and paste in documents which was surprising. However the lack of basic MMS support was truly unforgivable and to be frank down right bizarre. Fortunately they have made amends with their updated handset.

First Impressions:

Unsurprisingly it's absolutely beautiful. The black edition is a lovely deep lush colour front and back with a steel bezel framing the fascia. A single button is sited low and centrally, whilst three physical buttons are on the side. It's a good size in the hand but this is offset by it's beauty.

Technical Data:


Height:
4.5 inches (115.5 mm)
Width:
2.4 inches (62.1 mm)
Depth:
0.48 inch (12.3 mm)
Weight:
4.8 ounces (135 grams)
3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
3mp camera
Autofocus
Tap to focus
Video recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio
Photo and video geotagging
iPhone and third-party application integration
16/32gb on board storage
UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Assisted GPS
Digital compass2
Wi-Fi
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit
Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Talk time:
Up to 12 hours on 2G
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Standby time:
Up to 300 hours
Internet use:
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback:
Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 30 hours
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
Volume control
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms

Mac system requirements

* Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
* Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later
* iTunes 8.2 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
* iTunes Store account
* Internet access

Windows system requirements

* PC with USB 2.0 port
* Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
* iTunes 8.2 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
* iTunes Store account
* Internet access

Functionality:

This where it's at for the iPhone. The head start it had has given rise to a huge number of official and third party applications which are either free or relatively cheap. Other phone manufacturers have cottoned on this idea but still lag behind in sheer quantity if not quality. Nokia's OVI store is one prime example of a competitor hot on Apple's heels.

Many apps are fun and many are useful. It is possible to monitor your power and system usage or you may prefer weather feeds for your area. The inclusion of a digital compass is a nice touch and shows how simple tricks can really add to the value of the phone.

The iPhone also supports geotagging so you can add metadata to your photos and videos to upload to the web. The addition of statistical data and place names gives you the opportunity to find specific places within a set location and share this information wth your friends.

The phone will hold a stack of media on it's 16gb of internal storage though a 32gb is available for the especially greedy albeit at a hefty premium. The iPhone is essentially a phone with an iPod built in. As such the audio and video support is awesome and essentially makes the iPod obsolete.

Summary:

This phone is a stunner in all aspects. The downside is that all this style and performance comes at a cost. And a big one. The battery life is not great when using many apps or wifi either.Other than a poor camera though there is very little to fault. Arguably this phone is more of a fashion statement than anything else but style doesn't come at the expense of substance on this occasion. Yes it has massive aspirational value and is still the handset to be seen with but there are several now to compete with it now. If you love Apple then you will love this phone. The fast moving interface and killer apps give it a further boost. Ultimately it is a case of whether you can afford the phone or commit to a pricey contract to get your hands on one. If you do end up an iPhone owner then you will be a happy owner.

Cost:

Expect to pay in the region of a £100 for the phone plus a commitment to a lengthy and high tariff.
Sim free handsets can be picked up from about £400 as a used model rising to £500 for a 32gb model.
The key to getting a bargain is shopping around. Initially massive demand outstripped supply to a huge extent but now they are easier to get hold of.