[thoughts] Here we go again.

I felt compelled to talk about Apple's new product launch earlier today (or yesterday, depending on where you're at). Here's the gist. iPhone 4 was announced in June of last year, and 4 months after, the rumor mills for an iPhone 5 started grinding. There were rumors that Apple might release an iPhone 4S instead, similar on the outside as the current iPhone 4 but slightly upgraded on the inside. And rumors of all sorts of new internal and external features for a possible new iPhone 5. And then rumors of two new iPhones, a 5 and a 4S, coming out at the same time surfaced. There were also rumors surrounding the iPod Touch, which usually gets an upgrade around this time of the year. And the death of the iPod Classic. And so on and so forth. Ladies and gentlemen, there won't ever be an iPhone 5 anymore. The next new iPhone will be called an iPhone 6. Or the iPhone Seis. Or probably, just the iPhone, followed by a "(mid-2012 model)" in smaller fonts.

Well, to tell you the truth, it became tiring to a certain point, reading all those rumors. Folks, this is what you get for all that rumor mongering! Sure, some earlier rumors (and now either confirmed or debunked) had some great supporting information - but I think they are only more like subtle clues to the actual big picture - but well, now you guys guessed it. From just these small bits of info, pieced together, it might have all felt true. But nothing is as true as the actual truth - i.e. what Apple will announce. And now, have announced. Aside from the very little bits of truth, clues if you will, everything else was all speculation. That was the big problem. Unfortunately the buying public got dragged into their own delusion of the yet-to-be-real iPhone 5 grandeur. The technocrats as well, "technocrats" in the apolitical sense.

It's understandable though how many are disappointed. Personally I would've loved for Apple to come out with an iPhone 5. But you know what, either way, I wouldn't have upgraded anyway. The iPhone 4 is still wonderful in my eyes. 

But some people made a good point saying, why delay the new iPhone launch 4 months (from June) if you're not coming out with something radically new? To them I say, you don't know who Apple is, do you? 

Call me being caught in that Apple distortion field, but from what I know about Apple, they have their reason/s why they didn't come out with iPhone 5. Reasons bigger than we all are. I think they already had the iPhone 5 and it was supposed to launch today, but...

One possible reason why it didn't arrive just yet was probably had something to do with Samsung intending to sue the hell out of Apple for the iPhone 5's "patent infringements," though more probably because they want to get back at Apple for suing the hell out of them for its copycat products and actually winning with temporary injunctions and what not on Samsung products in Australia, Germany, and Amsterdam so far.

Or probably because Apple has just recently released the white iPhone 4, and also a CDMA iPhone 4. People who bought those are going to hate Apple for releasing a new iPhone just a few months after they got their new iPhones. Or anyway, that's just not cool. I remember buying a 4th gen iPod in early June 2005, and just three weeks later the 5th gen iPod color came out. For the same price. I hated myself. But you know, that first iPod of mine was just great. It taught me how to be color blind.

Or probably, because Apple really had that tapered body on the iPhone 5 already and, as big Apple fanboy John Gruber noticed, what if you were using it for an accelerometer-based game in landscape mode, then it would feel heavier on one side. Maybe Apple took note. That was just a week ago though, so it wasn't likely. This is Apple, folks. They don't make mistakes like that this late in the game. Only mistakes like the Antennagate scandal. But you know what, I've never had a problem with my iPhone 4 antenna. And you know, I think this is why they came out with the iPhone 4S "late." They were not going to come out with a cheapo upgrade to the game-changing iPhone 4. And I'm already running out of superlatives.

There are many dots in between A and Z, ladies and gentlemen. If your internet is slow, it's possible that it's not your service provider. It's possibly you. Or your computer hardware. Or your OS. Or other software in your computer. Or your modem. Or your modem is unplugged? Or your cable is not plugged, to the computer. Or to the modem. And so on. There are many dots between A and Z.

We can speculate all we want about what are those letters between A and Z. What kind of alphabet are we talking about. But what we really know, are the only things we know. There are many things we don't and probably won't know. And we should just all stop the rumor mills and all that speculation. You see what it has done for you? And for Apple? And for poor Tim Cook? And for all Apple and would've-been Apple fans? Is this what (tech) journalism does? Hey, aren't there any rumors about other companies' products?

But you know what I think, that Siri thing - that's the future. Sure, it's nothing really new. But that's what Apple is just good at. Taking some existing technology, applying some magic dust, and voila. They're disappearing from store shelves in a blink of an eye. Just blink slower than normal, will you please.

Anyway, that Siri feature plus that upgraded camera put the S in iPhone 4S for me, and are the two reasons why I would get one. But I don't have that money right now, which is actually a good thing. Again, the iPhone 4 is practically an iPhone 4S less those two things. But what about the processor? I don't really need the faster processor. Everything's zippy on my iPhone 4. And everything I need is on there. Oh, except that camera stabilizer thing. But you know, that's why I never really needed those Android devices who have faster processors, bigger screens, expandable memory, Flash capability, and so on. Oh, and widgets? Hell, no! To me they were never really useful on desktops and most specially on my first-gen Samsung "stupid iPhone killer" Omnia running Windows Mobile (which I got for free, by the way). Well if there's one thing I would like a widget for is, weather. Right now, I am using just the Accuweather desktop widget on Windows. I will not use anything else. On Mac OS X, I'm fine with my widgets (mostly weather widgets) out of the way as like a separate desktop space. I'm looking forward to iOS 5 and its notifications feature. I want weather widgets that are out of the way when I don't need them. But wait - there's an app for that... Get it? All weather apps are like widgets that are out of the way when I don't need them! Duh!

Speaking of bigger screens, it would be nice to have a bigger screen on a new iPhone 5. Like it has been rumored for the iPhone 5. But you know, the current iPhone screen size is still just right. But you know, I would really consider getting the next-gen iPhone with an all new design. It will work for my phone upgrade schedule - it will probably come out by the time my current 2-year contract expires. But it's only wishful thinking for now. That's bad for me, I know, so I will stop it.

Oh and speaking of cameras, and this is what really got me writing this piece: it's not about the megapixels, stupid. I heard some guy boast about how his current phone has had an 8MP camera since he got it from 3 years back and that only now the iPhone is catching up. Oh. Yeah. Right. It's not about the megapixels, ladies and gentlemen. But I'm sure you know better photography than I do.

I had a 12MP dedicated digital camera and it sucked. The 5MP on my iPhone 4 is a universe better. I've actually received some oohs and aahs because of the quality of photos and videos from my iPhone 4. Never from my 12MP dedicated digital camera. Or my 5MP before that 12MP one.

If your phone was better, why are people uploading more photos to Flickr taken on their iPhone 4 than from other phones such as yours? Actually, it's more photos uploaded from their iPhone 4 than from any other camera, period. Digital SLRs and point-and-shoots included. I mean, the iPhone 4 is up there with the likes of digital SLRs and point-and-shoots. Your phone with the better resolution 3 years earlier? Not there. Next time, please just shut up. Or I'll write another long one. End of story.

P.S. To me, the greatest thing that happened out of all this is we can now get the iPhone 3GS for free and the iPhone 4 for US$99, both on contract. If now I only had a really handy-dandy feature phone (like say a Nokia), my next purchase will probably be an iPod touch, but now I'm seriously considering an iPhone 3GS or 4 instead. That is until I can afford the next-gen iPhone 6.