A week after its much awaited US release, the iPhone's hype seems to be very very far from fading. Sure, many other companies out there have been manufacturing mobile phones probably even before Apple thought they could take a shot at it. Big companies like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola have been in the cellphone business for quite some time now. And all of the aforementioned are major players in the mobile industry. So what chance does Apple have against these old timers? Almost everything that can be done with a cellphone has already been done before, but still, Apple gives it a shot. And of course, as they finally got to doing it, as with everything they do, they do it in style.

Not so long ago, a little invention called the iPod killed the Walkman. Now will the iPhone kill the cellphone as we know it? God only knows. But one thing I know is that the present iPhone isn't tweaked to its maximum yet, as with all version 1.0 products. After just a few months, expect a new and improved version to roll out in stores. And then expect another one. Maybe even another one. The point remains, impressive as it is right now, Apple has yep to deliver the true-blue fantasy phone that is going to be the future iPhone. That doesn't stop die-hard Mac fans and tech-heads across the globe from being enticed and purchasing Apple's newest family member, though. So as expected, Apple laughs all the way to the bank. Again.

But what is it exactly about the iPhone that makes it deserve all this glory? Moreover, what is it with Steve Jobs and all the ground-breaking concepts he cooks up in his mind? The Steve Jobs thing is another story, but the iPhone's is fairly simple. Here are a few things worth mentioning about the iPhone:

(1) It has a big screen. 3.5 inches to be exact. And this is largely due to the fact that(2) It doesn't have a keyboard/ keypad. Instead it uses a simple multi-touch input system on the screen itself where you can access the menu, the virtual keyboard, and all the saved songs, photos and movies you have imported from iTunes. (3) Remember the stock white earbuds that come with an iPod? The iPhone ships with the same. Albeit one little difference. It has a built-in mic.(4) It's a smartphone and it runs with Mac OS X. It's a well-known fact that OS X is better than Windows or anything else. If not for the lack of supported applications, OS X would be untouchable. And lastly,(5) It's from Apple. That's all you needed to hear.

But hold your horses, Richie Rich. Given its excellent feature set, there are also some limitations posed by the great old iPhone. These include a mediocre battery (only lasts 20 something hours for music), incompatibility with other networks (locked with a line subscription to AT&T), lack of 3G (only has EDGE), dependence on iTunes (needs iTunes for activation and importing of files), not to mention its hefty price tag ($500 - 4GB; $600 - 8GB --excluding monthly bill). Reaching for your credit card has never been such a delicate choice. I sugges you think it over. Over and over until the time Apple releases an upgraded version of the iPhone or at least reduces prices. Now that would be something nice now, wouldn't it?