So yesterday Apple held a media event to introduce the new iPhone 5. For those of us following the rumours, the announcement was pretty much as expected. The new model is officially called “iPhone 5” not the “new iPhone” à la iPad. The screen has been increased to 4 inches. It includes LTE fast network access. It has a faster processor and better camera. It includes a new Panorama feature for wide view photos.

Now, the Android cynics amongst you will note, quite rightly, that these features have been available on Android for some time. As Tim Cook took great pains to stress though, it’s the first time these have been available on the Apple ecosystem. It’s also a testimony to Apple’s strength in the market that two weeks ago, Fido announced the activation of its LTE network. I am left with the impression though that Apple was playing catch up rather than being the innovator it used to be.

Until a week ago, I was using an iPhone 4. However, I became frustrated waiting on my Fido phone being eligible for an upgrade and I REALLY wanted to check out Siri. So just over a week ago, I bought an iPhone 4S, knowing that it would likely be returned within the 14 day window to be replaced by an iPhone 5. The upgrade from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S or 5 is a nice jump. Having said that, it won’t be the end of the world if Apple won’t take back my iPhone 4S.

I’ve really enjoyed my time with Siri. It may be because she’s still a novelty to me, and after a week it’s not worn off yet. I’ve used her mainly to set timers and alarms, and also to send the odd text message. She seems to understand my Scottish accent most of the time. There will be a few days between returning the iPhone 4S and having Siri on my iPad with iOS 6. I’m actually really going to miss her. What I find her useful for is reminders and checking calendar events. It is definitely quicker to tell Siri to set an alarm than to navigate through the app. I’m undecided if it’s quicker to type a text message than to have Siri send it. It’s possibly quicker if she gets it right first time, which happens maybe 50% of the time. Maybe she’ll get better as she gets to know me.

Once again, Scott Forstall demonstrated iOS 6 during this keynote. I have to ask myself how many times Apple can demonstrate the same things over and over and over. To my knowledge, this is the third time that iOS 6 has been demoed. By now we all know that the new Maps application is cool; that Siri is now a sports and cinema fan; and that you can now open apps via Siri.

That is not to say iOS 6 does not add a lot of extra functionality which is most welcome. Personally, I’m looking forward most to the Do Not Disturb function which allows your phone to remain silent and the screen blank if you do not want to be disturbed. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been woken by friends in different time zones posting a Facebook status update. I’m also looking forward to local search being available for Siri in Canada. For the moment, Siri is unable to find restaurants: she replies “Sorry, I can’t look for places in Canada.” It should be noted though that iOS 6’s extra functionality is very restricted geographically. This site shows just how few countries can benefit from it. This is rather disappointing from Apple who has generally impressed me with how broadly international its coverage was.

All in all, the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 upgrade are nice, and very welcome. They are not setting my world alight as the original iPhone did.