You talk about the Apple fanboys' behaviour as if it's something to aspire to. For me, they became a total laughing stock when the announcement that the iPhone was going to be GSM raised a round of applause. "What next?", I thought, "An address book, perhaps? Or maybe a calendar?" These features would surely have caused spontaneous orgasms.

No, we'll continue to do it the European way, please.

Any Apple "elaborate theatre" is created by the audience and the media. Apple launches are actually straightforward and factual. Nokia however do theatrical trivia like www.greatpockets.com. This time they have created a stir with a video mock-up of an iPhone clone supposedly available next year. See http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/08/29/nokias-iphone-no-seriously/

Neil Hoskins: the applause for iPhone being GSM was applause for it not being tied to Verizon, not adulation for Apple's technical wizardry as you might like to believe.