Mark Hughes: No surprises but I'm still a committed appaholic

Last month, after endless glowing endorsements of the iPhone, I finally relented and pledged to pay £34 a month in exchange for Apple's increasingly ubiquitous gadget. It is a decision I doubt I will ever regret.

From the moment I downloaded my first app I was hooked. With just one touch of the screen I can access the latest headlines, locate pubs in not so familiar areas and even programme my Sky+ box... remotely... from my mobile phone!

I'm an appaholic, but it's not just the apps that have me boring anyone who will listen. The sleekness and user-friendly nature of the thing make it a joy to hold. And now it is going to get even better.

The new iPhone will be faster, with longer battery life and an improved camera with video capabilities. But I'm not bothered about missing out on the new phone.

Becuase it is the software – available to existing users as well – which is the important thing.

It is the curious ability that Apple has to make mundane and standard features seem exciting that should be most marvelled at.

The latest iPhone updates will include the ability to cut, copy and paste text and to send and receive picture messages. Both have me tragically excited, yet the former is a task that I carry out almost every day at my computer terminal. While the latter is a function that almost every other phone on the market can perform but which, inexplicably, is not yet available to iPhone users.

The key word being yet. Next week, unashamedly geeky iPhone users such as myself will finally have these features. And we'll be able to use them on our old iPhones – the best of both worlds indeed.