Was the iPhone 3G S worth queuing up for?

Another generation iPhone has hit the streets and hordes of Apple fans flooded the midnight streets to be the first to get their hands on the revolutionary handset.

I was asleep at the time, but from what I hear crowds were well down on other big Apple launches, including the Apple Store.

I'm now left wondering how long it will be before iPhone launches will be as passe as the launch of a new PC or, I dare not say it, a Mac.

Moreover, people don't generally queue up for mobile phone releases anymore because of their prevalence. It's a new mobile handset, but we all already have one anyway and there is a phone store (which opens at 9am) in our local suburb.

The iPhone is unique, but its hegemony is under threat from other smartphones. And when we're all carrying around devices with operating systems functionally equivalent to the iPhone – and possibly more so because they will be open platforms – then only the real Apple fanbois will camp out in winter.

People's behaviour is even more intriguing considering smartphones, like PCs, are becoming more software driven. Why bother camping out for new features when you can download them from the comfort of you own home?

Sure the speeds and feeds are better – and given it's a third-generation Apple product, probably a lot better – but the software is where the action is.

When software is ruling the mobile industry, we'll all be happy campers. Hopefully it's not too long a wait.