Apple's long-awaited iPod phone iPhone has been here for almost a year. The effects of iPhone are significant. The sleek design compined with whole newly designed touch screen operation system has almost shaken up the world. It's no wonder that competitors in mobile phone industry are yielding out their first touch screen phones.

iPhone made huge changes in mobile phone “fashion” you could say. Touch screen interface is good addition in mobile phones. Apple's long developed OS is very operational even with large fingers. Though Apple is considered as a knight of the touch screens, it's not the first touch screen used in a consumer product. Nowhere near it. Many pocket pc's have had touch screen several years back. Anyway, touch screen is a new in mobile phones but iPhone isn't the first one here either. For example HTC has a model they are promoting as “the world's first touch phone”. I can tell you that there are even older touch screen phones also. I though need to say that the way Apple has accomplished their phone they really deserve the title of “the world's first touch screen phone”. At least you can use it functionally with your fingers; it doesn't work in older models.

Then there is this case LG. Their phone KE850 (also sold as Prada) is published before Apple's iPhone. LG has been very quiet about this but as far as I know there are law case going to solve if iPhone is a stolen idea of KE850. Fact is that iPhone got in to markets way before KE850 and iPhone has also better features. It is nonsense to say iPhone is stolen from LG. If so, any car producer (with a new accessory in their car) could say that other producer using this same accessory is a ripper.

Touch screen markets are Apples now. Huge success has made other producers to give more effort on touch screening. Even Nokia is releasing its first touch screen phones early this year but seeing that material leaked of their touch-based world-changing “Symbian S60 Touch” operation system has made me laugh instead of giving those amazed wow-effects.

Though Nokia's OS is still way back of Apple it's not the only competitor in this market. Samsung has already provided information of few potential challengers for iPhone. LG's newer models are going to get closer Apple and after few improvements Nokia's touch screen phones can be considered as challengers in the same market. Still we can't talk about potential iPhone-killer.

The thing today is touch screen. I don't know how long touch screen stays as a trend but it's sure selling more than good just now. The popularity of iPhone has grown up lots of iPhone-clones in Asian market. Newest phone Hiphone is marketed as a 99% iPhone. Is that morally right, no I don't think so. But we can't control Chinese counterfeit market. And anyway, there is no clone nearly good enough. Apple iPhones 4, 8 and 16GB HDD is unique.