I have to admit I love the iPhone; it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t.  It is one of the most glorious inventions of the 21st century, combining your camera, phone, media player and Internet all into one sleek device that makes even iPhone-less people like myself stand in awe.  Still, the frenzy surrounding the release of the iPhone 4S was too much.

The announcement of the new iPhone was like Christmas for technology nerds, as reporters tried to guess what features the new iPhone would have.  It was laughable to read about their disappointment when Apple didn’t even release a new phone, just a better phone, and not the kind of phone that technology lovers were hoping for.

What was even more ridiculous was the media circus surrounding Apple’s reveal.  Sure, it is a newsworthy event when a technology company releases a new product, but do news outlets really need to speculate about every minute detail before it is released?

First, Apple sent out a statement to reporters simply saying “Let’s talk iPhone,” and reporters went crazy trying to figure out what this statement meant, eventually deducing that this meant the new iPhone would carry voice-recognition.  Then rumors swirled that former CEO Steve Jobs — who passed away on Oct. 5 — was going to fly in for the event. Several sites had pictures and live blog coverage, all for a device that, as designated by its name, is really just a phone.

Still many people seemed let down when they found out the new iPhone 4S was not even an entirely new phone; it only had better coverage, newer apps and a higher-resolution camera.

Ever since the release of the iPhone, Apple has been viewed as the king of all technology companies, and that every single device created by the company is a gift from God.  Although this may be a slight exaggeration, it’s true: Look at how much PC users are made fun of by Mac users.

Technology enthusiasts were crushed that the creative geniuses at Apple couldn’t create one of these glorious new devices, and instead they could only improve on an old one.  Apple’s stocks dropped slightly at the end of the day on Oct. 4, reflecting consumer disappointment.

As Apple comes out with newer and newer products, the expectations set on them are ridiculously high.  The disappointment shown by consumers and the media emphasizes this obsession with technology in our culture, as people strive to have the newest and best product.

With the giant strides made in technology, specifically those made by Apple in the new millennium, people are no longer satisfied with the technology they currently have.  They are just waiting for the next big thing to come along, as people were on Tuesday, and as they are now already waiting again for the iPhone 5 just after the iPhone 4S was released.

I’m not saying that a fixation on new technology is a bad thing, just that sometimes there is too much of a focus on it.  There was no need for the impatient and frenzied media coverage of Apple’s conference, and really, there are worse things in life than having to wait a little longer for a completely new and better iPhone.