Apple gets defensive with new iPhone campaign

Apple has launched a new section of its website dedicated to singing the iPhone's praises. The timing is no surprise, seeing as Samsung has just lifted the lid on the Galaxy S4, which is the iPhone's biggest threat by far.

The Cupertino company also took the opportunity to fire a few potshots at rival operating systems. Which seems a bit defensive if you ask me.

The whole thrust of the page is how much people love their iPhones. Apple makes a big deal of the fact it's won eight straight awards from J.D Power and Associates. It bigs up the device's design too.

"Every detail and every material -- particularly the sleek aluminium enclosure -- has been meticulously considered and refined," it says. This attention to detail is usually seen in high-end watches, Apple reckons.

Apple also praises the iPhone's Retina display, battery life, A6 processor, 4G skills, and camera. But it's when it comes to the App Store that the gloves really come off. Apple says the "App Store is home to over 800,000 apps -- all reviewed by Apple to guard against malware. Other mobile platforms have a myriad of fragmented store options, resulting in availability issues, developer frustration, and security risks." Could that be Android and Google Play it's talking of, by any chance?

iOS 6, Siri, iCloud, and Apple's support teams also have smoke blown up their behinds. Apple is obviously proud of its handset -- and justifiably so -- but I can't help but think this seems a bit defensive. Does it really need to slate Android?

The only reason I can see it would is because it feels threatened by Google. Whatever happened to the Apple of old, the one with such swagger it didn't even really bother with marketing? The one that didn't feel the need to tell you how good its products were, just let them speak for themselves?

Has Apple lost its way? Or is it just explaining what makes the iPhone so good? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.