The folks over at Apple sure know how to roll out a new product don’t they? It’s like they are unveiling a newer stronger version of some Marvel Comic hero each time. The world swallows up each and every morsel of the marketing build up, tantalizing the cyber taste buds of all who crave technology. I’ll admit, I’m just as guilty of loving all things Apple and Mac.

The iPad created a huge buzz with its recent release (and heaven knows I still want one so very bad!), but the iPhone has created a bit of its own with the release of the next generation iPhone.

Pre-release sales began June 15th in the U.S. and those sales have done so well that when the phone was actually released for retail sale in late June many retailers had no stock. If you are looking to join the stampede here are a few things to consider.

The cost of the new iPhone 4 for those of you who’ve saved your upgrade just for this is somewhere in the $200 range for the 16G version and $300 for the 32G version. Keep in mind that’s roughly and extra $100 over the iPhone 3GS.

You’ll get some pretty cool things with this new phone. The camera is high definition so it may just replace your compact camera. The phone also offers HD video. If you love to take pictures and make videos you’ll enjoy the upgrades. You can also add iMovie.

The antenna is also much improved over previous versions, battery life is estimated to be somewhere between 36-38 hours (which is a significant improvement) and there is a little more muscle in the processor than in previous releases. The phone is a little smaller, has a much improved display and even includes iChat video teleconferencing capabilities.

I think the most rabid iPhone follower will find these features as nice additions. The real question behind all of this is, is extending your cell phone contract and shelling out the cash worth it? I’d love to hear from anyone who’s made the switch.