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REMINDER: The iPhone Turns 5 This Week!

This Friday, June 29, marks the 5th anniversary of the original iPhone's launch.

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At first mocked for its poor battery life and lack of physical keyboard, it didn't take long for the iPhone to set the standard for all other smartphones and crush industry leaders like RIM's BlackBerry.

Apple bragged that the iPhone was years ahead of its time, and it appears it was right.

iphone 4s line apple store employee
Associated Press

However, the competition is finally catching up. Samsung just released the Galaxy S III, and it's an incredible device. HTC's One X is really good too. Either one of those are solid alternatives to the iPhone.

In short, the gap is narrowing between what Apple can offer with the iPhone and what the Android-powered competitors are coming up with. Apple's strength is still its app and content ecosystem. Developers tend to make the latest and greatest apps on iPhone first, only moving to Android and other platforms if they see some success. (Sometimes it can take years for a popular app like Flipboard or Instagram to make it to Android.)

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Apple also provides better access to books, movies, music, and TV shows through its robust iTunes and iBooks stores. So far, no one has matched Apple's offerings there.

Still, things feel a bit stagnant with the iPhone today. We're seeing a lot of great stuff come from the competition. In many ways, competitors are pushing out better features than what you'd find on the iPhone.

Of course, that could change this fall with the launch of the next iPhone. It's expected to be a big one.

Don't Miss: The latest iPhone 5 rumors >

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Also: Check out the best smartphones of the year so far >

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