The iPad has ruined my iPhone

Here’s an unexpected consequence of being an iPad owner – suddenly my iPhone feels rather small and unexciting.

Having failed to be impressed by any number of iPhone wannabes I’m suddenly finding myself drawing unfavourable comparisons between my phone and the iPad.

Answering an SMS on the smaller device after typing a 500 word pages document on the iPad felt like a real chore, whereas before I’d perceived my iPhone as a larger, more capable handset than many others on the market, today it feels as awkward and cramped as any other hand sized device.

Also the screen doesn’t feel as sharp or vibrant as I’m sure it was just a few days ago. Did someone replace it with a dull, fuzzy ‘new’ screen while I was distracted by the excitement of unboxing my iPad?

Probably not but I’m certainly not loving my iPhone the way I used to, which is a very odd sensation.

Could this reaction have manifested itself during Apple’s testing of the iPad – perhaps it’s connected to the obvious importance Apple and Steve Jobs place the iPhone 4′s new, improved, higher resolution screen?

Either way I can see the potential for the iPad to encourage swathes of iPhone owners to upgrade their handsets when they may otherwise have sat out this latest round of early contract termination fees and shipping delays.