Like any self respecting gadget geek I was watching the Apple event yesterday with much anticipation. And ended up rather disappointed.

You see, I quite enjoy the one upmanship you get at these events. I hate the patent fighting (more on that later) but when Google wave a spanking new feature (NFC, beautiful notifications, widgets) at Apple, and Apple retaliate with beautiful hardware, glorious displays – the people who benefit most are us, the consumer.

What did Apple reveal yesterday? A few refreshed Macs at eye watering prices (seriously – it would have been less painful to get kicked in the balls) and a “magical” iPad mini that progresses the product line in no way, except by shrinking it a bit and cutting the price.

Apple even tried to compare it with the Nexus 7, conveniently forgetting that the N7 is about 25% cheaper, and has working Maps. I can see the faithful having the wool pulled over their eyes but for other consumers who look at things more critically, I’m not so sure.

Next week we see the reveal of Android 4.2, and if rumours are correct, an arsenal of new flagship Nexus devices. Very little software technology has been leaked (we seem to know all about the hardware) but even if its just an international rollout of Play, Wallet and Google Voice we will see Apple receive quite a painful body blow. If there is something magical in the pipeline we might be seeing Apple receive a good kicking. And I can’t wait to see that