Apple has released a statement that the next iteration of its OS, Leopard, will be delayed from June until October. The cause is the iPhone, which Apple said required it to divert resources away from the operating system and onto the handset software. “Life often presents tradeoffs, and in this case we’re sure we’ve made the right ones,” reads the statement. I agree that it’s important to get the iPhone shipped on time in June, mainly because—despite Apple’s protestations—the iPhone is not that far ahead of the curve, if it is at all. It’s certainly a step forward in the US market, and probably will still be very impressive in June, but the upgrade cycle of mobile handsets would see similar quality handsets by the end of this year irrespective of whatever Apple does...some of the phones already shown give it a run for its money. So a delay in the iPhone could be devastating to the iPhone market, whereas someone who wants to buy an Apple computer isn’t going to be suddenly swayed by a wintel job. Larry Dignan at ZDNet also thinks its the right choice, because some analysts think the iPhone might create a halo effect like the iPod did, something that Leopard has no chance of doing.