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Ladies and gentlemen, the day has finally arrived: The Verizon iPhone is officially a reality.

No joke: Unlike the past 7.2 billion times the iPhone's Verizon launch was absolutely, definitely confirmed to be imminent, Apple's prized product is actually making its way to Big Red this go-round. The iPhone 4 will become available to current Verizon Wireless subscribers on February 3, with orders opening up to everyone else a week later.

Naturally, the Internet is brimming with reactions and predictions, many of which include the inevitable cries of "Sayonara, Android!" -- a suggestion that the iPhone's expansion will mark the end of Android's impressive growth streak in the U.S. mobile market. Now, I know the tech world loves nothing more than finding a new reason to toss the hyperbolic "killer" label around (I'm still waiting for Facebook's messaging service to deliver that final deathblow to Gmail, by the way), but let's take a moment to put things in perspective.

Verizon iPhone and the Mobile Market

First and foremost, as a device, the new Verizon iPhone really isn't new at all. It's a six-month-old handset that, in all likelihood, will be replaced with a newer, shinier, even more magical model this summer. Will that stop hoards of Apple-loving masses from rushing out to buy one nonetheless? Of course not. But it will significantly dull the device's "Android-killing" blade.

Think about it: You buy a Verizon iPhone now, and -- provided that Apple follows its typical once-a-year product release cycle -- the new iPhone 5 comes along in June, precisely four months after you signed the dotted line. Whether or not Verizon ends up getting the latest model right away, you're suddenly going to feel like a second-class citizen and first-rate chump.

And yes, I know: Practically any mobile device you buy nowadays is surpassed by something bigger and better within a matter of months. But in most cases, it's a new and different model that dances into the world -- not a direct replacement of the same device by the same manufacturer. That's gonna sting.

That factor aside, the iPhone just isn't the shining star of the mobile galaxy anymore. Some incredibly innovative devices debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas last week, and many of them are set to show up in stores within the next few months. Anyone who can look at a phone like the Motorola Atrix and instantly write it off as inferior has probably been drinking a bit too much of the Cupertino Kool-Aid. Countless other phones are popping up with 4G functionality and other hardware and software capabilities the iPhone 4 simply can't match. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference -- but there's no denying that, Verizon iPhone or not, the competition is still a fierce force for Apple to overcome.

PC World has the details HERE!