The fickle dictats of fashion
Where digital cameras are concerned, the number of mega pixels isn't as important as you might think. A 10mp camera might sound fantastic, but depending on the optical chip used, the image quality could be worse than a 5mp camera. The ability to deal with low light levels is very important; I had a Nokia 5800 with a dual LED flash that resulted in grainier, lower quality images than my current Samsung Galaxy S without a flash.
I recall reading in the tech press and various reviews that the iPhone cameras have never been regarded as having a particularly high quality image output, so 8mp versus another manufacturer's 5mp offering might not be indicative of anything other than a perceived improvement.
As for video, watching Venture Brothers whilst on the train has been a welcome diversion! If only battery technology could keep up the pace :o(
Paris - because style matters, dangit!!