Last Wednesday, Apple premiered the latest and greatest device in the iPhone lineup: the iPhone 5. While I cannot describe how much it bothers me that the sixth generation iPhone is actually called the "iPhone 5," it is still all-in-all a pretty cool phone. Perhaps the coolest feature is its new 4 inch screen, taking cues from many larger Android handsets. In addition to this, it holds the first redesigned body since the iPhone 4. With its thinner and broader design, it also carries an all new aluminum backplate, a joy for those that dropped their phone, only to find the back shattered in a million pieces. In addition to the new backplate, Apple has focused on details more than ever, with diamond-cut edges that sparkle when hit with sunlight.
In addition to a newly designed body, the iPhone 5 will also be twice as fast, replace the 30-pin connector with the all new Lightning connector, include 4G LTE, and pack redesigned speaker grills. The headphone jack has also been moved to the device’s bottom, and the FaceTime camera has now been upgraded to 720p. The device is packaged with a pair of Apple's new EarPods, greatly improved earbuds with an all new design never before seen in the industry.
In addition to the great evolution of hardware features, the iPhone 5 includes many new software features that are exclusive to it and the iPhone 4S. These features include turn-by-turn GPS, Panorama, an improved Siri, and an all new Flyover feature in Maps. Owners of older iDevices will be happy to hear that they too can upgrade to the new iOS 6, though these features will not be included. iOS 6 includes Apple’s new Map app, Passbook, new sharing features, and over 200 other features. Read more about these features here.
Apple’s latest iDevice is already projected by many analysts to be the most successful cellphone launch in history. It is estimated that Apple will sell 10 million devices in September alone and be so successful that it will actually raise America's GDP. In the first 24 hours, 2 million were already preordered. People in New York are already lining the streets to pick theirs up later this week.
Apple announced the iPhone 5, as well as a new line of iPods on September 12 with a traditional event, clearly mirroring the famous ones by the late Steve Jobs. They presented a traditional keynote with their well-known production videos, and previewed a new iPod commercial and iTunes 11. They ended their conference in a way that shows just how different they are from other corporations with a live appearance of the Foo Fighters. Unfortunately, much of this event was spoiled by the fact that most of the news had already been leaked on the iPhone 5, even after CEO Tim Cook promised to crack down on privacy. However, it is still a great upgrade to the phone know as "the Rolex among a bunch of Timexes."
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I remember when we were excited for the iPhone 5. However, with the release of the iPhone 6, it makes the big size of the 5 seem small by comparison. In addition, despite its much bragged about battery life, the iPhone 5 did not last very long. In fact, mine died after only two hours of rigorous gameplay. Also, it had short battery life even when asleep. I expected it to be able to last at least the entire night in sleep mode but it just couldn't stay charged. Indeed, battery life is very important to me, which is why the iPhone 6 excites me so much. With its long battery life, I can now play for 8 hours continuously. Also, the speakers on the 6 are far superior and can be heard up to 10 feet away in a crowded room.
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