The Apple iPhone has been on the scene since 2006 – revolutionizing multiple aspects of portable computing and communications along the way. The iPhone has affected different areas of life – from music sales the very design of the cell phone itself. Because of the advent of the iPhone, competitors such as Research In Motion (RIM) – the famed manufacturer of Blackberry phones – are on the verge of going out of business. The iPhone has truly been a game changer. So, it is no wonder that the next installment of the iPhone, the iPhone 5, is generating major buzz in tech circles, and in pop culture at large. Let’s take a look and see what the next iPhone has in store.
The first thing that is apparent about the new iPhone is that it is noticeably lighter than its predecessors. The new iPhone weighs in at 112 grams, which is noticeably lighter than the last Apple iPhone release – the 4S. One interesting fact about the new phone is that the center of mass is said to have been shifted for a better feel, which may also have affected the perceived weight of the iPhone 5.
Another advancement of the new phone is in the screen. Recent surveys have indicated that consumers are more drawn to smart phones that have larger displays. This has certainly been taken into account with the new iPhone. The display on the phone clocks in at a respectable 4-inches – which should be more than enough to help the iPhone keep pace with major competitors, such as the Samsung. This is an improvement from the previous iPhone model displays – which were 3.5 inches. The display sports a resolution of 1,136 x 640 pixels. This allows the new iPhone to finally live up to its high definition potential – enabling the user to play movies in the standard 16:9 format. The iPhone 4S had already been lauded for its display. The new iPhone 5 is expected to take these already great results to the next level.
So, what about the cameras? The back facing camera is one aspect of the new iPhone which seems no to have been updated significantly. The iPhone 5 comes with a standard 8-megapixel camera which offers no significant upgrades from the 4S.
However, the front facing camera, used mostly for live video chat called Face Time, has been upgraded significantly. The new camera is a 720p ready 1.2-megapixel camera. This should help take Face Time to the next level.
For a person with average sized hands, the new iPhone should prove easy to use. Testers have said that all corners of the phone remain reachable by the thumb, despite the phone being slightly larger in size that the 4S. A decrease in thickness – from 9.3mm on the 4S to 7.6mm on the iPhone 5 – certainly helps with the user’s ability to handle the phone with one hand.
Those who follow the iPhone religiously will doubtlessly remember so-called “antenna gate.” After the release of the iPhone 4, users reported a problem with the phone. Apparently, while touching the lower left edge of the phone users suffered a decrease in signal strength. The complaints came so fast and furious that Apple actually released a statement advising customers to avoid gripping the lower left edge of the phone while making a call. This now infamous technological problem had many different explanations, but despite the complaints the iPhone seemed to continue on – hotter than ever.
Part of the reason for the dropped calls was apparently the design of the antenna. The antenna on the iPhone actually wraps around the rim of the device. This is apparently the case with the new iPhone 5 as well. But, apparently updated design specs have prevented the so-called “death grip” problem from happening on this latest iteration.
The iPhone 5 is powered by a new processor called the A6. Apple didn’t give very much information regarding the processor – using adjectives such as “twice as fast” and “22 percent smaller” to compare it to the A5. Apparently the A6 has been exposed by the people at Geekbunch as a dual-core 1.05GHz processor with 1GB of RAM.
So, what is the pricing going to be on the new iPhone? The pricing has remained pretty much in line with previous pricing plans – ranging between $199, $299, and $399. This will result in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB respectively of non-expandable memory.
The new iPhone promises to be up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4S. This seems like the kind of promise that companies make, knowing that it would be next to impossible for anyone to really verify. But, according to Geekbench – the iPhone really is actually more than 2xs as fast as the 4S when running their test suite. For the end user this would amount to faster loading of apps and faster image processing. Combine this with reports that the iPhone 5 is actually being field tested with GPS, LTE, and WiFi all enabled, and lasting more than a full day (12 hours.) Sounds like the people at Apple had something to prove when they developed this latest model.
Technology geeks and Apple fans alike are raving about the new iPhone. Many were disappointed that the last iPhone announcement was for the iPhone 4S, not the iPhone 5 as expected. Though the 4S did introduce an amazing artificial intelligence voice-commanded assistant, Suri, the phone did not meet the expectations of those who were looking for Apple to truly revolutionize the iPhone – and the smart phone in general – with truly significant upgrades. This is where the iPhone 5 steps in.
The new phone has upgraded the forward facing camera, increased the screen size, decreased the weight of the phone, and even increased speed and battery life. The new iPhone seems like it is destined for success, but it is yet to be released to the masses. If Wall Street is any indication, Apple probably has another hit phone on their hands. Apple stock soared to an all-time high – above $700 – on the announcement of the new phone.
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