The iPhone 5 will be released to the masses on Friday and as an admitted Apple fanboy I’m pretty excited for this release. I’m currently still using an iPhone 4 so I will definitely be upgrading to the iPhone 5. I’ll have to wait until I can actually get my hands on one to figure out how much better this thing really is than its predecessor but here are the things I’m most excited about:
- It’s bigger and yet thinner – I’m very excited to see what the bigger screen looks like and how that will change the way I use my phone. If anything, the Control4 MyHome app should look fantastic on the bigger screen.
- 4G LTE – I’ve been hearing that the speed of the iPhone 5 on the 4G LTE networks is ridiculously fast. Faster than the wireless connections that most people have in their homes.
- Siri – I’m actually pretty excited to try Siri. I’m hoping it will make my driving just a bit safer (oh wait, did I just admit to texting while driving?) and I’m very excited to try out the new features, i.e. sports scores, with the updated iOS 6. I can’t believe they didn’t have sports on Siri up to this point. What is the point of a “personal assistant” if she can’t tell me what time the game is on Sunday?
- Camera – I’ve read that the camera features are a vast improvement and I’m very excited for the Panorama feature. I currently use an app for Panorama (it’s actually a Microsoft app, but that’s my dirty little secret). The app is a little clunky so it should be great to see what the feature is like when it’s integrated into the OS.
- Ear Pods – I’m one of the few people that use the standard iPhone earbuds on a regular basis. They’ve needed an update for a while and the new Ear Pods look fantastic. I hope they provide the sound quality Apple claims they do!
I do wish that Apple would have included NFC (near field communication) in this iPhone but I still think the addition of all the other features make it a worthy upgrade. I guess the only question left is: black or white?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Do you plan on getting the new iPhone and what features are you most excited for?
So the real question is…have you gotten your new iPhone 5 yet and are you still happy with it?
Personally…I think the iPhone 5 was the biggest flop of a phone release Apple has ever done.
You mention the bigger screen. Make the screen only bigger instead of wider as well was retarded. For many activities, this won’t help at all. When browsing the web you NEED a wider screen. And how are you enjoying that larger screen with the MyHome app??? Haha. You won’t see any benefit until C4 updates their app to take advantage of the added vertical space. Until then its black bars for you!
4G/LTE. Yes, I have to agree. LTE on Verizon is INSANE. I regularly download at 29-30 megabits/second at my house!!! Freaking insane. Of course…in the Verizon camp, Apple did have to botch even this up a bit. How? They decided to no design the iPhone 5 to allow both data and voice to happen simultaneously… WTF That was one of the advantages of LTE on Verizon, you could finally do both at the same time. All other Verizon 4G/LTE phones can do it…but not iPhone 5. Have fun tethering and trying to answer a call at the same time!!
The camera has improved and is now on par with other high end smart phones. Definitely not the top (that spot is reserved for other phones such as Lumia 920 and Galaxy S3). But much better quality than 4S.
And the Apple Maps debacle?? Wow…apple was just a little too eager to give google the boot on this one. And it has now came back and bit them in the butt. Cook just posted a public apology on their website for the crappy experience their new Maps provides. He even suggests using OTHER mapping services in the mean time while they get their act together. At first I thought the Maps thing must have been blown out of proportion…but almost every I know that has an iPhone 5 and has tried to use the Maps app very much has complained about it being wrong and not working well.
And no NFC?? Seriously??
My neighbor is a Die Hard apple guy. He has EVERYTHING APPLE and loves it all. He’s had every version of iPhone, the nano watch, the mac computers, ipads, everything. He just got the iPhone 5 last week and is returning it for the Galaxy S3. Really surprised me…but I could tell the last week from his comments he’s really been trying to convince himself to love his new iPhone 5. I think he finally realized that the iPhone 5 is really a bit boring compared to the competition in all honesty.
1 – It’s only a fraction larger than it was, yet no where near as large as comparable Android options.
2 – AT&T and Sprint’s 4G networks are okay at best, and Verizon only offers pay-per-Gb data plans, so expect to chew up your monthly allowance faster and easier with higher speeds, should you choose to take full advantage of the larger throughput.
3 – I have yet to hear any positive reviews of Siri’s real-world usefulness. Maybe it has some improvements in the iPhone 5, but since Siri is already available in the iPhone 4S, I don’t see that as worth the upgrade at all.
4 – Spending a significant amount of money on an upgrade for a better camera on a cell phone is a bit silly.
5 – Please tell me you’re not advising people to buy a new cell phone because it comes with cool earphones? That one is a joke right? Apple earpods have always had sub-par quality, and I wouldn’t expect these free-bees to be any better to a discerning listener.
6 – I sure hope you know how to get home from the Apple store, because as I understand, the new Apple version of the Maps application is one of their largest screw-up’s to date.
7 – While you’re at the Apple store, make sure you pick up replacements for ever house and car charger, as well as USB sync cables if you use them.
8 – Then charge that phone up so you can receive endless phone calls from all of your previous clients who have Control4 iPod docks, since the connector is different. I would rehearse some sort of dialog beforehand along the lines of “I’m very sorry sir/ma’am, the only offering from Control4 currently features the old 30-pin connector, so you’ll have to wait until they release a new version of the dock. Don’t worry, Control4 usually releases new products within 18 months from when it hits their product roadmap, so just deal with it until then, because for now, you’re SOL. Feel free to tell your friends and family about the customer service we were not able to offer you due to Apple changing something that benefitted no one but themselves.”
I’ll stick with my ‘Droid, thank you very much…