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iPhone 5

Started by Artemis, September 04, 2012, 10:22:32 PM

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Artemis

Anyone else looking forward to this? The invitations for the presentation next week went out today...



I'm looking forward to picking mine up in a few short weeks.

Tokyo Sexwhale

Didn't they bring out the 4S about 5 minutes ago?

KLG-7A

Quote from: Artemis on September 04, 2012, 10:22:32 PM
Anyone else looking forward to this?
Do you know anything about it?

Artemis

Less than a year ago, sure. That 3.5 inch screen is looking pretty dated now, though. I think Apple's position as 'not the best spec smartphone out there but the most solid' is pretty established now. I'll take iOS over Android any day of the week, not to mention the precision engineering (well, of the 4/4s at least) which pisses over Samsung/Google. That said, I'd take their screens over iPhone's overrated retina display.

It'll be interesting to see what Cook offers up. I couldn't give a fuck about NFC or 4G; neither appeal to me, I'm just after a bigger version of the classiest phone.[nb]Not that I use it as a phone as much as I use it as a mobile internet device[/nb]

mobias

I'll no doubt get mine once the fuss has died down. My contract is up so I'm due a new phone anyway. I have to admit if my entire entertainment life wasn't so tied up in iTunes I'd probably get a Sumsung Galaxy S3 tomorrow. Amazing phone and I'm pretty disappointed the iPhone 5 only has a marginally bigger screen size over the iPhone 4 and isn't seeing much more of a design change. The Galaxy S3 has a perfect size screen as far as I'm concerned. Big enough so you can sit and genuinely enjoy things like youtube and surfing the internet as well as viewing photographs yet small enough to still fit in your pocket.

I'm intrigued to see what other selling points Apple are bundling with the iPhone 5. iOS and the iPhone generally are beginning to seem a little stale to me. 

QDRPHNC

Quote from: Artemis on September 04, 2012, 10:22:32 PM
Anyone else looking forward to this? The invitations for the presentation next week went out today...



I'm looking forward to picking mine up in a few short weeks.

If the leaks are accurate, I prefer the look of the 4. The longer screen is ungainly, the two-tone back just seems a bit wanky.

Normally I love Apple design, but every so often they drop a real clunker, in my opinion. The original iPhone, and the second and third gen Nanos were foul.

Thought the first gen Nano was lovely, though.

Replies From View

Quote from: Tokyo Sexwhale on September 04, 2012, 10:24:37 PM
Didn't they bring out the 4S about 5 minutes ago?

The iPhone 5 release will be timed to coincide with the end of people's contracts on the original 4, just as the 4S did for those whose contracts were ending on the 3GS.  I'm on the "S" part of the cycle and I must say I'm happy to sacrifice being an owner of the newest handset for one that's been been tried and tested for longer, then tweaked so has many of its bugs fixed.


Previews of iOS 6 give some clues about where they're taking the software side of things:

http://www.apple.com/uk/ios/ios6/

I can imagine the keynote speech now when they're talking about this stuff.  They'll probably gloss over the fact that Siri has hitherto been completely shit outside the US, but they'll go on about the Maps thing for sure, since it marks a break from google.


Does anyone know anything else about the phone?  Presumably it'll be a better camera, a bigger screen, faster, better battery and they've lost the glass back so you can drop it more often.  Anything else?


Quote from: Artemis on September 04, 2012, 10:22:32 PM


December 5th?  12th May?  Confused.

Jamie Oliver is fat

Quote from: Artemis on September 04, 2012, 10:22:32 PM
I'm looking forward to picking mine up in a few short weeks.

Do you know anything about it?

Ignatius_S

It's been reported that updated iPods will also be launched – this would be in line with previous announcements.

Quote from: Replies From View on September 05, 2012, 09:00:40 AM
The iPhone 5 release will be timed to coincide with the end of people's contracts on the original 4, just as the 4S did for those whose contracts were ending on the 3GS....

Essentially, that was the case, although the time between the 4 and 4S was slightly longer than with other revisions – previously, the new model would come out in June, but it was October for the 4S.

Quote from: Replies From View on September 05, 2012, 09:00:40 AM....Does anyone know anything else about the phone?  Presumably it'll be a better camera, a bigger screen, faster, better battery and they've lost the glass back so you can drop it more often.  Anything else?...

It had been rumoured that the battery wasn't going to be much bigger (IIRC, this was a trade-off with making it thinner) and since then, there have been photos purporting to be the battery being used, which confirms this. It has been suggested

Expect the dock connector to be different.

The things you've said are safe bets (in my opinion!) – other ones could be 4G LTE (although this is likely to vary between countries) and new processor (I think this has happened with every new model since the 3G). Screens that have touch sensors embedded in the LCD have been suggested. My own feeling is that a lot will be to do with iOS 6 and the software functionality.

New headphones have been touted.

Replies From View

Let's rehearse our firework-night responses:

Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 05, 2012, 11:36:45 AM
Expect the dock connector to be different.
Oooh!


Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 05, 2012, 11:36:45 AM
New headphones have been touted.
Aaah!


Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 05, 2012, 11:36:45 AM
My own feeling is that a lot will be to do with iOS 6 and the software functionality.

This is what I'm imagining too.  Basically the operating system is updated just enough to induce lag on the older models, all perfectly smooth and snappy only on the iPhone 5.  It was evident from the responses to the iPhone 4S launch that customers mainly just want a swanky new handset design, with a bigger screen and other superficial spec updates to let them compete with their Android friends, and the iPhone 5 will basically do the trick in this regard.

Personally I hope it's got loads of flaws again that aren't fixed until the 5S model.  Because this is what's funny.


Quote from: QDRPHNC on September 05, 2012, 06:10:14 AM
the two-tone back just seems a bit wanky.

Yes.  Is it two-tone aluminium, or half glass and half aluminium (I think I've heard the latter combination mentioned somewhere)?  Very strange anyway; I'd have thought they'd fit them in with what the current iPod Touch and iPad backs are like.

Artemis

Quote from: Jamie Oliver is fat on September 05, 2012, 09:55:05 AM
Do you know anything about it?

Only what's rumoured, obviously. It'll be slightly less technically impressive than the other one or two top smartphones but a better build quality, is my prediction. That's good enough for me.

Puffin Chunks

Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 05, 2012, 11:36:45 AM
Expect the dock connector to be different.

Let me guess.... they're moving to industry standard Micro USB? Nah, of course they're not.

Still, great news for all those owners of docks and peripherals for the iPod out there who will now find them useless... which is pretty much anyone who has ever owned an iPod.

Quote from: Artemis on September 05, 2012, 01:33:20 PM
It'll be slightly less technically impressive than the other one or two top smartphones but a better build quality, is my prediction.

Obviously horses for courses, but how important is build quality, really, on a product with a 12-24 month lifespan?

Replies From View

Especially since Apple don't make battery replacement an easy task.

KLG-7A

Quote from: Artemis on September 05, 2012, 01:33:20 PM
Only what's rumoured, obviously. It'll be slightly less technically impressive than the other one or two top smartphones but a better build quality, is my prediction. That's good enough for me.
And that makes you excited, and prompts you to say "I'm looking forward to picking mine up in a few short weeks"? Is the build quality of your current phone an issue?

Do you think it would be unfair to accuse you of being a victim of Apple's marketing?

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Replies From View on September 05, 2012, 12:08:35 PM
Let's rehearse our firework-night responses:...

Ha – indeed!

Quote from: Replies From View on September 05, 2012, 12:08:35 PM...This is what I'm imagining too.  Basically the operating system is updated just enough to induce lag on the older models, all perfectly smooth and snappy only on the iPhone 5...

To be fair, that's going to be inevitable when newer machines have more pep – although I do agree that built-in obsolescence is a factor. That the latest iOS is supported on quite 'old' devices isn't a bad thing in my opinion – and IIRC, Apple revised the list of what will be supported in iOS for older phones, which showed a slight increase.

For what it's worth, I have a few friends in the mobile industry (mainly shop managers) and customer feedback on the 3GS is still very good – that people seem to be happily running the latest OS (for now) on devices that came out three years ago, I think is pretty good.

Quote from: Replies From View on September 05, 2012, 12:08:35 PM....It was evident from the responses to the iPhone 4S launch that customers mainly just want a swanky new handset design, with a bigger screen and other superficial spec updates to let them compete with their Android friends, and the iPhone 5 will basically do the trick in this regard.....

Although I'm sure that was the case from some, it's not my impression from various forums and feedback from friends (see above) that was universal by any means. The biggest disappointment about the lack of physical changes seemed to be from bloggers, analysts and pundits!

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 04:02:44 PM
Let me guess.... they're moving to industry standard Micro USB? Nah, of course they're not.....

Until it's announced, we won't know but I would money on something like the photos floating around.  From a business point of view, it makes no sense Apple having micro-USB, so I can't see it. However, there was a rumour going round that it would be compatible with micro-USB.

An Apple proprietary dock will (as it does now) more functionality than the micro-USB, due to the number of pins. On the current 30-pin Apple connection, different pins have different functions and, I believe, this gets around the need for drivers and makes things more simpler for manufacturers – there's certainly far less products for the shuffle.

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 04:02:44 PM....Still, great news for all those owners of docks and peripherals for the iPod out there who will now find them useless... which is pretty much anyone who has ever owned an iPod.

Apart from if adaptors are used – although I believe that this wouldn't be a solution for every peripheral, it would be a workaround solution for the vast majority. Apple are expected to bring such an adaptor out, but I would be astounded if there were no third-party ones.

A major problem with leaving the dock connector as it is, is that Apple won't be able to reduce the thickness of the iPhone. Apple has never been shy of removing legacy technology, both proprietary and non-propriety when it's felt there are advantages doing so – e.g. ADB connection and floppy disc drives, respectively – so this is hardly new. Although it sucks if you have devices to rely on technology being phased out, it's the way to go in the long-term.

Whenever you do make such a move, someone is going to be affected – but it will come inevitably (and this one has been rumoured for a while). Couple of articles worth a read if you're interested:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/19-pin-iphone-dock/
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/06/op-ed-why-now-could-be-the-right-time-for-apple-to-ditch-the-dock-connector/

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 04:02:44 PM...Obviously horses for courses, but how important is build quality, really, on a product with a 12-24 month lifespan?

Personally, with something like a phone, which I need to use quite a bit, it's pretty important to me and I've found that I get a lot more out of something if I like using it, than if I don't (probably stating the obvious there!) - however, that's not always the 'deluxe' product.

Puffin Chunks

Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 05, 2012, 05:05:36 PM
From a business point of view, it makes no sense Apple having micro-USB, so I can't see it. However, there was a rumour going round that it would be compatible with micro-USB.

Indeed... same for most things... we used to have a wide array of proprietary connectors/memory cards etc going around to the point of it being a nightmare having 58 different connectors for your various devices (Remember going round the office to find if someone had a Nokia/Erikkson charger?). Companies will always want to sell their own proprietary peripherals because of the extra money they can take and the mark up they can put on it. Unfortunately it's a big turn off for the average consumer and fortunately most mobile manufacturers saw sense (as have most companies who produce peripherals that are built to plug into a PC) and have standardised to Micro USB (for now). From a consumer point of view this is great, you only now need one cable to plug all your devices in. Apple can get away with it as their customers are just that loyal, but that is just in the here and now (have you seen the price of some Apple peripherals?? Rhetorical).


Quote
An Apple proprietary dock will (as it does now) more functionality than the micro-USB, due to the number of pins. On the current 30-pin Apple connection, different pins have different functions and, I believe, this gets around the need for drivers and makes things more simpler for manufacturers – there's certainly far less products for the shuffle.

I understand the principal but can't think of any practical examples of this. Care to enlighten me? (Sounds sarcastic, it isn't. I am genuinely interested in where this extra functionality comes in.... particularly as Micro USB is deemed up to the task for pretty much all other mobiles/PC peripherals on the market... so much so that it was chosen to be the industry standard).

QuoteApart from if adaptors are used

Indeed, and I would never be so naive to assume that the standard won't ever change, particularly if that standard is something that a company has 100% ownership over. Personally speaking it's why I only ever buy audio peripherals that will plug into the 3.5mm jack. I reckon that standard is safe for a while. However (particularly in docks) adaptors can be clunky and form factor is quite important to a large amount of Apple consumers. However, I won't write this off until I've seen it. I'm sure Apple have one eye on existing 3rd party peripherals. I'm interested to see what insane price level Apple bring out an adaptor... but I may be surprised yet.

Quote
Personally, with something like a phone, which I need to use quite a bit, it's pretty important to me and I've found that I get a lot more out of something if I like using it, than if I don't (probably stating the obvious there!) - however, that's not always the 'deluxe' product.

Oh, of course, there are scales of build quality, just (from my personal point of view) I don't see the point in paying an excessive premium for a product with such a short lifespan when the build quality of the alternatives (my SGSII as an example) is more than adequate. Obviously this is what works for me, but in a product as functional as a phone, I will take functionality over form every single day of the week. No one wants a phone that will fall apart in 2 weeks, but at the same time, what's the point of paying a premium for a product that will last for 50 years, although it will only ever get used for 2?

Ignatius_S

The adaptor revealed... dum-dum-dah!

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/sources-apple-to-be-sole-maker-of-dock-connector-adapters/

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 05:46:58 PM
Indeed... same for most things... we used to have a wide array of proprietary connectors/memory cards etc going around to the point of it being a nightmare having 58 different connectors for your various devices (Remember going round the office to find if someone had a Nokia/Erikkson charger?).....

Remember it? I'm still looking for the bloody thing and will find it, even if it's the last thing I do.

re: the punter point of view - personally, I think it varies. I feel Sony gas generally shot itself through its foot with own proprietary technology, whereas my impression is that a lot of people don't see it as a big deal with Apple - certainly, it's not something that my mates (mentioned above) have mentioned to me but actually, I think I might ask them about that.

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 05:46:58 PM...
I understand the principal but can't think of any practical examples of this. Care to enlighten me? (Sounds sarcastic, it isn't. I am genuinely interested in where this extra functionality comes in.... particularly as Micro USB is deemed up to the task for pretty much all other mobiles/PC peripherals on the market... so much so that it was chosen to be the industry standard)....

Ha, I thought you were asking out of interest - but thanks!

If you want a number of functions simultaneously, for instance output video, audio, power, being able to use a remote, the Apple 30-pin dock can do it, micro-USB can't on its own (I think two of the pins are data and the other two, power) - at a basic level, the latter can just charge and sync a device. There can be ways around this for micro-USB, for instance, if you wanted line-out audio, then the peripheral could have USB-host level hardware built into it - however, that complicates the design and the cost of manufacture (one of the above links mentioned about this in passing).

This page lists the functionality of all the Apple 30 pin, which I think gives an idea.

From a hardware point of view, the mechanical design of the Apple dock means that when you place an iPhone or iPod, it will stand up - something you can't do with the USB. Although this may change in the future.

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 05:46:58 PM...Indeed, and I would never be so naive to assume that the standard won't ever change, particularly if that standard is something that a company has 100% ownership over. Personally speaking it's why I only ever buy audio peripherals that will plug into the 3.5mm jack. I reckon that standard is safe for a while. However (particularly in docks) adaptors can be clunky and form factor is quite important to a large amount of Apple consumers. However, I won't write this off until I've seen it. I'm sure Apple have one eye on existing 3rd party peripherals. I'm interested to see what insane price level Apple bring out an adaptor... but I may be surprised yet...

Sure - and I hope you don't think I thought you were! Personally, I take a rather similar attitude to you with peripherals (I have the one with an Apple dock and I will admit to agonising over it) and feel I know where you're coming from.

See above for the adaptor - I was going to say £20 (but wouldn't be surprised if it had been more).

Quote from: Puffin Chunks on September 05, 2012, 05:46:58 PM...Oh, of course, there are scales of build quality, just (from my personal point of view) I don't see the point in paying an excessive premium for a product with such a short lifespan when the build quality of the alternatives (my SGSII as an example) is more than adequate. Obviously this is what works for me, but in a product as functional as a phone, I will take functionality over form every single day of the week. No one wants a phone that will fall apart in 2 weeks, but at the same time, what's the point of paying a premium for a product that will last for 50 years, although it will only ever get used for 2?

An eminently sensible approach that I like as I tend to weigh up my purchasing decisions!  If I really like something, I will pay a bit extra for - but it's something I try to avoid, particularly with more expensive purchases.

Artemis

Quote from: KLG-7A on September 05, 2012, 04:53:12 PM
Do you thing it would be unfair to accuse you of being a victim of Apple's marketing?

I think it would be presumptuous. In actuality, I'm just the owner of a couple of previous iPhones and have really enjoyed the product. Being familiar with it already, I'm looking forward to the latest model.

Still Not George

Quote from: Artemis on September 06, 2012, 01:54:04 AM
I think it would be presumptuous. In actuality, I'm just the owner of a couple of previous iPhones and have really enjoyed the product. Being familiar with it already, I'm looking forward to the latest model.

Ah. So it's more that you have a history of being a victim of Apple's marketing?

The Βoston Crab

I think I'm going to start presenting myself as a big Apple fan now that regular people are into android. I might try to get the first gen iPhone and claim that it's the one for people in the know. That will really rankle.

Artemis

Quote from: Still Not George on September 06, 2012, 10:13:31 AM
Ah. So it's more that you have a history of being a victim of Apple's marketing?

*sigh*

Sure, why not.

Replies From View

When you've bought loads of apps from a specific store, it makes more sense to stay with them than shift arbitrarily just to not seem like a fan boy.

When will people start saying the same thing about the Kindle?  Why stick with Kindle when the WHSmith ebook reader is faaar better?  Because all my books are in the Kindle store, and for the upheaval of changing the differences are too negligible.

Still Not George

Quote from: Replies From View on September 06, 2012, 10:45:50 AM
When you've bought loads of apps from a specific store, it makes more sense to stay with them than shift arbitrarily just to not seem like a fan boy.

When will people start saying the same thing about the Kindle?  Why stick with Kindle when the WHSmith ebook reader is faaar better?  Because all my books are in the Kindle store, and for the upheaval of changing the differences are too negligible.

There's a small but noticeable difference between War and Peace and Angry Birds.

KLG-7A

Isn't the Kindle app available on every imaginable device?

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Still Not George on September 06, 2012, 12:31:14 PM
There's a small but noticeable difference between War and Peace and Angry Birds.

I could be wrong about what was meant, but I read Replies From View's post as saying if someone is happy with a product/ecosystem then there isn't much point changing for the sake of change.

Personally speaking, one of the things I use iOS devices for is music production – not something that I would be able to do on Android. Similarly, there are other apps that I like using a lot and aren't available on other mobile platforms currently – although in many cases I could find alternatives, I prefer spending the time and energy on actually using the software.

Quote from: KLG-7A on September 06, 2012, 01:08:02 PM
Isn't the Kindle app available on every imaginable device?

Not for rival ereaders!

Replies From View mentioned hardware and stores, rather than related software. Although there is a Kindle app (as there is for Kobo, the ereader that they mentioned) that doesn't really fit into the point being made - it would be more hassle than it's worth for them switching from a Kindle to Kobo, particularly when there's no need.

When someone goes with a particular ereader and they're happy with it, they tend to stick to it – it's usually seen as a faff switching to another piece of hardware. Most people (this is going from various online discussions) will happily just use the store relating to their brand of ereader, rather than buying ebooks from various sources and converting them as required.

Replies From View

Quote from: Still Not George on September 06, 2012, 12:31:14 PM
There's a small but noticeable difference between War and Peace and Angry Birds.

I'm not just talking about things like Angry Birds.  I have paid-for writing apps for example that I use on both my iPhone and iPad, and these are the kinds of things that stop people from arbitrarily swapping over to a completely different rival ecosystem.

Anyway even if we are talking about somebody spending £100 or so on things like Angry Birds, Peggle and Plants vs Zombies, who are we to judge?  The principle is the same; people will need a stronger incentive to switch companies when they've invested in a company's app store.


Ignatius_S put it better

Still Not George

Quote from: Replies From View on September 06, 2012, 02:29:40 PM
I'm not just talking about things like Angry Birds.  I have paid-for writing apps for example that I use on both my iPhone and iPad, and these are the kinds of things that stop people from arbitrarily swapping over to a completely different rival ecosystem.

I know, I was referencing the slight difference in relative value between the two and that that undermined your comparison a little. Besides anything else, ebooks just cost more than most apps, since ebooks haven't been undergoing a constant race to the bottom for several years in the same way.

Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 06, 2012, 01:42:42 PMPersonally speaking, one of the things I use iOS devices for is music production – not something that I would be able to do on Android.

Why? There are plenty of perfectly good music cre...

QuoteSimilarly, there are other apps that I like using a lot and aren't available on other mobile platforms currently – although in many cases I could find alternatives, I prefer spending the time and energy on actually using the software.

... oh, laziness, right.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Still Not George on September 06, 2012, 03:49:45 PM....
Why? There are plenty of perfectly good music cre.....

Not on Android – it's very much sadly lacking when it comes to music production. For instance, look at the support for real-time low-latency audio. At best, you could say things are getting better, but it's massively behind iOS - there is plenty of online discussion about this, so if it's something you're interested in, it'll be easy finding stuff. However, you work in some kind of development, don't you? If so, you probably already know all this

If I did switch to Android, not only are the apps I use are unavailable for the OS, I haven't been able to find ones that I could use as replacements.

Quote from: Still Not George on September 06, 2012, 03:49:45 PM...... oh, laziness, right.

I don't quite get that. If I have hardware and software that do the jobs I want – photo-editing, say – why would it be lazy actually photo editing, rather than sourcing and learning new apps to do the stuff I'm already able to do?

Mind you, whatever the answer is, I'm happy using products I like to get stuff done – which is the main thing for me.

Replies From View

Quote from: Still Not George on September 06, 2012, 03:49:45 PM
I know, I was referencing the slight difference in relative value between the two and that that undermined your comparison a little. Besides anything else, ebooks just cost more than most apps, since ebooks haven't been undergoing a constant race to the bottom for several years in the same way.

It doesn't undermine my comparison.  It's a valid reason for people not changing mobile platforms despite their friends and acquaintances constantly harping on about it and calling them brainwashed.

Many ebooks are under a pound.  Many mobile apps are upwards of £5.  The comparison is fair.

Jamie Oliver is fat

Quote from: Ignatius_S on September 06, 2012, 04:29:49 PM
Not on Android

Well, no, it's a mobile phone operating system. Why would it have decent music creation apps written for it?