Ahhhh....It`s that wonderful time of the year where Apple fans line up and Samsung releases commercials making fun of them. The iPhone 5 is finally in our hands and after spending a weekend with it im ready to give my opinions. Lets waste no time and get into it.
I was able to preorder my iPhone 5, so promptly around 10:30am it arrived. My initial reaction was DAMN, this thing is LITE! Compared to the iPhone 4s its like a feather. I also carefully examined my iPhone 5 and noticed no defects at all, which I was pleasently surprised with. Build quality is top notch and the level of detail put into this device is very appropriate of Apple and I think only Apple could make a device this sexy and sophisticated. In the box you get your charging cube and the new Lightning connector cable. One of the biggest pluses is the new headphones which sound clearer and more crisp, all while providing a nice level of bass. Its a great step for Apple to provide higher quality headphones.
Once I turned the iPhone 5 on and activated the device I pulled out my 4s to compare screen quality. My God is the iPhone 5`s screen better. Its brighter, more vibrant, and all around more sharper. Colors are spot on. This to me was the best feature, I absolutly love the screen. Speaking of the screen, its now 4inches tall. Is that a big deal? Not really, but it helps Apple catch up with the rest of the mobile word and consumers who have all been trending towards bigger device. In my opinion Apple nailed it. Keeping the device as wide as the 4s but increasing the screen and making the phone lighter just adds to a better, more comfortable feeling device in the hand. Rest asure you wont have any problems reaching the top part of the screen.
Everything about this device is fast. The new A6 processor and that Gig of Ram are a spectical. The iPhone 5 boots faster, opens apps faster, and even Siri seems a lot faster this time around. I`ve used Siri on multiple occasions and she shined, my every command was done quickly. To me this is a big plus because on my iPhone 4s I barely used her becuase it was faster for me to just do it. Another step in the right direction Apple. Apple also included LTE, which is another plus. Since I have Sprint I cant test this yet, but I will update this review once LTE is available.
Overall Apple did alot of things right. Hardware on this device is top notch. Are you upset there is no NFC? Who cares? I have NFC on other devices and I dont ever use it. It isnt where it needs to be yet. Im very happy with my iPhone 5 and it is certainly the best iPhone to date. For anyone who thinks its just another iPhone, dont judge it until you have it in your hands. I give the iPhone 5 a 5 out of 5.
I can't help but think that a major turning point for Apple has started. On September 12, 2012 Apple showed off their next iteration of the iPhone to a fairly underwhelmed crowd. Why? For months we have heard many rumors about the next iPhone, we heard about leaks, and even seen pictures and videos of the next iPhone. This year Apple failed to surprise us. While the new iPhone 5 is sexy as hell, it isn't a major change from the iPhone 4 or 4s in turns of visual design. When I personally purchased the iPhone 4s my only complaint was the screen size, I had upgraded from an Evo 4g which had a 4.3 screen. The new iPhone 5 has upgraded its screen size to 4 inches, it has a 20% for powerful A6 processor, LTE, and other very impressive hardware features. For the first time ever I felt very impressed with their hardware and it's not that their hardware is terrible, it's just that I'm usually blown away by their software. So now, what about software? Lackluster! During the whole keynote I was eager for that next big software improvement. Sadly I never received it. What we as fans received was another demo of what was shown of at WWDC last summer. Nothing new! Everything was predictable, and intern a let down. It's not that I'm not impressed, Apples new maps looks nice and Passbook seems like a great addition, but it isn't moving iOS forward. While in my opinion iOS is the best mobile operating system, and therefore doesn't need much change, it still isn't perfect. Owning a Jellybean device and using Android notification system, which is freaking awesome, and having owned WebOS devices which had the best notifications in my opinion, those devices just showcase the work Apple still has to do to bring iOS's notification systems up to date. iOS is starting to show its age, especial as Android and Windows Phone 8 mature. What about widgets? Apple get with the times! Your fans want the option! Steal from Windows Phone 8 and make your icons show live information or come up with a revolutionary new solution. So why do I think this is the turning point? Fans are still buying the new iPhone 5, it selling out in an hour is a testament to that, but many fans are growing tired of no changes and underwhelming new features. I'm not saying dramatically change the OS, but continue to surprise us. I preordered the iPhone 5 and I'm sure I'm going to love it, but this is the turning point for me because I feel that when the iPhone 6 an iOS 7 come out, if Apple doesn't innovate and surprise us, many fans including myself will start to jump ship. Now marks the wait for the fall 2013 Apple event.
