The Official iPhone 5 Thread (Liveblog links inside!)

[Deeko]

Don't, or can't?

I can walk around and use my nexus 7 with no problem at all, but maybe I'm just incredibly coordinated and talented.

Can you type on your nexus 7 one handed while walking around? That would certainly be an incredible talent.

 

[KeithTalent]

The new Nanos looks pretty sweet.

KT

 

[purbeast0]

I do not understand this argument, even though I have seen it many times. Do you use a tablet? If you can handle a 9 or 7 inch tablet, why is a 4.5 inch phone too big?

I'm eagerly awaiting a phone with a sweet 5.5" screen. Bigger is better.

(Although having the latest and greatest OS stock by default is also very important, so I use a galaxy nexus rather than a note.)

what is so hard to understand? some people don't want to carry big ass phones around. it is a really simple concept to understand.

major reason i liked the iphone 4 is due to it's smaller size. and im a pretty big dude.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Can you type on your nexus 7 one handed while walking around? That would certainly be an incredible talent.

I do that all the time on my Galaxy S3. I type on the forums while walking back and forth from place to place.

Edit: Thought you said Nexus S.

 

[ponyo]

It seems like all phones are this way nowadays. I gotta be honest, nothing blew me away with this phone either. Part of it is because all of the leaks were dead on.

Most phones these days are all incremental changes. I mean what did the SGS 3 do that 'blew everyone away'. All it had was a bigger screen. It seems like everyone judges phones based on the screen size these days. That is how boring the smart phone space has become.

iPhone5 is way more impressive than SGS3. Introduction of SGS3 was disappointing to say the least. The only thing more disappointing in recent memory was iPhone 4s.

I want to get the wife iP5 but I don't know if I should just buy outright directly from Apple or sign 2yr contract with AT&T. I'm loving the freedom and cost of Straight Talk but I don't see the point of getting LTE iPhone for use on Straight Talk.

 

[MrX8503]

I also prefer a 16:10 screen, but it is what it is I guess. I wish the bezel was smaller. Still very happy with the outcome though.

 

[Red Storm]

iPhone5 is way more impressive than SGS3. Introduction of SGS3 was disappointing to say the least. The only thing more disappointing in recent memory was iPhone 4s.

I want to get the wife iP5 but I don't know if I should just buy outright directly from Apple or sign 2yr contract with AT&T. I'm loving the freedom and cost of Straight Talk but I don't see the point of getting LTE iPhone for use on Straight Talk.

LTE is the only reason why I would go with the 5 over the 4S. Well that and it's taller, but it's not wider (more important) so that kinda ruins it...

 

[grkM3]

LTE is the only reason why I would go with the 5 over the 4S. Well that and it's taller, but it's not wider (more important) so that kinda ruins it...

so why not go try out a gs3?

its taller and wider and has basically the same specs with lte

 

[akugami]

I do not understand this argument, even though I have seen it many times. Do you use a tablet? If you can handle a 9 or 7 inch tablet, why is a 4.5 inch phone too big?

I'm eagerly awaiting a phone with a sweet 5.5" screen. Bigger is better.

(Although having the latest and greatest OS stock by default is also very important, so I use a galaxy nexus rather than a note.)

No. Bigger is not better.

On a phone, I'm expecting mostly 1 handed operation. The device has to fall within a certain size range for comfortable operation. For the vast majority of those without super tiny hands or ham fists, that's between 3.5" and about 4.5".

My friend has a Note. That thing is way too big as a phone. I swapped sim cards with him and borrowed it for a day. It's great as a tiny tablet, but for day to day operations as a phone, I was using it with two hands.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

did they only annouonce iphone and ipods? no new imacs or macbooks?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

iPhone5 is way more impressive than SGS3. Introduction of SGS3 was disappointing to say the least. The only thing more disappointing in recent memory was iPhone 4s.

They are both about the same, the 5 doesn't offer anything more than the SGS3 did.

Both had improved cpu and gpu performance
Both had larger screens
Both had new exterior designs
Both are thinner than their predecessor
Both got LTE (although some GS2 models did have it)
The SGS3 has a new camera sensor while the 5 does not.

 

[Oyeve]

They are both about the same, the 5 doesn't offer anything more than the SGS3 did.

Both had improved cpu and gpu performance
Both had larger screens
Both had new exterior designs
Both are thinner than their predecessor
Both got LTE (although some GS2 models did have it)
Both had improved cameras.

But they didnt have FFs!

 

[Red Storm]

No. Bigger is not better.

On a phone, I'm expecting mostly 1 handed operation. The device has to fall within a certain size range for comfortable operation. For the vast majority of those without super tiny hands or ham fists, that's between 3.5" and about 4.5".

My friend has a Note. That thing is way too big as a phone. I swapped sim cards with him and borrowed it for a day. It's great as a tiny tablet, but for day to day operations as a phone, I was using it with two hands.

I don't think a person's hand size has anything to do with it, it's just personal taste and preference. My little sister is 12, and she fell in love with the Note when she first saw it. She told me that's going to be her phone when she's old enough to buy one. I asked her "Why? Isn't that screen too big?" And she replied, "I want it because of that giant screen!"

My brother feels the same. As does my uncle, and my friend and his sister. Coincidentally (or not?), none of them have iPhones.

so why not go try out a gs3?

its taller and wider and has basically the same specs with lte

I do have an S3. I meant that if I was in the market for an iOS phone that's what I'd do.

 

[SunnyD]

It is indeed LTE? Awesome. That means we get to hear about the impending injunction against Apple after HTC drags them through court. Yay for lawsuits!

 

[Kenmitch]

It is indeed LTE? Awesome. That means we get to hear about the impending injunction against Apple after HTC drags them through court. Yay for lawsuits!

Did you forget about Samsung? Not sure what's gonna come of it but guess time will tell.

 

[s44]

They are both about the same, the 5 doesn't offer anything more than the SGS3 did.

Both had improved cpu and gpu performance
Both had larger screens
Both had new exterior designs
Both are thinner than their predecessor
Both got LTE (although some GS2 models did have it)
The SGS3 has a new camera sensor while the 5 does not.

Yep.

Since Apple likes to dial it back on clocks, its dual A15 may not actually be faster for CPU stuff than the USA S3's dual Krait.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

The S3 has an international and a US version... it's fragmented. And there will be a new LTE version for worldwide LTE later I believe.

I want one device.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/12/3321894/apple-iphone-5-separate-gsm-cdma-versions

Oh man, the iPhone is suffering from fragmentation. Holy crap, how ever will we live.

 

[Ichinisan]

Please change OP to summarize:

No touch-sensitive back
No NFC
Thinner
Taller screen
LTE
Smaller, reversible dock connector called "Lightning"
Better pictures
Panorama pictures

NO iPad Mini

 

[darkewaffle]

Physically I think it looks pretty sharp. Nothing else particularly eye catching to me, though nothing wrong with better chips either.

I wish they'd do something with the iPod classic line. I'd really be interested in a high capacity [solid state] mp3 player with a small footprint.

 

[ControlD]

Perhaps I am just overly cynical, but I have been trying to figure this change to a taller screen out. I have seen these resolution changes before being the owner of a 2G iPod Touch, a 1G iPad and a 4S. Every time there is some new super resolution that comes out, the app developers end up soaking the end user for a new version of the app. In some cases the nicer devs actually release a universal version, but in many cases they do not. So, now get ready to repurchase all of your apps in the "XD" version or whatever they choose to call it. It is a win-win-lose scenario. Win for the devs, win for Apple and lose for the consumer.

 

[Oyeve]

I am leary of the lighting to 30pin adapter. Looks like if someone put in a speaker dock or something like that it could snap off.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Not a fan of the screen upgrade. Need to make it wider, not just taller.

Overall this is another incremental improvement to a great phone. We get LTE, better graphics/CPU performance, and a smaller dock connector. Hopefully the battery life hasn't suffered dramatically for all of this.

 

[SunnyD]

Did you forget about Samsung? Not sure what's gonna come of it but guess time will tell.

No I didn't... I was referring to the pending case that Apple had in front of a judge that they wanted a couple of HTC patents on LTE declared invalid. The judge indicated that he didn't believe they were invalid, and it is expected that HTC may use them in order to force a licensing agreement and/or injunction against the new iPhone/iPad.

I don't have a current link to the article, but I read it rather recently (I believe on Ars).

But enough about that - I'll keep from derailing any further. Quick question though - is the screen/phone physically wider than the previous iPhones? Or just higher resolution?

 

[WelshBloke]

Please change OP to summarize:

No touch-sensitive back
No NFC
Thinner
Taller screen
LTE
Smaller, reversible dock connector called "Lightning"
Better pictures
Panorama pictures

NO iPad Mini

I don't think that anyone seriously thought that the first point there was on the table.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I think even the most rabid apple fan can admit this was the most disappointing I phone update ever.