Iphone 5, First Impression

[kamui]

As I wrote before I just ordered the iPhone 5 and by chance I happened do it within a few hours after it became available for preorder online. And to my surprise it arrived on Friday, the first day of the world wide launch of the phone (a German Apple forum has a 420 pages/ 8200 posts long thread just about advance ordering the phone and when it might be shipped...).

 

Design: It's just a stretched iPhone 4. It's completely black now, the glass the back has been substituted by aluminium. Even though it's longer, it's actually more thin and less heavy.

it doesn't have any 'wow' factor. Most people won't see the difference to an iPhone 4.

 

Positive points:

- The screen is larger and even more crisp

- It's much faster (one of the fastes phones (or the fastes phone) on the market), Apps load immediately

- Surfing the web is just great. New high speed wireless i-net connection. LTE (4G) is 21 Mbit in Germany (or 100 Mbit for additional 10 €)

- Siri, the voice command, talk to text program, works fine. But I don't have a comparison.

- The camera is said to be better, but I haven't tried it yet

- The newly designed earphones are the first in/on ear phones ever that fit to my ears (and I tried several types and makers in the past two decades).

- Completely new Apple Maps offers turn by turn navigation. It's very fast and reliable.

- Setting up the phone was as always extremely easy. I just backed up my iPhone 4 via iTunes, activated the new SIM card online (you need a new Nano SIM card, it's the smalles ever) and restored the iPhone 4 content to the iPhone 5. Even the placements of the Apps on the screens was restored.

 

Negative points

- new connector. At the office, at home I have cables which I can't use anymore, nor does my Apple radio/speaker work without an adapter. Apple demands 30 US$ for an adapter. This is an obscene price for a tiny mass production piece of plastic and metal.

- Apple Maps It is said to have grave errors, like missing towns, added airports, missing or wrong points of interest (businesses, e.g.), and especially missing public transport info previoulsy included in Google Maps. But Google Maps doesn't offer transport info in Germany neither. Businesses like restaurants are in fact missing near my place. But I think this will be corrected soon by the users (via the App or Yelp).

- Battery life didn't improve, if you travel and use the iPhone a lot for maps, e.g. it won't last a full day.

 

Conclusion:

It's a really great phone. The interplay of hard- and software is perfect.

It's a major improvement from the iPhone 4 (but not 4S). Those who have an iPhone 4S might wait for the next generation iPhone, since the iOS 6 is identical on iphone 4S and 5.

 

[Flashermac]

"Siri, the voice command, talk to text program, works fine."

 

In Thai?

 

 

[Mekong]

Gotta agree about minimal improvement on 4S hence the reason I am sticking with mine.

 

I upgraded to IOS6 and I wish I hadn't of bothered, Apple Maps Sux big time, a total retro step from Google Maps IMHO.

[gobbledonk]

Its a big deal here, as none of the earlier models supported Telstra's 4G network. The new 'Lightning' connector has created consternation in the audio universe, but I know you guys arent interested in that so I'll leave it there,

[chelseafan]

Its a big deal here, as none of the earlier models supported Telstra's 4G network. The new 'Lightning' connector has created consternation in the audio universe, but I know you guys arent interested in that so I'll leave it there,

 

I am not anti-apple per se, I have the iphone 4 myself, but despite apples slick marketing program it aint the best phone in the world. Its camera is average, its totally controlled by apple (unless you jailbreak it). There are plenty of android phones out there that beat it hands down, the samsung SIII for example.

[kamui]

"Siri, the voice command, talk to text program, works fine."

 

In Thai?

 

 

Siri speaks Thai.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZnhZdZxtjI

 

Gotta agree about minimal improvement on 4S hence the reason I am sticking with mine.

 

I upgraded to IOS6 and I wish I hadn't of bothered, Apple Maps Sux big time, a total retro step from Google Maps IMHO.

 

I used Apple Maps for walking directions in my town and it works much better than Google Maps' turn by turn directions.

Anyway, generally it seems to be a disaster:

Google Maps announces a 400 year advantage over Apple Maps

 

Its a big deal here, as none of the earlier models supported Telstra's 4G network. The new 'Lightning' connector has created consternation in the audio universe, but I know you guys arent interested in that so I'll leave it there,

 

So, what's about the "Lightining" connector in the audio universe?

 

I am not anti-apple per se, I have the iphone 4 myself, but despite apples slick marketing program it aint the best phone in the world. Its camera is average, its totally controlled by apple (unless you jailbreak it). There are plenty of android phones out there that beat it hands down, the samsung SIII for example.

 

Yep, it seems that Apple has lost its advantage in regard to mobile phones. It's one of the best, but not ahead of Samsung anymore.

 

 

DO WE SEE the beginning of Apple's demise as the leading technology company in the PC, mobile device market?

 

There is already speculation that iPhone 5 and especially the Apple Maps disaster is a sign of Apple going the way of Microsoft: that Apple has become so huge and entrenched that it has lost its 100% focus on the user. Also Apple's legal attacks against Samsung phones/tablets in many countries are seen as a sign of this - instead on working hard to just offer much better products as Appel did before.

[BelgianBoy]

I used Apple Maps for walking directions in my town and it works much better than Google Maps' turn by turn directions.

Anyway, generally it seems to be a disaster:

Google Maps announces a 400 year advantage over Apple Maps

I dont get that, if you would look up from your device, surely you would not get lost, right ? specially in your home town

[kamui]

I dont get that, if you would look up from your device, surely you would not get lost, right ? specially in your home town

 

I am really bad with directions, especially when I leave a subway station in areas of the city I haven't been before (it's not my birthplace).

 

I tried using Google Maps for example in a town in South Germany with Middle Age street system with many short streets going in all directions. It was raining, I had wet feet and on Google Maps I had to walk for some time until I could see on the map if walked in the right direction. Apple Maps with it's voice directions is much better, especially since I don't have to check the screen every few meters.

 

But like Google Maps, Apple Maps streams all the data from the net, which means it can't be used abroad (when I need it most), because of the sky high internet roaming fees.

[BelgianBoy]

I was yanking your chain, but I wonder how people lived pre-iPhone, pre-GPS, pre-internet.......

those were the good days

[kamui]

I was yanking your chain, but I wonder how people lived pre-iPhone, pre-GPS, pre-internet.......

those were the good days

 

Like when I was driving around in circles in cities like Paris and being really late to an important appointment. Today I just call and say, my Navi says I am 9 minutes late and I can drive really relaxed without a crumbled map on my lap while trying to read the street names and then to find the street on the map...