Well, ladies and gentlemen, I was wrong.
Apple did indeed unveil their latest and greatest device last week, and despite sequential evidence and common sense asserting otherwise, their sixth phone is called the iPhone 5.
Somebody probably hit the wrong key when they were writing out the text for the device. The “5” key is awfully close to the “6” key after all. Bah.
Anyhow, let’s get into the meat of things.
After five devices boasting the same-sized screen, Apple has decided to go bigger. Taking a cue from competitors, Apple decided to increase the size of their device by a massive half-inch. However, Apple opted against the common practice of increasing screen size proportionately by width and height, instead choosing to simply increase the screen’s height. The result is a true 16:9 aspect ratio screen, which, looks pretty great, but may take some getting used to once you get your hands on the device.
But while Apple claims to have “completely redesigned,” the device “from the ground up,” it still has the basic look and feel of the iPhone 4 and 4S, with a bit of aluminum stuck on the back. The device is also slightly thinner than the iPhone 4S and 20 per cent lighter, for those who care. It’s not like you had to be weightlifter to use the former phones, but I guess they had to have something to talk about.
Apart from the larger screen, the other big changes are the introduction of the new A6 processor, a new port form factor and the device being LTE capable.
The A6 finally brings quad-core processing to Apple’s mobile devices and unlike the former A5 processor, did not come from competitor Samsung. Indeed, the new chip does look mighty impressive, and Apple claims that it can run processes “up to twice as fast” as the A5. We’ll see, Apple, we’ll see.
As for the iPhone’s new port, it’s definitely something that’s gotten people talking. Called “Lightning,” the new connection method ditches the tried, tested and true 30-pin port for a smaller, digitized 19-pin port. While Apple claims it will increase charge speeds and increase read times, it will also give them and third-party manufacturers an opportunity to sell you a whole whack of new connection gadgets and gizmos. What, you thought Apple would actually adopt the universally-used micro USB port? Oh, you.
Finally, at long last, Apple brings LTE to the iPhone. In what was clearly a case of Apple withholding technology in order to sell the next iteration of the device, the iPhone 4S surprised many by not being LTE-capable when it was unveiled last fall. While the device could have made use of the technology without nary a problem, Apple decided to play the LTE hand this year in the iPhone 5, I guess to give it that extra oomph. While the A6 and new port may be instances of advancement, adding LTE was merely playing catch-up to the rest of the world.
Overall, the iPhone 5 offers enough changes for most users of past iterations to warrant an upgrade but perhaps not enough for owners of the still-capable 4S. Maybe I’ll wait until next year for the iPhone 6, or is it 7?
