Apple is finally out with the 2012 iPhone mode, called ‘5’. After months of speculation and wait, the next-gen God phone is real. Almost all of the iPhone 5 was leaked or known to all and the only surprise was leaks it self. Apple calls the new device ‘the biggest thing to happen to the iPhone, since iPhone’. And I think that is accurate. Very accurate. Let’s first take a look at the iPhone 5.
Gone is the Glass back and in comes Aluminium. Apple has put out a new design, but the overall structure of the device remains constant. It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that Apple iPhones are now akin to MacBook Pro in terms of design, at maturity point, with minimal changes. The ones who feel that the design hasn’t changed since the iPhone 4 are perhaps too used to seeing new designs in the mobile market, the same probably isn’t true for notebooks and this perception might be a bit of a problem for Apple. The newness that the iPod line-up usually manages is missing. Yet, the iPhone 5 to me is a new design, looks as good as ever and ships with a larger screen.
The camera remains constant at 8MP with a new panorama mode, volume keys, home button and power button stay. The only other structural change is the 3.5mm audio jack moving to the bottom of the device alongside a new ‘Lightening’ port.
For the iPhone, plenty has changed. Plenty. Let’s take a stock of things that has changed:
- Larger screen. 4″, still Retina Resolution
- LTE Support
- Audio port relocated
- Dock connector changed
- HD front camera (FaceTime)
- iOS 6 Facebook integration
- New Maps
- Upgraded Siri
- New audio accessory
- Same structure, new design. Significantly thinner and lighter
For an average iPhone user, these are a big changes. Yet, from the outside most of them appear as a catch-up with the industry standards and in may ways it sure is. Apple’s strength remains design, iOS + Apps and an increasing number of features woven together. Majority iOS devices would be running iOS 6 a month from now and Apple would come out with its press releases on sales figures. But the one single change on the iPhone 5 increases its value proportion globally like none other, the larger screen.
Since a while now a lot of users have been lured by large screens. Media consumption, reading, web surfing, almost all interaction with the phone get a boost. With the iPhone 5, Apple kills a big differentiator that the Android have been presenting. In emerging markets, the iPhone still reamins a luxury and we sure don’t expect slaes to sky rocket in India, but the lower priced iPhone 4 and 4S might well do some good to the sales numbers.
