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The new iPhone 5 is here. It’s thinner and faster than ever, with a new form factor that uses a gorgeous panoramic screen with a higher resolution and less power consumption. It also surfs the web much faster, thanks to its new LTE capabilities. And, just as we suspected, it has a new smaller dock connector called Lightning.
Overall, it seems they have improved every single aspect of the iPhone. Very nice.
The iPhone 5 looks exactly as the leaked phone: an unibody aluminium body with a glass screen. “It’s thinner than ever,” says Phil Schiller. 18 per cent thinner in fact, which puts it at 7.6 millimetres. They are claiming this is the world’s thinnest smartphone.
It’s also 20 per cent lighter than the current iPhone, just 112 grams. It comes in black and white models.
Their new manufacturing method seems quite extraordinary. According to Jon Ive, they “have never built a product with this extraordinary level of fit and finish.” They claim that the “variances from product to product is now measured in microns.”
As expected, it uses LTE connectivity, so it will be much faster that the current iPhone 4S. It supports all the standards needed for all networks: HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and LTE. Apple says that its single-chip solution works everywhere.
The iPhone 5 also has dual-channel 5GHz Wi-Fi — aka 802.11N. That means a 150Mbps maximum connectivity speed.
Apple claims that the new 16:9 4-inch panoramic screen has 44 per cent more saturation than the iPhone, which makes the display full sRGB. The display has its touchscreen sensor built-in, which was crucial to its thinness. Apple says that no other phone in the market has this.
It also has a new CPU, the A6 — which Apple claims is 2 times faster than the current iPhone 4S, both in CPU and graphics. In real life, it claims it loads web pages 2.1 times as fast.
If true, this is impressive: 8 hours of 3G talk time, 8 hours of LTE browsing, 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 30 hours of video and 225 hours of standby.
They have also updated the camera. On paper, it’s better than the one in iPhone 4S, with a five-element lens and a 8 megapixel sensor (3264 x 2448 pixel), backside illumination, a new hybrid infrared filter, and a nice f/2.4 aperture.
It has a new dynamic low light mode too (I wonder how it compares to Nokia’s IOS) and a sapphire crystal. Knowing how scratched the glass on my iPhone is — making the photos not as crisp as when it was new — that’s good news. Shapphire crystal is the hardest thing you can get this side of a diamond.
The new image processing chip has spatial noise reduction, with a system to analyse which parts of the image need noise reduction and which should be left alone. As a result of all this, it claims low light photography is now much better than before.
Here’s an image taken with the new iPhone, which Apple claims it’s completely unretouched:
The image capture is also faster: 40 per cent, they say. The iPhone 4S camera is already quite fast, so it will be interesting to see how this thing handles. Certainly, there’s no such thing as fast enough when it comes to taking photos.
They have also added a new capture mode called panorama. It doesn’t require you to stitch photos one by one: just pan the phone and it will automatically capture a panorama for you. Even if you can’t hold it steady, the phone is smart enough to know how to correct for it and make a perfect panorama. It also gets rid of any moving object, they say.
Like the previous iPhone, this one has 1080p HD capture. They claim they have improved the image stabilisation in this version, added face detection (so it will be able to tag people automatically in videos) and, this is good, it will allow you to take full still photos while recording video.
They have also make the 720p front camera better. It also has face detection and—at last—the operating system will enable FaceTime over cellular.
Apple has also upgraded the audio, both the microphones and the speakers.
It now has three microphones — one the front, back and bottom. They will improve the quality of your voice calls — who actually calls anymore? — and sound recordings. More importantly, they have included noise canceling without the need for external specialised headphones.
The speakers are much better quality now, going from three to five magnet transducers, which will result in a clearer, richer sound. Any improvement over the cricket boxes of previous versions is welcome.
Apple has also improved the quality of voice calls. According to Phil Schiller, the new iPhone 5 can use something called wideband audio. If supported by the network (like Orange’s HD calling), the phone will use more of the spectrum bandwidth to send a much better and high-fidelity version of your voice over the network.
As predicted, the dock connector has changed. It’s now much smaller. Apple calls it Lightning (a name play on its other connector technology: Thunderbolt). It’s all digital and has 8 connectors. It also has an adaptive interface, which I guess means that the connector will send different signals according to the kind of features you need in your connection.
They best thing about the new connector, however, is that it is reversible. This may seem stupid, but being able to connect your cable no matter of the orientation will protect humanity against the 529th Article of Murphy’s Law: “Thou will always try to connect your iPhone cable the wrong way up.”
Does that mean that you would have to trash your old dock accessory? No, they are giving us an adapter that will turn the old connector into the new Lightning. Phil Schiller says that they are working with peripheral manufacturers to include Lightning in their next batch of products, which will arrive this Christmas.
We’re waiting on full pricing in the UK, but it’ll cost you from £530 off-network, which is £30 more than the iPhone 4S used to be.
In the United States, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore you will be able to pre-order it this Friday and get it the next, September 21 The other countries will have it on September 28.
Oh, and if that’s still too expensive for you: the iPhone 4S has been lowered in price, too, with a two-year contract. The iPhone 4 will be free with the same contract, bumping out the iPhone 3GS.
For a full list of everything Apple announced at its September keynote, take a look over here.
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Whoop-de-doo…
Err… Was you here early.
Lots of Android heads in here, they don’t like Apple apparently but can’t get enough of the release.
Not quite sure what you mean by “Was you here early”, but basically I’m just commenting on the complete lack disappointment this iPhone has brought. The design… It’s growing on me. But that’s probably just because Jony justifies it so well. He hypnotises you. Anyway, it’s not that, it’s the fact that every single detail of the iPhone 5 had been leaked at some stage. Yet Tim said he would double down on security.
I assumed it must have been a hoax released by Apple, what with all the leaks. But no, it seems they have just become rather lax when it comes to security. Sure, it’s hard to get all the manufacturers and all their employees to follow the rules. But they’ve managed it in previous years, haven’t they? In fact, I’d say the iPhone 4′s announcement had less leaks than this one did. Even though Giz US did get their hands on one, that was a one off – we’ve seen tonnes of parts leaked, mock-ups leaked, cases leaked, dock connectors leaked… It’s just not professional.
By the way, I’ve always been an Apple fan, not Android. And who knows? Maybe I’ll grow to like the iPhone 5. I haven’t seen it in person yet, for a start. But right now, this event has said to me, “WWDC 2012 was Apple’s peak.” The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is a truly beautiful and amazing product. Whereas today, they’ve released an iPhone which takes a lot of styling cues from the iPhone 4/4S, an iPod touch which is a mix of awesome features and not-so-awesome features (camera sticking out due to it being too thin, the loop, pastel colours), and the iPod nano. The iPod with so much potential, which has just been, effectively, rendered pointless. An ugly design, an ugly UI, in general, it’s a product which looks like a knock-off iPod. And now you can’t make an iWatch any more. So Apple added the killer feature (Bluetooth) to the iPod nano, which would make the iWatch trend rocket, I imagine, but they killed the design.
So, to sum up, whoop-de-doo. They’ve gone and released the iPhone we expected them to release, and some iPods which we, or certainly I, would rather they hadn’t released.
Isnt the camera sticking out because of the loop holder thing at the bottom, so you can put it on a table and it would be slightly angled towards you instead of rocking about if just the bottom loop was sticking out. It’s not because it’s too thin.
Indeed.
1136×640? What kind of crack-smoking resolution is that? Steve Jobs is probably shitting in his grave at the prospect of letterboxed apps. Also no NFC, lol!
Exactly! Ugh. I wish I could go over there now and sort them all out.
Haters Gonna Hate!
I, for one, am very excited about the iPhone 5 and am looking forward to an evening of finding out what i’ll be spending my hard earned cash on when it’s released.
I’m just upset that they managed to leak so much stuff. Knowing me, I’ll grow to like it, but I still don’t think it’s as good as it should be. Letterboxing apps? That’s why I’ve hated the 16:9 ratio on the iPhone since the first rumour came out. Keeping the same resolution would solve that easily.
I’d rather have small letterboxes on a few apps that don’t want to update, than watch movies with letterboxes or the sides cut off, 16:9 is the main video ratio for movies and the majority of TV broadcasts, it’s an obvious decision
I’d much rather have more screen real estate though than having 16:9. Letterboxes really aren’t that annoying for video, in my opinion.
I do agree with that, i would have liked it to have been wider as well as taller, the aspect ratio change wont affect m really, so if they had managed to get it to br edge-to-edge screen i would have creamed my pants. I’m a bit disappointed that the overall design is a bit same-same but hey, i’ll still be getting it!
Haha! Can’t say I’m joining you. There’s always a slight possibility I might get it, as I get used to it and actually get to use it, but really, I’m just disappointed about the whole thing. There’s still a slim chance they’ll say “One More Thing” and unveil a totally different design though… Very slim…
That format has never worked on a handheld device – it just isn’t easy on the eye for page scanning, but brilliant for watching films. Apple are saying, this is the perfect size and aspect of the next best selling smartphone – maybe, I got a crazy feeling that will not be the case.
Skaters gonna skate
More like bitches gonna bitch..
Or suckers gonna suck!
Or droids gonna drool..
Hey Taf, so, what’s your take on the iPhone 5?
I always said I liked the design of the iPhone 4, just the screen size was too small. The iPhone 5 is keeping to the same lines of the 4, this is good, the phone will still have that nice feel to it. 4″ is the minimum I would accept, a bit more, perhaps 4.3″ would have been better. The processor and graphics are upgrades on what I have seen on any tablet or phone so that can only be a good thing. iOS 6 will hopefully be jail broken at some point soon, that way I can customise the way I like it. Even more rows and smaller icons to start with. This thing will hook up with the rest of my apple kit so looking forward to getting my hands on it, going to buy direct from Apple, hope that means it will do 4g outta the box.
Are you planning to camp out for it? I suggested to Kat that they could do a “notes from the Frontline” style thing with someone in the iPhone queue (called “view from the queue”) thought it might be interesting for those of us who aren’t ever likely to camp out for something that we could just pick up in the shop on launch day. Suggested you as a likely candidate to write it. If you are interested let Kat know.
Mine is ordered online. But I guess that could be a interesting article. In 2010 I was the first into one of the local Orange stores, I didn’t wait long, just used my head to avoid the masses, the smaller orange store I went to is never busy, only had 6 units of which I got one. Would I ever camp out for a gadget? No, I would go perhaps an hour or two early but no more..
Ah well, she didn’t go for it anyway. Said that stories about camping out at apple stores are old hat.
EE LTE
Very disappointed. What’s happened to Apple!? No innovation in design and this product must have had every single part leaked!! Apple under Tim Cooke is becoming bitterly disappointing.
You’re blaming Apple and Tim Cook (no e
) because factories leaked the parts? It’s hardly his fault someone wanted to make a little cash on the side. Design is completely different to anything previous and in terms of innovation- it is 4G capable at the moment 4G is released (in the UK anyway, not sure about other countries). Even though apple didn’t create 4G, it is at the forefront of technology
Completely different design?! Also, 4G has been in the States for AGES..
you’re not wrong there, on both counts!
Goes and sits back in his naughty chair
It not a complete redesign, yet is a very good at keeping the iPhone4 aesthetic and making it better and refining it.
Stocked up on Red Bull have we Sam?
and I’ll wait to make my personal judgement as there may be something pulled out the old onion bag which makes me go wooweewowowee, still disappointed by the whole ‘Meh-Factor’ that is the leaked design was right, The transitional process of Jobs-Cook seems to of uncovered many holes.
Only problem is it’ll cost ONE MILLION DOLLARS on release, curious to see how much a 4G EE Contract with the 5 will cost? Speculators commence speculation.
So the camera is largely the same right? I think that quip about the images being untouched will bite them on the ass when tech sites get their hands on them for a side by side review. I’m sure the Nokia will come out on top.
To be fair, it’s 22% smaller and yet they’ve made improvements right across the board.
Sorry, the chip is 22% smaller. The phone itself is volumetrically smaller.
“The most amazing new feature in the iPhone 5 is panorama.” Well, that just about sums it up.
Whoah there partner, that’s one fugly adaptor. Surely some cunning could have led to it being smaller?
so is there anything newsworthy about this new iPhone?
sounds like this is a 4Ss
It should have been called the iPhone 4GS.. Because its got 4G.. But its still an iPhone 4S.. Geddit?
No no no. Should have been called the iPhone 4GS XL.
Im naming it that on iTunes
ohhh that’s much better
Rumours are it has mastered complacency.
APPLE setting new standards all other mobiles will be measured against…. This is the new king of all mobiles. S3 owners never mind.
So far it’s the thinnest (apparently) other than that, what does it have that lots of other phones don’t already deliver?
TIM STEVENS 6:14 PM
“So, iPhone 5. It is made entirely of glass and aluminum. It’s designed and built to an exacting level of standard unlike anything we, or anyone in our industry, have made before.”
So it has very slightly smaller gaps than any other phone. GASP! I MUST HAVE IT!
Why do you keep re-printing a press release and pretneding it is something other than an advertisement.
keep? Copy and paste once, you call it an ad, i call it the truth. Tut tut…
I don’t call ANY ad the truth, that is the sad truth of your belief system, IT IS AN AD, but you want to believe it as truth… which is sad really.
No, whats SAD is the hate you have for Apple. If you don’t like Apple then that’s kool, spending so much time on something you dislike, that’s just plain SAD.
I hate ad driven nonsense and people who spout press releases like a holy book – that is the real sadness. I have no hate for Apple, I have owned original iMacs right through to Macbooks, they were lovely machines, the cult is what I find hilarious…along with your devotion to it.
It sounds like a moderate (not fantastic) improvement on the previous iPhone, but so far in terms of tech it just sounds like its playing catch-up with other devices already out on the market… nothing worthy of claiming it as the ‘king’ yet
lol, nothing really jaw dropping here, its just more of the same really. The iphone 5 specs are as exciting as a year old curry.
So, pretty hot then?
its not the thinnest phone in the world.
http://phandroid.com/oppo-finder/
the oppo finder which is 6.65mm is the thinnest so guess just more of apples bullshit.
no just very very old, moldy and so last year.
Yes Taf it has the best battery, do you know any other high end smart phones with a 16:9 screen, yes this thing looks slim, very slim… And doesn’t it look nice, very nice, not plastic like the s3.
Best Battery? Yeah because quoted battery life is usually about as accurate as my urinal aiming abilities after 10 pints..
Wait, are you replying to yourself?
Oh, and pretty much every other manufacturer has been running 16:9 for some time.
Talking/replying to yourself is one of the first signs of madness.
C’mon ! Mad, me, Never. I tell thee I is havin one…
Are you a real person?
More real than an Android head…
Blindly believing Apple’s self-hype is a close second.
That is just plain stupidity
I still prefer the Note 2
Best Battery – Mine is removable with is the best in my books.
Bet you’re looking forward to watching movies on that 16.9 screen, while everyone else is stuck in the past watching their 50″ TVs.
Well if I Download a movie on the iPhone 5, i can Stream it on my 50″tv also via my Apple tv. Don’t Apr make things easy.
Apple*
I gotta say I’m disappointed, its not 16:9 its slightly smaller (do the math before you hate) nearly all of it was known before launch and its another baby step, visually the same with screen space for an extra row of icons and 4g
We’re all a little disappointed because manufacturing staff have been complicit in leaking information from the get go. We’re also underwhelmed because Apple haven’t shaken up the smartphone landscape with something truly innovative and left-field.
I think we’ve been asking for far too much.
It’s not a proper Apple event until someone says ‘blow away’ when describing a new feature.
In all honesty, we’re being spoilt by all this new tech. What we have here is cutting edge technology for the price, all packaged in a unique and aesthetically pleasing design.
We’re all little first world shits.
I’m blown away by how much lighter it is…. no wait they took off the glass back and replaced it with something sensible, they did that before, now its aluminium though wow.
I’m blown away by the panorama mode… no wait, that wasn’t impressive when it came out on Android at least a year ago.
I’m a little blown away by the A6, now there’s some good stuff there. I think if all the Samsung phones were marketed in the same way it’d probably sound less impressive, Apple’s marketing as always is first rate.
That’s as neutral as I can be as a Android user.
A friend of mine manages networks in a bank. He loves Android.
Another friend works at Future publishing in Bath, he’s an Apple guy.
The Apple guy is far more fun to hang out with. That’s my argument.
Google Maps on Android, navigate indoors in large buildings, works in a bank, navigate to bank vault. Spend ‘winnings’ on expensive motors, women, beer, cigars and trips around the world.
Friend still works at Future publishing. Thats my argument
If you took out their choice of mobile OS and judged them on their job, I would say the latter would be more fun… Managing networks in a bank must be tiring and depressing.
At least he’s not an actual banker.
you need to come out with Me, Darrell nd the boys for a burger and beer night in london, get on google + and search for me as iain buchanan, if you havnt already joined the gizmodo uk circle that is, we’re all on different platforms and know how to have a proper piss up! its an open invitation to all gizmodo commenters by the way! find me or Darrell jones.
Thanks for the invite, it’s much appreciated.
But as a general rule, I only meet strangers in London if its at 33 Portland Place.
33 Portland Place? Pah, commoner. Has a marvellous website though.
Subjectic judgement on personality based on what phone brand you use – HIPSTER ALERT – ALL IPHONE USERS ARE COOL TO HANG OUT WITH HONEST.
I think you’ll find it was the other way round. I don’t choose friends based on what type of phone they’re using. My comment was merely an observation.
So we have seen the new phone now and i will be getting one as i think apple make the best phone/software combo.
It’s basically the same phone but with minor tweaks :\
So lame.
Soooo, pretty much every leak was spot on then? And other than it being thin (and still relatively small compared to the Android big ‘uns) it’s pretty much in-line, features and spec wise, with phones that have been out for the last 4 months+. :/
Nowt too exciting then huh?
Spread Love not hate… Apple back at the top of the tree, too high perhaps for some to reach.
Would you care to elaborate on that? I can’t see anything that is truly groundbreaking let alone pushing them to ‘the top of the tree’.
I was hoping they would wow me, but they just didn’t, with something as pivotal as the form factor change they could have made some truly fundamental changes and reinvent the device but they just didn’t.
Don’t worry that is just Taf. Apple claims something and he believes it blindly. No questions asked.
Ah, fair enough!
Will keep that in mind in the future
Would you redesign the wheel or just improve on what is already the best design..
Apple invented neither the wheel or the mobile phone; your analogy would be more accurate along the lines of “would you redesign a 7 spoke alloy wheel?”
Improve…
If it was the best design.
Always build on success, the best just got better, the compo got left further behind…
When the Iphone 4 came out it was awesome; smart, clean and modern. Then along came the 4s. . . same design, but who cared; there were some solid improvements and the phone was still a good looking beast. Now however, my concern for the humble iphone is that it has started to look a bit dated alongside members of the competition and I am wondering whether elongating it and giving it a metal behind is enough to create a buzz amongst the punters. Look forward to fondling one and getting a real impression.
Saying all that, there is always only so much that you can do with a screen and cavity. Waiting for someone to show me otherwise.
It is funny that they chose the green man kicking Loki’s arse. Makes me think of another green thing kicking a pompous little shite’s arse.
Well, I’m spent.
Can’t wait for the 5S rumours. I heard it’s getting a larger Home button and will also be available in brushed aluminium finish, but I’m sure I can read all about it tomorrow when Giz realise they don’t have any other article ideas.
I hear it will have NFC and it will be made from ground up unicorn horns..
No thats just the power source. Its made of Phoenix tears crystalised in some other creatures foreskin
Technically speaking Giz’s article about NFC maybe coming in a year is their first iPhone 5s rumour
It’s gorgeous!
Yes it is.
Revolutionary and magical too hAhahahaha
I have a feeling that it will be even better in person..
Woh, panaroma. Im very excited about this and also 1080p recording and face detection and an 8mp camera and and and…………I’ll stick with my SIII
What that horrible plasticky thing, cheaply built, no in the hand premium feel to the S3. This thing oozes quality…
Well the iPhone 5 definitely doesn’t ooze features or performance. Can you point out anything that the iPhone 5 can do that the S3 can’t? Besides Apple-ey stuff?
Have you had your hands on either of them. I dont find the SIII plasticky at all and the build quality is great. But its not just down to build, its also down to innovation, of which the I5 has none. Nothing which isnt already out there.
Err… It’s plastic, plastic, cheap plastic at that. So, it feels plastic, flimsy plastic, that’s the S3. It’s not Aluminium and Glass now is it?
Is that your best shot? Really, that all you got to go on. Actually yes it will be because the I5 just has no other redeeming features that make it stand out to any other high end phone that came out 5 months or so ago. Oh and the SIII has glass.
No one can tell me of better looking, sleeker, more stylish and better built using premium materials than the iphone…
You may not admit it, you know this is true.
It actually looks like the bastard son of an old school tape. With glass
Careful you don’t ooze over yours when you get it, liquid damage will void the warranty.
Careful you don’t drool too much over the pictures…
I always find it funny when people mention the thickness of the iPhone, it’s all well and good but everyone I know (bar maybe one) has thier iPhone in a case, which adds loads of extra bulk. It also makes the stunning apple design completely moot as it’s being hidden behind a cheap plastic case.
As for the rest of the phone, I’m sure it’ll do what it’s supposed to do very well, but it’s hardly revolutionary, especially considering the price (£40 per month at least).
“but it feels so PREMIUM in hand, all I have to do is take my case off to feel it.”.
Taf (in a few weeks time).
Cheap case? My iPhone case cost me near £100, plastic, the element vapor 4 I used is aluminium, not plastic and it compliments the apple design.
Sweet Moses you spent £100 on a CASE?!
It’s not even a nice looking case. That right there is proof of Taf’s state of mind.
That my friend is a matter of opinion, some would say the S3 is a nice looking phone, not me…
What’s the recess for?
Yes. And I would again.
Do you go out of your way to try and be the stereotypical iPhone user?!
I’m not stereo typical anything. what would you say is a stereo typical iphone user?
I like technology, i like apple products more than some others, but today I used my one X and not the iphone 4, I’m not devoted to a company, its better to have many experiences rather than just the one..
I like THIS Taf
Remember in here things are different to the real world. People will say things in text as a response, to gain a reaction or as banter, but would never say in speech.. .
So basically, this is not an S3 beater. I think this sets a precedent. Every other iPhone (perhaps barring the 4S) has been the best on the market on release. This however, certainly is not. The S3 has better resolution (supposedly the iPhone 5′s killer feature), and just generally more features than this. This feels like they’ve pulled another 4S trick, only with a redesign. Combined with a disappointing iOS6, could this perhaps mark the end of Apple’s golden smartphone era.
Of course, people will still buy this in droves. It’s an Apple product; people are stupid.
Hell even a Nokia now has a better ppi than the iPhone 5
Whilst I wouldn’t say the S3 is better, I’d also not say the iPhone 5 is a wild improvement. Pretty much much-of-a-muchness.
In terms of features I’d say the S3 tops the iPhone. In terms of hardware I’d say they’re about the same (although a 16:9 could be shit for browsing.) Plus, iOS6 brings nothing original or innovative. Jelly bean has way more features.
Yea, can’t disagree with that really. Not digging the 16:9 and letterboxing at all.
So the most amazing feature is letterboxed apps, haha poor apple have lost their way. I wounder how many will change to Android now. If you’ve got Apple shares sell them now.
Don’t want to buy a phone from a company that thinks i to thick to change a battery or slip in an SD card to improve the memory LMFAO
Ohh Mr. Grohl, what are you doing!?!
The combined LCD and touch panel is going to be a right pain in the ass to fix…
This is an incredible phone, the first phone with a 4 inch screen. Only Apple dares to go with such a largely untested screen size.
That panorama mode & new connector will leave all those fandroids green with envy.
Can’t wait to queue up for one.
What the fu……..oh, I see what you did there
It takes a lot of innovation to put out a phone without Gorilla Glass, and removing YouTube was a stroke of genius. I think the best thing about it is how it dares to have less features than other leading smartphones. Takes balls to pull of something like that.
What the fu……..damn caught again
no mention of the nano sim?
Part of me was looking forward to seeing the specs on the iPad mini…..well dodged Apple!
Protip- it will be a smaller, worse iPad.
It’s a shame that this appears to be an almost small incremental upgrade, kinda like the difference between the 4 and 4s. The most appealing aspect is the 4G, and wifi dual band facility (which already exists with 4s) but for the UK this will be a short lived exclusive feature.
I am mostly impressed with the new Nano more than anything else. It’s good that they’ve gone back to the rectangular look for music and video. All it really needs is a larger capacity for my music!
I like the panoramic feature, no need to click, move the phone and iOS does the rest.
The new maps with the fly bye feature looks much better too…
Like the panoramic camera in Jelly Bean, and the the perpetually out of date TomTom maps? Or the 3D fly by that has been in Google Earth for years. Really innovating there Apple.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19557497
This BBC article says it all.
Just want to point something out to people who say there are barely any changes. Have a look at this comparison between the Galaxy S2 and S3.
http://www.android.gs/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Samsung-Galaxy-S3-vs-Galaxy-S2-vs-Galaxy-Nexus-vs-HTC-One-X-660×351.jpg
Lets look at the changes:
- Better processor (Oh Apple did that)
- Slightly bigger screen (Oh Apple did that)
- Camera’s got worse (Oh Apple upgraded that)
- Battery’s better (Oh Apple did that)
- Got thicker (Oh Apple made it thinner)
- Bluetooth upgrade (Oh Apple did that)
- 4G (Oh Apple did that)
Lastly design, Samsung made the design worse than before on the S3 whereas Apple improved the design. I haven’t mentioned iOS in this as the focus is the iPhone as well but that was changed as well.
An upgrade is an upgrade and all companies will do the same thing but in this case Apple actually did a bigger and better upgrade.
Yes but didn’t have 6 months of solid rumours for the SIII
And that matters because? It is incredibly difficult to keep a large scale project secret, think about this, a Foxcon worker is asked on the way to work for quickly nab one for a reasonable amount of money and no one would be none the wiser.
David jones I applaud thee for such knowledge, I think you have just got these Android sheep well and truly told…
Why thank you kind sir
Android sheep ? Apple are the biggest corporation in world – you are swimming well into the mainstream bro!
You fail to account for the fact that numerous commentators proclaim Apple as the ultimate innovator, something that actually has to be achieved to provide legitimacy to the serious bump up in price relative to it’s predecessor.
The iPhone 5 matches the S3, yes, but will cost considerably more to own.
The iPhone 5 price is the same as the 4S price was…
And one more thing Apple innovated the smartphone, the computer, the personal music device and the ability to get music. Remind me what Samsung has done?
Samdung sacked it’s product designers and tried to hitch a ride to success by copying Apple… Shamefull. Tut tut.
When did the sony ericsson p900i come out?
What the huge brick that looks nothing at all like an iPhone?
http://image.ffmobile.com/product/photo/41/49/10024342.47fc5b2ac858ba9c1fadd57faf942cbf.jpg
Tuesday 12th September 2006 and the iPhone was 2007, it kind of changed a less than a year.
repeat this trick with a Samsung F700
Well it still has a qwerty keyboard, small, thick, text all over it and released a few months before the iPhone, hardly a triumph and you should look at the iPhone prototypes that date back to 2004.
Prototypes, shmototypes. The F700 was living and breathing before the iPhone was released, hence why Apple went to such lengths and pains to ensure it’s art was excluded from the patent infringement trial.
And surely the development of the onboard keyboard to replace the physical keyboard was a logical progression (see SE P800)?
Anyway, enough of the past, in the here and now, the iPhone 5 enters level with the S3 and that’s only as long as you don’t mind letterboxing, only being able to have one battery and no memory expansion
If you’re going to compare that (which is nothing like an iPhone), lets include the newton on this:
http://oldcomputers.net/pics/newton-right.jpg
Well something tells me Apple put the idea into action first.
Well the fact that the battery cannot be replaced is a huge benefit as it means you don’t get a terrible design like you do on the S GS3. Also in real life no one brings more than the battery in the phone and people don’t have memory cards that they constantly switch out.
If you do need more power why not just get this, its simple and what I use for my iPod Touch http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BA8U0T0iL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Lastly the screen is a much better ratio for the majority of things such as watching films.
I am referring to the price differential between the two products on Sept 21st.
I remind you that Samsung innovated a lot of the components and technology that allowed Apple to make those innovations in the first place. You need to stop living off past glories and focus on what is here and now. The features of the iPhone 5 closely resemble that of the S3, if the UK pricing reflects that then everybody wins.
No idea what you even mean about that.
And wrong actually Apple innovated the components and Samsung was the supplier that makes them. The past glories that still define Apple such as design, off topic from the iPhone think about the MacBook Air.
Before: http://www.whitegadget.com/attachments/apple/10976d1214291094-apple-macbook-air-laptop-apple-macbook-air-laptop.jpg
After: http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2012/01/f41512cfb4f3a974fea04c90a87bcff9.jpg
So the MacBook Air comes along and the computing industry suddenly realises that thinner laptops are the way forward? Nothing to do with the trend of continued shrinkage in components?!
I’m not just talking about thinner but instead the exactly same aluminium/other metal slant down.
And i think Bletchley Park would have something to say about Apple inviting the Computer lol And even in 1980 there was the Zx80/81 hahahahah
Made all of the components that allowed apple to do so?
Apple could get anyone to make the components but Samsung’s bit must of been best and as you can see they are gradually moving away.
The funny thing is, when you look into the “I Store” the assistants have T-shirts whit “Genius” on them… WTF? The only Genius i know is Stephen Hawking. And he Love’s jelly beans
You’re slightly off topic here…
Using iTunes is an innovation ? REALLY ?
How did people get music before that?
They had to go and buy a physical copy or get it off a service such as Napster. It was the first online way of buying songs/movies and so on where the artists actually benefits.
You get what you pay for, pay peanuts and get yourself a monkey phone like the Samdung S3
Besides, the iPhone will hold its value..
The S3 is cheaper to own, if “holding it’s value” is the best straw you can cling on to, I’m sorry for you
It’s not a straw, it’s a fact. Apple to expensive for you.. Quality comes at a price.
I actually get my handsets subsidised through my links to the industry, so affordability is never a personal issue to me
And I pay Apple for mine and affordability is not an issue either…
So you’re rich and showing off because you can afford an iPhone. WOW class act!
What Do you Call rich? Being able to buy a £500 phone does not make anyone rich. Thats just silly, everyone who drives a car worth £600 or more, are they rich? Its all about choices, what you do with what you have. My comment was in reply only, i’m not poor or rich, and i have no reason to gloat…
“affordability is not an issue either…”
Of course not that sounds totally reasonable…
I suggest you read the comment above mine, look at my reply afterwards, my reply is perfectly reasonable…
But do i give a F##k about what you think is reasonable? Do I f##k!
Tut tut.
Of course you don’t give a f##k what I think that’s why you reply ;-P
If I gave a F##k I would change my ways, but Taf changes for no one..
The reply is so you know the score… Tut tut
Some of these points are tenuous
-Camera got worse- well you’re judging the camera by megapixels, which, as anyone with any knowledge at all of cameras will know, means shit all. Overall, the quality of picture for the S3 is better than the S2
-Slightly bigger screen- yes Apple did that as well, but they didn’t make it wider, only taller. So now the iPhone has a screen that is uncomfortable for using apps and browsing online (16:9 is for from ideal for that)
-Got thicker- well I think 1mm of thickness is worth is for a 0.5″ increase in screen size, wouldn’t you?
-4G- well did you consider the fact that the S2 had LTE despite the fact that it came out in January 2011?
Then, you can look at the specs of the iPhone 4S in comparison to the SII. The 4S came out 9 months after the SII.
-All you can get on a phone that matters for the cameras is megapixels as all the lenses will be bad. Look at the white balance on this Galaxy S3 example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65449132@N03/7652292170/
-The screen may not of become wider for the reason that the Galaxy S3′s screen is stupidly big and the iPhone did not aim to do this, it aimed to make it widescreen as it improves gaming and the playing of films which are key to smart phones nowadays.
- The fact that it is 1mm is irrelevant, the fact that the iPhone got much thicker is what matters.
- Yes to the Samsung LTE having 4G before but if you remember from the graph that was displayed at the iPhone 4S speed test at the last expo nearly matched all the 4G competitors with the less labour intensive and more widely used making it the best global phone.
I never knew Darrell had an iPhone loving twin brother?!
Afraid not, just a random person who seems to have won all the arguments.
Why do people moan so much? If you don’t like apple then why are you here? :s And people complain about the way Apple Market, it’s better than Samsung. Didn’t you see any of the Samsung adverts? All they did was slag off the iPhone instead of talking about there own phone. Why change a design too much that people clearly love? Some people need to stop licking Androids arse.
Yes, this is true…
£530 is a lot for the base model – and while its definately a decent piece of hardware (calling it a “phone” seems stupid) I don’t think its class leading anymore. Its up there, its caught up, but theres no spark. I think I’ll wait and see if the early adopters find any problems while I make up my mind. I have to find the extra cash too haha
People are doubting the format, the screen res etc..
Just remember this is Apple we are talking about, the same Apple that made Tablets popular…
Others will follow and developers will conform as not doing so will mean a loss of revenue…
Remember what Taf said… Don’t doubt Apple will succeed.
True true. People seem to think Apple do things without thinking it through. They would have spent hours upon hours deliberating over the options and pros and cons.
It is so. People have a lot to say, hate for Apple, wishing it’s downfall, but none will say its gonna fail despite the features they don’t find appealing…
The world’s biggest and richest corporation won’t fail ? What cutting edge news, how does it feel to live so far into the mainstream ?
I don’t have one phone, I have many, so how is that mainstream. The mainstream user doesn’t customise iOS after jailbreaking, Taf does. Besides as I said above, why should I give a toss about what anyone thinks… Who are yer?
To me Thunderbolt and Lightning are very very frightening prospects indeed.
“The display has its touchscreen sensor built-in, which was crucial to its thinness. Apple says that no other phone in the market has this”
Except the recently announced LG phone that uses exactly the same screen, since it is an LG/Hitachi screen design.
YES. MUCH BETTER than Samsung screen..
LG have made iPhone screens for years they license the IPS design from Hitachi, I didn’t mention Samsung (who I believe helped back fill production for LG occasionally) What is your point ?
My point is Apple should stop taking anything from Samsung, and google for that matter. Lg is a better option. Cash is king, if apple want to take something first to market, they get to, that’s just the way it is..
Firstly, the disclaimer – I’m anything but an Apple fanboi, in fact I should probably consider myself firmly seated on the opposing side of the chamber, however that shouldn’t (hopefully) preclude some objectivity.
Secondly – Don’t expect any headlines, but maybe a few usable snippets…
iPhone 5: Apple seem to have done what they needed to maintain rough parity with the current crop of Android handsets. Yes, the screen has been stretched as expected to satiate the desire for displaying 16:9 content, and perhaps it would have been nice if they’d actually gone with a more standard resolution (720×1280 for example!), but nonetheless it is an improvement.
With the phone packing an A6 Cortex A-15 chip, then while it may be a little more inefficient rescaling content to 1136×640 from 720p, given that Samsung have anounced their Exynos 5 chips based on the same architecture that are capable of driving over 5x the number of pixels (2560×1600) at 60Hz, it’s hardly going to prove taxing.
That same chip is also likely one of the reasons that the phone can be made even more unecessarily thin – more processing for less power, so if the screen and SoC are becoming increasingly efficient, then you can get away with shrinking the battery. At the very least a similarly modest increase in battery size along the lines of 4->4S as other internal components also shrink.
The camera’s had a slight bump, the display quality has taken a similar jump, it supports faster wifi and cellular connections, etc…
Essentially Apple have done the same as Samsung have done with the SGSIII – no headline spec jumps, but everything has been slightly incremented which collectively will make things better. Joe Public doesn’t care about the monumental industrial design, engineering and manufacturing effort that’s gone in to making the phone smaller, they care about how the phone is to use.
While I still don’t understand the continued desire to make the thing even thinner (seriously, the iPod Touch is now getting thin enough that I can see someone either bending or breaking one if they sit down with it in their back pocket!) those with a penchant for skinny jeans will undoubtedly welcome the continued struggle with anorexia.
It’s subtly better than the last one in every respect, and the summation of those subtleties is the headline result.
Not a fan boy for any side of the android vs apple argument. Apple seem to be lacking innovation and just trying to make there phone more powerful each year. I always wanted an iPhone until the 4S came out. Apple will probably make alot of money on this phone but I can say lately more of my friends (who would not be very knowledgeable when it comes to tech) have been moving away wanting something different.
To sum up I’d buy and SIII now and i’m pretty sure most people with sense would buy one too.
i am just gonna put my 2pence in here you said “Apple seem to be lacking innovation and just trying to make there phone more powerful each year” and maybe your right but except for nfc what do people want a Swiss army knife to swivel out the side with a spork adapter, 3d? , holograms? i mean at this moment we are at the limit until maybe 3d is DONE WELL not the shit available now ect ect i could go on but…. also as a jury just decided Samsung copied apple
never mind ill save this for another day
The court cases aren’t helping the industry. I don’t care if Samsung copied apple but doesn’t the fact that Apple sued almost prove they did a better job than apple. Patent hogging. The Siii wasn’t part of the case was it? (I haven’t researched enough to know)
In my mind innovation should provide us with something smart and intuitive that we didn’t know could be done. Please forget about 3D just let it die people. Simple features like Smart Stay and Direct Call are what grabbed my attention to the S3.
Don’t get me wrong I love my macbook and I’m upgrading to an Imac when new line comes out. I’m hoping that the lack of innovation on this Iphone means Apple have turned back to what I like them for. Computers.