I sometimes question society. I am a self proclaimed geek (ok, others proclaim the same thing) and need to have the latest and greatest. My only problem is that the latest and greatest isn't always the latest and greatest and the lemmings fall right over the cliff.
The iPhone 5. Latest and greatest. Meh, probably not. Form factor aside (I'll address that later), the iPhone is playing catch up. Those phones on the forefront have had many features that Apple just got done making record sales putting in there iPhone.
Let's look at 4g, particularly LTE. Granted, it's not in widespread use yet but is definitely the next generation data speed to be used by all the carriers. Essentially all non-Apple smartphones have had this, yet, now it's in the iPhone.
Lack of NFC (Near Field Communications). Now, I'm not a proponent of this technology, to be honest with you, as what's the difference between swiping a phone or a card, but Apple makes the decision to not even include it in their phone. I have my opinions on how "digital wallets" should look and Apple actually has it down pat. If you've ever visited an Apple store you know what I'm talking about. Although NFC isn't as ubiquitous as it could be, it's a generic standard that any carrier and manufacturer can get behind. Apple may have missed the bus on this one unless they have something up their sleeve with Passbook.
And, what's not to like about the Lightening connector. A lot, I think. I am all about saving space in the phone, but why create an entirely new connector? You want to impress me, put in micro-USB. With this decision, Apple has guaranteed third party manufacturers millions in adapter sales at our expense.
I think the jury is still out on wideband audio. It seems there will be some expense on the carriers part to incorporate the extra bandwidth required to institute this. I'm not sure that people who actually use there phones to talk have an issue with how it really sounds. Geeks/audiophiles may appreciate the change but I don't think it's a feature really worth noting.
Ok, the size. Again with the catching up. Bigger screens have been around for years and yet the iPhone kept the 3.5 inch screen on the 4 and 4s. Now the 5 has a 4 inch screen. Great! Maybe not. To me, the 4 inch screen is perfect but not in the 16:9 aspect ratio. Handling a friends Droid Incredible 2 felt like it belonged in my hand. It is thin and lightweight and, to me, feels like a phone should. Albeit I haven't held the 5 yet, I think making the phone longer isn't the answer. It looks like a touch screen tv remote.
As you can see, there is nothing earth-shattering about the new iPhone. While I think the camera on it is amazing and hopefully the battery life holds true and iOS is one top notch operating system, Apple has missed the mark. What happened to innovation? iPod-not the first music player but revolutionized portable music to this day. iPad- One of the first tablets. Best tablet. Period. iPhone-Revolutionized smartphones. The first one did. All others have been advances on the previous model not what would continue revolutionizing the industry. Others have taken the idea and ran with it putting everything into their phones first. Now it seems Apple has to do that just to compete. Innovation has taken a back burner.
With all this being said, I suppose I'll be seeing the rest of you lemmings in line to get the new iPhone 5 as reliance on iOS is ingrained in my everyday life. I got my first iPhone with the 4 and was pleasantly surprised with it and with all the bitching I've done really like the products Apple produces (Macs being the exception, but I could probably be swayed). I just think the vision is gone from Tim Cook and company.
