The iPhone 5, Whatsup?

So now that we’re past the anticipation, the big event, the jubilation and by some accounts the disappointment, how is the iPhone 5 really doing? Is it better? As good as expected?

Articles leaking the new software and hardware features of the phone were building public anticipation right up until the announcement. Although most of those proved correct and worth the excitement, marking massive improvements to the 4s, there was some disappointment that there wasn’t a huge secret feature that Apple had managed to keep a secret.

Nevertheless, due to sly marketing or actual unexpected demand that led to limited supply, the iPhone 5 sold out in it’s presales in unprecedented time. Two million phones in about an hour starting at midnight September 14^th– twice the number of the presales for the 4s. In the three days following the actual release on Sept 21, Apple says they sold over 5 million more iPhones. AT&T are saying that it was the biggest iPhone launch by a long shot.

So, all pretty good.  There were, of course, those who said that the numbers were disappointing, that the device wasn’t worth any of the anticipation, etc, etc, those damn Samsung owners, so used to complaining they don’t know something to be happy about when they see it.

And here is what to be happy about: The new Features of the iPhone 5

Let’s look at the hardware first- after-all, first impressions only happen once right?

It looks great. Like, great. Still available in black and white, with the outside frame made completely from aluminium and glass. It’s pretty.

The iPhone 5 is 20% lighter than the 4s and by gosh you can feel it… It almost feels like a child’s toy in your hand, except much, much more serious. And sexy. A lot of the lightness has to do with the thinness of the device- 7.6 mm. Smooth all over. Fitting to the hand, no matter the hand.

The height has been increased to 4 inches, enabling the screen to contain more content- more icons, emails, calendar, and it makes watching movies a lot better. Awesomely, Apple have managed to keep retina display  effect- continuing the iPhone’s dominance in sharp high resolution screen display.

Apple kept the width of the iPhone the same as previous models, which has faced some contention, with people ( Even Steven Wozniak) stating that they believe it should have gone wider or stayed with the width and height. In saying that, the retained width and the increased height makes it seem not only a better device than the 4s but also remains the one-hand manageability.

Lastly, the iPhone jack has moved, making it more pocket friendly, and the dock shape has changed from a 30 pin dock to an 8 pin dock called lightening. Excellent news overall, somewhat dampened by the added expense and somewhat relative bother of buying and using adapters. But, there’s only one way forward, and in the pursuit of excellence, sometimes you gotta buy adaptors.

So, that’s the physical- see it, breathe it and touch it iPhone 5 features. Stay tuned for the software specs, a look at Apple’s Maps V Google Maps and how YOU can profit from buying the new iPhone 5. (This one’s important… just so you know…)