iPhone 5 reactions

[Labrador Deceiver]

Did you order online at 3am ET on the 14th? Because I ordered mine at 7am that day, and it is sti saying 2 weeks. Looking at Oct 5.

[mhendo]

Originally Posted by hajario

Why didn't they just order theirs on-line and sleep in a warm bed last night?

I assume this is a rhetorical question?

If not, the answer is that they are idiots.

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Labrador Deceiver

Did you order online at 3am ET on the 14th? Because I ordered mine at 7am that day, and it is sti saying 2 weeks. Looking at Oct 5.

Midnight PT on the 14th via Apple. I understand that you could still get one on launch day if you ordered through one of the carriers for several hours after that.

Originally Posted by mhendo

I assume this is a rhetorical question?

If not, the answer is that they are idiots.

Your first instinct was correct.

[hajario]

We already have some drop test videos.

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/21/...ce-and-screen/

One site kept dropping it from higher and higher and it still kept working. They finally had to slam it to the ground to get it to break.

The other was from an Android fan boy site comparing the iPhone 5 to an S3. The S3 failed badly and they had to concede that the iPhone came through with flying colors.

[Tarwater]

That's not surprising. All iPhones, as far as I'm aware, have had exceedingly good frame design. So it looks like the iPhone 5 isn't an exception. Has Apple done anything to improve the design since the last generation, though?

And yeah, the S3 is by all accounts incredibly delicate. Part of that is by design (from what I've read, you can pop off the plastic guard on the back to replace the battery or insert an SD card, for example) and part of it is Samsung trying to make a large, lightweight phone without investing in quality material and craftsmanship.

[hajario]

In one of the drop tests, the back panel came off of the S3 which the guy, correctly, said wasn't a big deal because it was designed to pop off.

This new iPhone has a glass front and a metal back. The 4 and 4S has glass on both the front and back. From these two sets of tests shown in my link above, which are very preliminary, this is a much more durable model than the last one.

[holmes]

Not to excuse poor design, but wouldn't you invest in a cover to avoid having your expensive phone break when you drop it?

I know the first thing I do is buy an Otterbox for whatever device I have, even if it's as well build as the iPhone.

I couldn't imagine having to shell out $300 to replace the screen of a new phone.

[Krouget]

Originally Posted by holmes

Not to excuse poor design, but wouldn't you invest in a cover to avoid having your expensive phone break when you drop it?

I know the first thing I do is buy an Otterbox for whatever device I have, even if it's as well build as the iPhone.

I couldn't imagine having to shell out $300 to replace the screen of a new phone.

It depends, really. If I plan to resell the device eventually, it sure makes sense to preserve it as much as possible. In the case of devices like the iPhone, where they maintain good resale value, it does make sense to protect the "investment". But for other people I know, they typically just buy a new device and let the previous one collect dust.

That said, I know a few people who prefer to carry their phone naked and use it as designed. I see the validity in that stance, too, since some cases can make the phone more bulky, defeating the original design intention.

In the end, to each their own.

[Lantern]

Originally Posted by hajario

We already have some drop test videos.

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/21/...ce-and-screen/

One site kept dropping it from higher and higher and it still kept working. They finally had to slam it to the ground to get it to break.

The other was from an Android fan boy site comparing the iPhone 5 to an S3. The S3 failed badly and they had to concede that the iPhone came through with flying colors.

Those drop tests are hardly scientific. The angle of impact makes a big difference and it's pretty much random. If you enjoy these things here is one of the Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S where the iPhone suffers from horrendous damage to the screen much worse than the GS3 in that video.

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Lantern

Those drop tests are hardly scientific. The angle of impact makes a big difference and it's pretty much random. If you enjoy these things here is one of the Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S where the iPhone suffers from horrendous damage to the screen much worse than the GS3 in that video.

It's totally obvious that a sample size of two isn't scientific and that these are preliminary tests. The 4S is a completely different design so that isn't relevant.

[Lantern]

The 4S is a different design but if you believed that video, it's a piece of crap compared to the GS2 which barely got scratched. Yet most people seem to think it's of decent build quality. The point is that these "tests" are really just a gimmick which don't tell us much about the build quality of the phones.

[Lightnin']

I totally forgot the iPhone 5 was coming out today and went to the AT&T store to get a Galaxy S3. They weren't crowded- I was the only one in the store-, but the network was so slammed that the clerk couldn't process my sale.

[hajario]

Just got home to get my new iPeen. Backing up my old one which will take a few minutes. Lighter and thinner and feels great in the hand as advertised. I love the new connector. More later.

[FoundWaldo]

Originally Posted by holmes

Not to excuse poor design, but wouldn't you invest in a cover to avoid having your expensive phone break when you drop it?

No. I put my phone in my pocket. These devices are already too big and bulky, to be honest. Putting a case on it just makes it that much worse. I kept my iPhone 3G in a case, but never really liked it that way, and from the 4 on I have gone caseless, as I am with my 5. For the way I use the phone, the case is a hindrance, so it's like having a plastic cover on your sofa - it might make it look better in a few years, but is that really worth it if you don't get to enjoy it in the mean time?

I did break an iPhone 4 once. Apple replaced the screen for free. Even when you have to pay to have the screen replaced, it's not $300. I'm willing to take the risk of having to buy a new screen if I break it, in exchange for having the phone be as small and sleek as possible. Then again, I don't tend to drop my electronics much. I know people who drop them all the time, and this strategy probably doesn't make much sense for them. Also, my wife keeps hers in her purse, so the bulk of a case doesn't matter as much, which I can understand.

[hajario]

The Dope stretched out with the longer screen in landscape is so much easier to read. I am a happy nerd so far.

[voltaire]

Originally Posted by hajario

I happened to drive by my local AT&T store at just before 9pm last night and there were already a few people sitting in folding chairs out front. Those guys in the front of the line will get their phone in ten minutes which is probably four or five hours before I'll get mine. Why didn't they just order theirs on-line and sleep in a warm bed last night?

You think that's bad? I saw a news report last night that showed people who had been waiting in line for EIGHT days. Though, to be fair, they mentioned that people treat it like tailgating, where the whole draw is to hang out with like (addled) minded people.

[interface2x]

Originally Posted by hajario

Mine has been on the UPS truck since 6:01am but it probably won't be delivered until early afternoon. My boss who, if anything, is more of a nerd than I am is fine with me skipping out to get it once it's delivered.

Due to a shipping mix-up (long story), the delivery guy brought it to me at my door but couldn't physically hand it to me because the machine he had said that I had to pick it up at the facility. We called the UPS office, talked to them there, and despite me being the person who ordered and paid for the package, they were unable to release it to me for any reason unless I pick it up at the facility. He left with it and I have to pick it up tomorrow morning.

[hajario]

Apparently many of them were using that as an opportunity to promote their business. Well we all have one thing in common. We are among the first … four million people to have an iPhone 5 today.

[Labrador Deceiver]

Originally Posted by hajario

Just got home to get my new iPeen. Backing up my old one which will take a few minutes. Lighter and thinner and feels great in the hand as advertised. I love the new connector. More later.

I have mine now. The line at the Alpharetta, GA Apple store near my office had a wait of 45 minutes. This thing is much faster than the 4.

[Labrador Deceiver]

Originally Posted by Lightnin'

I totally forgot the iPhone 5 was coming out today and went to the AT&T store to get a Galaxy S3. They weren't crowded- I was the only one in the store-, but the network was so slammed that the clerk couldn't process my sale.

Every AT&T store in Georgia was out of the 16GB iPhone by about 11:00. They were ghost towns after that.

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Labrador Deceiver

I have mine now. The line at the Alpharetta, GA Apple store near my office had a wait of 45 minutes. This thing is much faster than the 4.

It's not as big a difference at the 3G was to the 4 but it is significantly faster.

Since I had a 4 before, I hadn't used Siri. When I was driving back to work, I called a friend and had her text me. Siri read me the test and who sent it. It gave me the option to send a text back. Very cool.

[Amblydoper]

Wow. I love this phone.

The first thing I noticed (and my jealous friends as well) is that it is super thin and very light. The design is sleek, and the taller screen looks fantastic. It really feels like they gave me more screen real estate where I needed it the most. About the only thing I don't like about this phone is how it feels in my grip, but a reviewer I trust confirms that within a week, it will feel more natural in my hand.

The camera blew me away. The first shot I took, a candid photo in a dimly lit kitchen, with no effort to hold the iPhone still, looked amazing. I might actually take pictures with this thing! They say the best camera is the one you have with you.

Siri is quite useful. She helped me download the Pandora app while in the car and unable to type

[myskepticsight]

I like my new phone too except ( and a big fat except) I never felt the need to upgrade my laptop to Mountain Lion or whatever years ago, now I have been left behind in Apples dust and my phone is not supported on my OS. So I have a working phone I cannot sync. Apparently my only recourse is to CALL some number at Apple and see if I can find someone to sell and ship me the OS I need. So all this waiting, preordering...and now I get an empty $300 phone. My computer has been working fine so I never thought of it as obsolete even though I knew it was so I never considered I'd buy a product that wouldn't work with it. Grr.

[MsWhatsit]

Originally Posted by myskepticsight

I like my new phone too except ( and a big fat except) I never felt the need to upgrade my laptop to Mountain Lion or whatever years ago, now I have been left behind in Apples dust and my phone is not supported on my OS. So I have a working phone I cannot sync. Apparently my only recourse is to CALL some number at Apple and see if I can find someone to sell and ship me the OS I need.

I'm assuming you mean Snow Leopard, because Mountain Lion was released like three months ago. I am also assuming that the reason you need to get it instead of one of the newer OSes is because you have a fairly old laptop. You can buy a copy of Snow Leopard from Amazon; just search for Snow Leopard and they come right up. (PS: This is assuming your laptop is new enough to be able to run Snow Leopard. You may want to check that out. A Google search will probably do you.)

[Unintentionally Blank]

Originally Posted by myskepticsight

I like my new phone too except ( and a big fat except) I never felt the need to upgrade my laptop to Mountain Lion or whatever years ago, now I have been left behind in Apples dust and my phone is not supported on my OS. So I have a working phone I cannot sync. Apparently my only recourse is to CALL some number at Apple and see if I can find someone to sell and ship me the OS I need. So all this waiting, preordering...and now I get an empty $300 phone. My computer has been working fine so I never thought of it as obsolete even though I knew it was so I never considered I'd buy a product that wouldn't work with it. Grr.

What OS do you have? Mountain Lion is known for upgrading several of the earlier versions, and at $20, it's not like it'll break the bank. I've successfully upgraded from Snow Leopard and Lion with no issues.

PM me if you have the version prior to Snow Leopard (10.6?)

Unlike Microsoft, Apple really doesn't care to get the upgrade tax out of you.

[Unintentionally Blank]

Originally Posted by Amblydoper

The camera blew me away. The first shot I took, a candid photo in a dimly lit kitchen, with no effort to hold the iPhone still, looked amazing. I might actually take pictures with this thing! They say the best camera is the one you have with you.

The photo quality was the big reason I upgraded from my 3gs when the 4s came out. I freeking LOVE that camera.

[MsWhatsit]

Panorama mode is basically worth the upgrade all by itself, IMO. (Considering that I was coming from a 4 - Panorama is also available on the 4s, I think.) I do love the size and weight -- I was worried that I wouldn't like the increased length, but it seems to fit really well into my hand. But the camera is really blowing me away.

[hajario]

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/i...martphone.html

Real results are finally in. For now, the iPhone 5 is fastest smart phone in the world and by far the fastest on available in the US.

[interface2x]

Picked it up this morning and love it so far. I'm most impressed with the speed of the thing. I had it on LTE and ran a speed test this morning that got me 12.6 down / 7.8 up. Wow! Faster than my Wifi.

[MsWhatsit]

Originally Posted by interface2x

Picked it up this morning and love it so far. I'm most impressed with the speed of the thing. I had it on LTE and ran a speed test this morning that got me 12.6 down / 7.8 up. Wow! Faster than my Wifi.

I'm near Indianapolis at the moment and did a speedtest that showed 41 down/9 up. Not even kidding.

[hajario]

Even on AT&T's lame not-really-4G HSPA+ thing I am faster than WiFi. I can't wait until we get LTE here.

[Student Driver]

Got to play with mine more today. I'm a heavy music, data, and text user, with phone use pretty much in last place, so I'm focusing more on non-phone aspects. I upgraded from a 4 to this, skipping the 4S so some things I'm happy to see may be things introduced last year.

• I like the taller height of the phone itself. It's not a huge difference, but I find that it's a more natural "handset" feel for my hand, with my thumb gripping the case on the side rather than folding over a bit on the top like with the 3GS and 4/4S. The thinner design also makes it easier to hold. I've also never been a fan of the wider Androids, so this is the best-feeling non-landline phone I've gotten to use yet.
• The taller screen seems like no great shakes so far. If movie watching was my primary concern, I think I'd sacrifice hand comfort and go for a larger Android.
• No antenna problems thus far.
• Camera is nice, haven't used panoramic yet. Haven't taken any indoor shots yet, going to be interested to see if they fixed the "yellow tint" problem the 4 had in indoor lighting.
• The thinness and lightness make "typing" feel a bit weird so far.
• Speeds of upload/download on normal 4G is great, 4G LTE way better. Really glad I am grandfathered in on AT&T's unlimited data plan as I already find myself using more data-intensive applications like Netflix than I did before (which may make me regret my comment about the screen size being no great shakes!). Combined with faster processor speed, it also makes some things I learned to avoid -- like opening someone's Facebook photo album -- pleasant to use. Downloads pics fat, displays them fast. Nice. Compared Facebook access side-by-side with friends' high-end Androids. With the same 4G LTE access, the 5 was far faster. Internet access in general is a joy (until the networks start getting hogged I suppose); speed of access and display of web pages is almost comparable to a desktop on broadband.
• There's no excuse for the Lightning adaptor to be USB 2.0. Why not USB 3.0? Syncing a 64 gig phone is a huge pain in the ass... let's see if iCloud over wi-fi makes a difference. I'd never set it up on my 4, but the sync time for this was ridiculous.
• A2DP is broken. I have my previous Apple products paired with my car stereo (Touch 3rd gen, iPhones 3GS and 4) and liked the fact that I could keep them in my pocket, have the radio automatically start playing songs, and be able to change tracks with the radio controls. Can't do that with the 5; playback and track changes must be done with the phone itself. Disappointing. It's not the radio's firmware either; it's broken across all the Bluetooth radios I've tried thus far (my Pioneer, a friend's Kenwood, and several coworker's OEM radios). In addition, plugging into USB or using a Lightning-to-30-pin adaptor doesn't work at all on car radios that are licensed to be compatible with iPhone. So no using in-car mics for hands-free phone usage. Hope Apple corrects at least A2DP in an update.
• Still disappointed at lack of microSD support, IMO the biggest advantage the Androids have. My music library is about 100 gigs. If I could toss another 64 gig at mine (the 64 gig model), I could carry my entire music library. As it is, I have to be choosy about whatever I think I might like to listen to, then wait for the slow sync to be done. I imagine Apple does this so that people don't opt for a 16 gig model then "upgrade" with microSD to > 64 gig, saving $150 or so in the process, but it sucks for me.
• Cosmetically, I'm worried about the aluminum back. Seems like it will be more prone to scratches and dents. I'd like to not use a case with this thing -- the only reason I had one for the 4 was because of the antenna, as the glass proved impervious to scratching over its two years of use -- but don't want this to get as dinged up as the metal case on my Touch. My 4 is still in mint condition, which means I'm getting the most bang for the buck on resale (current potential buyer is offering me more for my 4 than the upgrade cost to this 5, which is nice).
• Built-in speakers are more robust, which is great. A ring or text notification is now loud enough to wake me up, and I can show a YouTube clip to friends without having to cup my hands around the speakers to "aim" the sound to the viewer.

[myskepticsight]

I meant that I needed Snow Leopard. I kept getting confused by all the damn cats and I wrote that before I had coffee

I already called Apple this morning and got it sorted out, a $20 copy of what I need is on its way to me now. My laptop is late 2008 MacBook. I am currently on 10.5.8 Leopard. I just kinda ignored all of the upgrades because I was mostly done with school by the time they came out and my laptop was just for iTunes and browsing and it worked just fine for that.

You can't just buy Snow Leopard anywhere, Apple quit selling it online and in stores this summer. Therefore, places like Amazon are no longer a valid option really because they either don't sell it anymore either or the price is jacked up high. A call to Apple got it to me for $20 and the person checked my laptop's specs and confirmed everything would work. Amazon:
$80
http://www.amazon.com/Mac-version-10...s=snow+leopard

No thanks. I also went to the Apple store (one down the street), Microcenter (one down the street) and checked around online all last night. Amazon was about the only place where I could click and buy it, but it's $80+. But problem is solved, or will be in a few days.

I decided to go ahead and play with the phone anyway even though it's all empty...damn this thing is fast. Upgraded from the 4 and we have LTE here. Feels like everything is mostly instant. And the panoramic camera is super fun. Waiting on my case to arrive though - phone is so light and thin I keep feeling like I am going to drop it, have a rubbery case coming from X-Doria in the mail, should be here shortly.

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Student Driver

[*]The taller screen seems like no great shakes so far. If movie watching was my primary concern, I think I'd sacrifice hand comfort and go for a larger Android.

I thought that the wider screen would stretch things out in landscape mode but what it means is the same information but larger text in landscape mode (which is great for message boards) and more information in standard mode.

[interface2x]

Originally Posted by MsWhatsit

I'm near Indianapolis at the moment and did a speedtest that showed 41 down/9 up. Not even kidding.

Sweet merciful crap, that's fast. I just ran another and only got 10 down, so I don't see myself approaching anywhere near your speed.

[Colophon]

Originally Posted by Student Driver

• Still disappointed at lack of microSD support, IMO the biggest advantage the Androids have. My music library is about 100 gigs. If I could toss another 64 gig at mine (the 64 gig model), I could carry my entire music library. As it is, I have to be choosy about whatever I think I might like to listen to, then wait for the slow sync to be done.

Have you considered iTunes Match? Sounds like it would be ideal for you, especially if you have unlimited data. I only have a 16GB iPhone 4 but Match means I effectively have my whole 40GB+ library available. iOS 6 has changed the way it works so it is more of a streaming service - less good for me as I only have 500MB a month data, but should be fine for you.

[Student Driver]

Originally Posted by Colophon

Have you considered iTunes Match? Sounds like it would be ideal for you, especially if you have unlimited data. I only have a 16GB iPhone 4 but Match means I effectively have my whole 40GB+ library available. iOS 6 has changed the way it works so it is more of a streaming service - less good for me as I only have 500MB a month data, but should be fine for you.

Forgot that existed. The cost is reasonable, too, and considering my music library will eventually exceed 128 gigs, probably better in the long run than just wishing for more onboard memory.

[Colophon]

Originally Posted by Student Driver

Forgot that existed. The cost is reasonable, too, and considering my music library will eventually exceed 128 gigs, probably better in the long run than just wishing for more onboard memory.

A couple of words of warning though: one, its limited to 25,000 songs (excluding those bought from iTunes), and two, with a big library it takes forever to do the initial match - including several crashes of iTunes for me, but I do have a 10-year-old PC running XP!

[AaronX]

I got 1 too. I think people have covered my impressions so I won't add more. But I would like to ask what apps that use the full screen you guys know of. So far I only know of Facebook, twitter, kindle and a few others - http://m.engadget.com/2012/09/21/iph...eng_latest_art

I'm waiting for tapatalk and a video player.

[Dog80]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMsLArefSOw

The internet won't scam you if you use apple 5!

[diku]

Originally Posted by Student Driver

[*]A2DP is broken. I have my previous Apple products paired with my car stereo (Touch 3rd gen, iPhones 3GS and 4) and liked the fact that I could keep them in my pocket, have the radio automatically start playing songs, and be able to change tracks with the radio controls. Can't do that with the 5; playback and track changes must be done with the phone itself. Disappointing. It's not the radio's firmware either; it's broken across all the Bluetooth radios I've tried thus far (my Pioneer, a friend's Kenwood, and several coworker's OEM radios). In addition, plugging into USB or using a Lightning-to-30-pin adaptor doesn't work at all on car radios that are licensed to be compatible with iPhone. So no using in-car mics for hands-free phone usage. Hope Apple corrects at least A2DP in an update.

Hmm, I have a Dual car stereo with Bluetooth that I've got my iPhone 5 paired too, I'm having no issues with controls from the unit itself. Connects right away, and I keep the phone in my pocket all the time. Same with using it with my 4.

[Student Driver]

I've been reading up more on the A2DP issue; looks like there is a new iteration of the standard (which pushes more data like song titles to the radio). Seems to be some issues with backward compatibility, which the new standard is supposed to account for. Yours is probably compliant with the new standards, while other radios aren't, older Bluetooth radios were improperly implementing it, or the iPhone's implementation might be non-standard, breaking full compatibility with radios using the older version.

Been running across threads on car forums complaining about issues with OEM radios and the 5, but then others with the same model and year report no problems with the OEM radios.

In other news, Siri has been a godsend today. Since I came from a 4, I had no experience with it. I've been able to keep up text conversations while on a small road trip without actually having to text.

[AaronX]

Teardown has found that the Lightning cable has an authentication chip inside it. Also, phone itself has a chip to dynamically reassign pins so the cable can be plugged in both ways (like auto cross cable detection for network cables?).
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/...reversible_use

I hope they still manage to make third party cables! I'm planning to buy a few and I'm not going to pay $20 for one.

[bouv]

The problem I see, is that if someone makes a third-party cable, it will probably infringe on a patent the Apple has for the cable, so they'll just sue them.

Though as we've seen with the Samsung business, that will take years to resolve and odds are you can keep buying them in the meantime.

[AaronX]

Yes I wonder if apple will allow other companies to make the cables? They didn't seem to mind last time, the apple store even had other companies' cables. Hope it doesn't become like the MagSafe though. Maybe they were willing to spend so much in developing a new cable if it meant they could prevent other cables from being used.

[MsWhatsit]

Originally Posted by interface2x

Sweet merciful crap, that's fast. I just ran another and only got 10 down, so I don't see myself approaching anywhere near your speed.

I tested the speeds in various areas on a trip to Chicago I made last weekend. The Indianapolis area was definitely the fastest. In Chicago I was getting about 20 down/5 up in most areas. Back home in Columbus we don't even have LTE yet. My "4G" speed here at home is about 5 down/2 up if I'm lucky. Supposedly AT&T is upgrading C'bus with LTE later on this year though, so we'll see.

[hajario]

I am was in Seattle yesterday which was my first time on LTE. I hit 31/12 in the airport. I'm in Portland, OR today and will try later on.

[interface2x]

Originally Posted by MsWhatsit

I tested the speeds in various areas on a trip to Chicago I made last weekend. The Indianapolis area was definitely the fastest. In Chicago I was getting about 20 down/5 up in most areas. Back home in Columbus we don't even have LTE yet. My "4G" speed here at home is about 5 down/2 up if I'm lucky. Supposedly AT&T is upgrading C'bus with LTE later on this year though, so we'll see.

My 12 down was by far my fastest speed, it's been downhill ever since. Since then, I'm usually getting around 4-5 down, even with LTE.

[urban1a]

Originally Posted by Szlater

... and not at all useable by a 72 year old

73yo here who has not the slightest difficulty using an Android phone.

Bob

[Szlater]

Originally Posted by urban1a

73yo here who has not the slightest difficulty using an Android phone.

Bob

That's nice, I'm pleased for you.

He has a severe tremor in his hands that makes hitting the very small icons very difficult, he doesn't have the same problem with his iPad.