# iPhone 5 reactions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544 "2012-09-12T21:48:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/141 "2012-09-16T10:57:40Z")
I’m not overly excited about the iPhone 5, personally. While a bigger screen might be nice, I’ve got a lot of accessories which won’t work with the new size and connector. And, unless they artificially limit what the iOS will be able to do on the previous models (like they did with Siri on models earlier than the 4S), I don’t really see a lot of features I need. However, my contract with AT&T is up. I really want a new phone, as my current iPhone 4 is feeling fairly sluggish… and the battery life is starting to degrade. And, dammit, I want a new shiny. I’d much rather, though, to stay contract-free so that if next year’s model is an actual improvement I’ll be able to buy the new version _then_. So, uh… anyone know how much it’d cost for me to get the 4S \*without \*a contract renewal? If the price is too high, I’ll just grit my teeth and upgrade to the 5, but I’d rather not have to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/142 "2012-09-16T14:44:01Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > **Screen size** > > **No NFC** > > **Not enough of an upgrade** > > **Lacking in specs compared to other phones** > > **The iPhone’s design is too boxxy** One common point you’ll see is most pro Android arguments concentrate on Specs and Hardware…all the improved hardware in the world means nothing if the software doesn’t take advantage of it. One of the iPhone’s strengths is that it gets REGULAR OS upgrades, that then manage to get installed by a large portion of the iPhones out there. This does a bunch of things: [ul] [li]Gives older purchases new life[/li][li]patches the devices actively[/li][li]makes for a single code base for developers to work to[/li][li]give developers consistent access to new features[/li][/ul] If you look at a breakdown of Android versions to phones, and what updates are actually released in the wild, it’s a hot mess. So the easiest way to seperate the camps: Android gives you choice, Apple gives you (and the devlopers) consistency. To be fair, Apple ALSO has a history of knowing just how much they can piss off their customers and get away with it. Features being left off devices, additional fees for adapters, etc. They’ve also been able to react when one of those tactics go awry. (First buyers paid $600 for a phone, get a 2 year contract, and 6 months later the next phone came out for a lot less.) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/143 "2012-09-16T14:52:46Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > **Screen size** > Apple doesn’t care so much about the size of the screen as they do about the distance your thumb can stretch when holding it in your hand. The iPhone 5 has more screen real estate, but it doesn’t come at the expense of ANYTHING. Making the screen any bigger means the user can’t hit the upper corners with their thumb any more. Oh dear. This is going to be the one-button mouse all over again, isn’t it? I hope there will always be at least a few companies making premium smaller phones to serve those who prefer them, but the market has spoken on this issue and it’s demanding larger screens. If people actually preferred smaller screens, then those Android models with smaller screens would have outsold the first phones with bigger screens, and the manufacturers would have flocked to that size. They’ve been using the “make everything, see what consumers buy, then run with that” model of development. It may be more scattershot than the “make what Steve likes and convince everyone else that they have the same preferences” approach, but it does very quickly home in on what the unwashed masses like. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/144 "2012-09-16T15:15:17Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Oh dear. This is going to be the one-button mouse all over again, isn’t it? > > I hope there will always be at least a few companies making premium smaller phones to serve those who prefer them, but the market has spoken on this issue and it’s demanding larger screens. If people actually preferred smaller screens, then those Android models with smaller screens would have outsold the first phones with bigger screens, and the manufacturers would have flocked to that size. They’ve been using the “make everything, see what consumers buy, then run with that” model of development. It may be more scattershot than the “make what Steve likes and convince everyone else that they have the same preferences” approach, but it does very quickly home in on what the unwashed masses like. It has the other positive benefit: it makes docking stations possible for a large number of models if the width stays consistent. But yeah, as I get older, I find I’d rather have a 4.5" iPhone with the same number of pixels. I spend too much time peering over my glasses like an old guy, trying to focus on the screen. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/145 "2012-09-16T22:21:14Z")
The consistency/reliability vs. the myriad choices/tinkerability. I prefer the former. A walled off, regularly maintained garden, rather than a public park. The former also attracted far more mid-to smaller sized developers, that are using Xcode and a very standardized set of code and APIs fit perfectly for the hardware it runs on. And I work closely with Apple and Andriod devs. They bitch about every little thing on both sides, but I think the overall consensus is: Apple wins in the development arena. And the apps made for the iPhone, will take advantage of every aspect of the hardware — from the display, to the APIs, to the GPU — they end up looking, feeling and behaving more efficient and polished than a lot of Android apps. Hand in glove. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/146 "2012-09-16T23:00:47Z")
I like this illustration of iPhone5 advantages: [http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/199253\_10152081268775487\_304879855\_n.jpg](http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/199253_10152081268775487_304879855_n.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/147 "2012-09-16T23:17:02Z")
The guys at Geekbench report that the iPhone 5 CPU is best in class outperforming (barely) the Galaxy III. [http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/iphone-5-geekbench-benchmark-results.html](http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/iphone-5-geekbench-benchmark-results.html) ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/148 "2012-09-17T00:46:50Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > The guys at Geekbench report that the iPhone 5 CPU is best in class outperforming (barely) the Galaxy III. > > [http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/iphone-5-geekbench-benchmark-results.html](http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/iphone-5-geekbench-benchmark-results.html) Which happens every year…about this time. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/149 "2012-09-17T01:39:48Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I like this illustration of iPhone5 advantages: > > [http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/199253\_10152081268775487\_304879855\_n.jpg](http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/199253_10152081268775487_304879855_n.jpg) The one on the right is a photoshopped 4, not a 5. But I like the comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/150 "2012-09-17T02:07:58Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Which happens every year…about this time. 😛 😕 Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/151 "2012-09-17T02:11:03Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > 😕 > Huh? Every year the iPhone falls behind, the. Every year the new version is twice as fast…and slightly faster than the completion, for about six weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/152 "2012-09-17T03:48:00Z")
You do realize the same thing could be said about the other phones. Every year they get faster than an iPhone, until the new iPhone comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/153 "2012-09-17T11:08:27Z")
Now you’re getting it! 😃 Everyone’s in a tizzy for the new hotness, when the new hotness will be free on contract in two years (or less). ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/154 "2012-09-17T14:13:39Z")
> [@Mdcastleman](#): > > Still not enough room for all my music. Still no interest in a smartphone. I’m not sure how much music you have, but numerous cloud services exist for each of the top mobile OS’, and at least with Google, you can store 20,000 songs for free (purchases from them don’t count towards this limit, if I recall correctly). Even if that’s below the total of your collection, its still a reasonable amount of music, and that’s before touching any local storage space. It may be worth looking into. I typically store larger music files locally and stream the rest. > [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > One common point you’ll see is most pro Android arguments concentrate on Specs and Hardware…all the improved hardware in the world means nothing if the software doesn’t take advantage of it. Android OEMs (and arguments), typically push hardware and specs, because aside from software skinning, its how they differentiate themselves; not just from iOS, but from other Android OEMs. I don’t disagree with your point, but I think there’s another dimension to it. At times, an OEM will want to future-proof their device, and Google has done this with their Nexus program. NFC was an inclusion in their previous device (Nexus S), but even if its not the most mature technology, in terms of consumer reception, the hardware is primed and ready, should it eventually gain more traction. It’s an interesting contrast to Apple, which typically excludes a feature, altogether, until its mature enough. Both methods have their pros and cons, but as previously stated, there is more than one formula for success. Otherwise, I’m not sure which devices are releasing with software that doesn’t take advantage of their existing hardware? If anything, its the other way around; the software usually advances beyond the hardware, and you start to see software features which don’t get passed on to older devices. Take Siri, for example, which doesn’t exist for the iPhone 4 and below-- the device certainly _received_ an OS upgrade, but it didn’t come packed with the largely pushed OS feature. I think the last vanilla Android device I saw which really stumbled and launched incomplete, was the Xoom running the rushed Honeycomb OS. SD card support didn’t work, out of the box, and had to be added later (though it gets more complicated). I’m sure there are other examples, but I’m not positive they’re common. > [@typoink](#): > > No, this is _exactly what I’m saying is incorrect_. Every phone has issues, iPhones included. That doesn’t make everything the same. Agreed, but you’ve previously described issues with other devices as being non-universal and stated that many users won’t ever experience them. So without more evidence or numbers, its tricky to determine how much value there is to be derived from the claim. Are you describing something like 1 issue in every 100 iPhones vs 5 for a particular Android device? I understand most Apple issues carry greater publicity, but how wide is the gap you’re referring to, between the iPhone and a comparable flagship? ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/155 "2012-09-18T03:19:52Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > That is cool. Still looks a little bulky for my tastes. And, of course, since I have an iPhone (and will have for at least another year on contract), I want something that works with that. > > But another generation or two of refinement and this sort of thing could be enough for me to switch from an iPhone to Android. I just found another one that works with iOS and Android, and has more functions. [http://getpebble.com/](http://getpebble.com/) It has an e-ink screen. Cycling, running, control your music, read SMS (Android only), golf. It was a Kickstarter project. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/156 "2012-09-18T17:20:16Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > At that point the 3.5 inch screen on the iPhone just felt cramped and unsatisfying, and the wall of icons UI was increasingly stale. God this. A million times this. Although the screen-size is bigger on the iPhone 5, the basic UI “wall of icons” is the same. I was ok with it when I had an iPhone, but once I switched to Android and saw the customization possible, I decided I would never go back, barring some huge drastic change to Android (or if it just went away, God forbid.) Having widgets, as well as a nice, simple, and clean interface are the two biggest perks of Android. Of course, most Android users _don’t_ have clean interfaces…they clog their screens up with WAY too many shortcuts and widgets, and you end up with crap like this: [![](https://i.imgur.com/rC7QO.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/rC7QO.png) or this: [![](https://i.imgur.com/9VGx4.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/9VGx4.jpg) But you can also create absolutely gorgeous desktops like this: [![](https://i.imgur.com/WvSQ8.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/WvSQ8.png) or this: [![](https://i.imgur.com/ezS8H.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ezS8H.jpg) These are probably too far in the “form over function” direction for most people, including me, so I went with something that, while still nice, makes use of widgets and such: [![](https://i.imgur.com/3Ej9Q.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/3Ej9Q.jpg) Main screen [![](https://i.imgur.com/DP4D6.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/DP4D6.jpg) News widget screen [![](https://i.imgur.com/yQqqE.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/yQqqE.png) Volume/power widgets screen It seems a lot of Android users just don’t know/care about changing up their screens/desktop. I know too many people who’s phones still have all the default (and almost always terrible) widgets and shortcuts on their phones put their by the manufacturers and carriers. It just creates an un-even jumble. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/157 "2012-09-18T19:03:29Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > I just found another one that works with iOS and Android, and has more functions. [http://getpebble.com/](http://getpebble.com/) It has an e-ink screen. Cycling, running, control your music, read SMS (Android only), golf. It was a Kickstarter project. I’ve got two of those on the way as soon as they ship. I’m pretty excited; I’ve been wanting something like this for a long time now. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/158 "2012-09-19T00:56:49Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > It seems a lot of Android users just don’t know/care about changing up their screens/desktop. I know too many people who’s phones still have all the default (and almost always terrible) widgets and shortcuts on their phones put their by the manufacturers and carriers. It just creates an un-even jumble. You know that’s 99% of everyone out there, right? I can hardly bother enough to sort my wall of icons as it is. But to each his own, if it works for you, hey, it works for you! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/159 "2012-09-19T01:02:32Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > You know that’s 99% of everyone out there, right? I can hardly bother enough to sort my wall of icons as it is. But to each his own, if it works for you, hey, it works for you! Same here. I am not much of a tinkerer and I have no interest in spending any time dicking around with my interface. For those who do like to tinker, and don’t need secure work email, a top shelf Android OS phone is definitely the best choice. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544/160 "2012-09-19T05:43:40Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > I’ve got two of those on the way as soon as they ship. I’m pretty excited; I’ve been wanting something like this for a long time now. Oh, do share when you get them. I wonder what the e ink screen will be like? Is it like the kindle’s? Looks like you can program them too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-5-reactions/634544.md?page=9)