Apple aficionados were expecting too much from new toy of Apple’s iPhone 5, but it has come out with expected and rumoured specifications. The new device has received mixed response from trade analysts and technology geeks. New iPhone 5 has following salient features:
- 4″ inch touchscreen with 1136×640 resolution, breaking Apple’s mold of 3.5″ inch screens for the first time ever.
- Retina display with density of 326 pixel per inch and makes viewing videos more convenient.
- Cortex A6 processor with A-15 chip which will lend more processing power to the device. The phone will now deliver much snappier performance than its processor as it will be able to run graphics and commands twice as fast.
- Compatible with 4G LTE networks, which empowers the device to transfer data at high speeds.
- Sports an 8MP HD rear camera with panorama mode (at 28MP), backside illumination, hybrid IR filter, five element lens, and f/24 aperture.
- Front camera in the iPhone 5 for FaceTime will now support HD videos at 720p. It has an aluminium rear sensor and features three microphones – one each at the bottom, top and rear.
- For audio enhancement during FaceTime calls, Apple iPhone 5 features a new beam-forming, directional microphone system for higher quality sound, with background noise cancellation technology.
- Smaller dock connector – Lightning Connector – with just 9 pins, as compared to the 30-pin dock connector that the previous iterations of the iPhone had.
Apple iPhone 5 has been launched in 16, 32 and 64 GB variants, just like its predecessor iPhone 4S, and is available in black and white colours.
The new iPhone’s casing is made from glass and aluminium and is 7.6-mm thick, almost a whopping 18% thinner than its predecessor iPhone 4S, weighs just 112 gram, again 20% lighter than iPhone 4S. This is because of a new display technology that integrates the touch sensors within the screen itself.
Apple, which received lot of criticism due to its battery life on iPhone 4S, seems to have reworked the battery of iPhone 5 with 225 hours of standby time. This includes 8 hours of 3G and 4G LTE browsing, 8 hours of 3G talk-time, 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of music play.
New iPhone will run OS 6, which has 200 new features than the previous edition of Apple’s mobile operating system. The iPhone 5 has the new Maps app instead of Google’s software, with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and Flyover view. Users can now shares pictures via iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams using the iPhone 5.
Due to the new OS, the phone also boasts of Facebook integration in contacts and calendar apps, with the option to post directly from Notification Center. iOS 6 also brings more control over calls and messages and Passbook, new Siri features, and Facebook and Siri-enabled apps like Photos, Safari and Maps.
Siri will be able to provide better answers to queries about movies, restaurants etc with the iOS 6 update. Not only will it be available in more countries now, but will also speak more languages. Apple’s virtual assistant will be able to give restaurant ratings and price lists as the company has tied up with Yelp, while reservations can be made via Siri due to its OpenTable integration.
Tim Cook told the audience that its apps store now has more than 700,000 on tap — the industry’s largest library.
Apple iPhone 5 will come with the all-new EarPods, a set of earphones that the manufacturer developed over a span of three years. Rather than in-ear headphones, the EarPods’ shape and ports ensure optimal sound as well as comfort of the users.
Apple has not announced the prices of unlocked versions of new iPhone 5, but for locked versions, prices remain the same as of iPhone 4S.
“There is not a wow factor because everything you saw today is evolutionary. I do think they did enough to satisfy,” said Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of the wealth management company Destination Wealth Management.
But still, Apple has established has its brand equity and they will sell the new device in huge numbers especially in USA.
