From professional magazines to the blogosphere, the tech world has been abuzz with rumors of the new Apple iPhone 5. The question on everyone’s mind is: what new features will it have? Top technology trend experts were quick to say that rumors of a new look for the phone were likely only wishful thinking by consumers. As of September 12, however, those experts are likely eating their words with their morning breakfast.
Apple has indeed changed the look of the latest iPhone; slimming it down by 18%, and making it a whopping 20% lighter. The screen has also been enlarged for the first time since the first generation iPhones were released in 2007, now .5 inches larger. Apple has explained that they enlarged the iPhone 5’s screen for easier web browsing, e-book reading, and video watching.
The four-inch screen is still small compared with some other brands that are sporting sizes of nearly five inches. However, Apple said that their aim was to keep the iPhone 5 to a size and weight that would still make one handed operation easy for its users.
Along with the new look of the iPhone 5 comes many exciting upgrades, including a faster chip for more efficient information processing and changes that will pleasantly surprise users with faster Wi-Fi speeds. As speculated, the newest iPhone will also be joining other smart phones by operating on LTE, giving them access to the latest and fastest networks currently available.
Apple had been criticized for holding off on switching its devices over to LTE, being one of the last major smart phone companies to do so. Though some people may see this as Apple putting off embracing new technology, it was, in fact, due to the downsides associated with LTE.
Until recently, LTE enabled phones, while faster, powered through battery charges at lightning speeds. It seems that Apple was awaiting a solution to that before committing to the changeover.
One possible downside for long-time fans of the iPhone is that in order to accommodate the new dimensions and better components, Apple was forced to retire the 30-pin dock connector in favor of the new, smaller, more durable lightning connector.
This change is likely to upset many, as it will, at the least, require everyone to purchase the adapters, which will run between $30 and $40, and at the worst may render some accessories unusable. Despite this minor annoyance, Apple supporters have shown their confidence in the product, boosting Apple’s shares 1.4% the day of the iPhone 5 announcement.
The iPhone 5 will arrive on the market just in time for the holiday season, going on sale on September 21, and is expected to be on several most-wanted lists. The starting price for the latest iPhone will be comparable to that of past iPhone releases, starting at $199 with a two-year contract. Many iPhone fans may not love the idea of having to upgrade accessories to accommodate the new connector, but the updated features and slimmer look promise exciting new directions for the future of iPhones.
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