Features - QOTW: what would you like to see in iPhone 5?

[tribaljet]

- MicroSD slot
- Removable battery
- Standard mini/micro USB OTG port
- Alternative keyboards
- Worldwide 4G support
- MSC connectivity
- Real world pricing
- Direct control over audio hardware components

[george1979]

Ignoring all the trolls above (not sure there is one genuine post?) - it's a tough question.

Excuse me? Admittedly the pillow part was for dramatic effect but I was serious.

How many shattered Iphone's have you seen people using?
I have seen quite a few, many of them belonging friends who had to use them for a while as their insurance had a £100 excess and they couldn't afford to replace it right away. The insurance companies applied these excesses due to the sheer amount of them that ended up shattered. I mean its all very well making a great looking phone but when even a light fall can shatter the front AND back of a phone then you have not only placed form over function to a ridiculous degree but you have also done your customer's a disservice by essentially forcing them into buying punitive insurance policies to protect the over priced, brittle phone you sold to them in the first place.

I know other phones can break easily too but most aren't as expensive, as brittle or have as high excesses placed on their insurance cover.

[TooNice]

How about a phone that doesn't shatter into a thousand pieces if it falls on anything denser than an eiderdown pillow?

It is really disappointing to see that troll-ish comments like these being not only posted here, but also approved by some other members too. If there is -any- truth in that statement, then the fact that my iPhone is still in one piece after 5 years of service must be one of life's great mystery. I do not need to hear praises about the iPhone, merely objective discussions and I am still awaiting for the facts before making my decision. But blatant exaggeration either way is off putting and the irony is that rarely on Hexus do I see people make unrealistic claims about their iPhones, yet on every thread you have a couple of comments similar to the ones quoted. And I am supposed to believe that iPhone users are the ones with issues?

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On the hardware end, I think that any modern smartphones would largely meet my requirements. Things like micro-SD card slots would be nice to see, but not expected.

If an e-wallet is included and can integrate all (many) loyalty card into it, then that's a real deal maker for me. I do not can about making micro-payment with my phone (I'd probably rather not), and I'd rather carry my credit/debit card separately. But my card holder is probably thicker than most smartphones just because it's overstuffed with point/loyalty/frequent flyer cards.

[gingerBen]

Some kind of waterproof coating like Liquipel. That stuff is amazing.

[kalniel]

The phrase "This product contains technologies invented by Samsung and/or generic unpatentable designs."

[babylon100]

Never had an iPhone myself, Maybe it's me but I don't like the look of them, But a friend has, And she has broke 3 screens in the last couple of years, Maybe it's just her, But I use my phones on building sites and have dropped them no end of times onto all sorts of stuff, And never had a screen break.

Plastic may not give the air of quality, But metal and glass is far to dense a combination for something that could be dropped, And you don't need a white coat and think tank to figure that out, That comes under the heading of common sense.

[3dcandy]

I've gotta agree with the rubbish design of iPhone 4's and their back and front glass....I know lots of people who have said they'll move away from iPhone if they don't change the design! However I can see that whatever they do people *may* be underwhelmed with the 5...

[Spud1]

I know other phones can break easily too but most aren't as expensive, as brittle or have as high excesses placed on their insurance cover.

Erm, well no. It actually takes quite a lot to shatter/break an iPhone 4/4S - just as much as an S3 or other high end, slim phone. I've dropped my work one from a height, down the stairs [carpeted], onto concrete, it's bounced down solid stairs at work..and its still fine. My personal phone (HTC Titan) has had similar treatment in it's time, and has a dent in the case but again no shattered screen.

I did admittedly smash the screen on my very first iPhone (first generation), but that took a very drunk night and me falling over iPhone first into a rock with all my weight on it.

ALL of current gen high end smartphones are susceptible to smashed screens/breakages, not just iPhones. If you are complaining about high excesses then that is another issue - really no-one ever needs mobile phone insurance if you have a home insurance policy. In 99% of polices your phone is covered (in the home or out!) and the excess is the same regardless of whether it's an iPhone, S3, Nokia 3210 - usually £50-£100. Your phone is not indestructible, it's not an old nokia - take care of it like anything else and it will be fine.

Back OT - 4G support looks promising, especially with everythingeverywhere holding their own media event the day before (tuesday) to announce UK wide 4G LTE rollout! Good job I am on Orange
http://www.slashgear.com/everything-...-eve-07246477/

Also latest news shows that Qualcomm have their Global 4G LTE chip in production for delivery in time for the iPhone 5 launch..of course all rumour right now but it does fit. UK 4G/LTE support would seal the deal here for me and many more ;D No idea how EE will deal with data usage on that network though..a 100-1000mb connection would eat up most plans in a second.

[MrJim]

A user replaceable battery would be high up on my list of wants. As someone who tends to keep their phones for quite a long time, it would be annoying to have to send my phone off just to get a new battery. Have any existing iPhone users had to do this? I'm curious to know how much it might cost?

[addz17]

patented square corners

[george1979]

How about a phone that doesn't shatter into a thousand pieces if it falls on anything denser than an eiderdown pillow?

It is really disappointing to see that troll-ish comments like these being not only posted here, but also approved by some other members too. If there is -any- truth in that statement, then the fact that my iPhone is still in one piece after 5 years of service must be one of life's great mystery. I do not need to hear praises about the iPhone, merely objective discussions and I am still awaiting for the facts before making my decision. But blatant exaggeration either way is off putting and the irony is that rarely on Hexus do I see people make unrealistic claims about their iPhones, yet on every thread you have a couple of comments similar to the ones quoted. And I am supposed to believe that iPhone users are the ones with issues?

OK I'll assume you didn't even bother to read my follow up to that which was posted about 10 minutes before you started trolling. I'll also assume that since your IPhone is 5 years old then it is not an IPhone 4 or 4S which is obviously what I was comparing it to. So unbunch your panties there pal, everything is gonna be OK.

And Spud1 I already said other phones are also susceptible to breakages - of course they bloody are! The fact that yours was OK after a fall doesn't change the fact that a high percentage of owners I know have had broken Iphone 4s and, as I said, making the front and back out of glass wasn't the best idea - more chance of breakages.
Your statement that 99% of home insurance policies cover your phone out of the home is incorrect - there are differing levels of policy or add ons to purchase before that cover is in place. Also the majority of people do not know this or still use phone insurance. Phone insurances do often carry higher excesses for Iphone 4s due to the high replacement cost and chance of breakages. I have actually looked into this when I was upgrading my phone a few months back and I have worked in the insurance industry for almost 5 years so, while I'm not claiming to be an expert, I am not talking out of my behind either.

So I'll spell it out without humour since that does not seems to be a strong suit when it comes to this subject - I would like to see a construction that does not use so many brittle materials. Perhaps use metal or carbon fibre for the back, something suitably high end so as to keep the aesthetics but reduce breakages. There all better now

*Sigh* the mere fact that even a mild attempt at humour provokes such responses from Iphone users is pathetic. I'm sorry I even touched my keyboard but I suppose I should have known better.

[Agent]

There isn't really a debate on if the iPhone 4 has a screen more likely to crack: It is - the insurance companies have given figures out to confirm it,

http://www.cio.com/article/624764/Cr...iPhone_4_Glass

How delicate is the iPhone 4 glass? SquareTrade, an iPhone warranty provider, reported that iPhone 4 screens break a whopping 82 percent more than iPhone 3GS screens.
...


So what's behind the iPhone 4's higher risk of a cracked screen? Sure, the iPhone 4 has glass on both front and back, thus having twice as much glass as the single-sided iPhone 3GS—but there's more to it.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the iPhone 4 screen's susceptibility to breakage: The iPhone 4 glass extends to the edges of the phone. An impact on the edge, say, a fall on concrete from only a couple of feet in the air, will shatter the glass, says Wiens, because the glass directly takes the impact.

On the iPhone 3GS, though, a relatively large metal ring surrounds the edge. The metal ring is a lot more forgiving than glass and thus can better handle such an impact, Wiens says.

Apple claims iPhone 4 screens are 30 times harder than plastic and comparable to sapphire crystal, yet that's part of the problem, some Apple iPhone experts say. Hardness makes the screen more scratch resistant, but not as elastic. Given plastic's elasticity, there's less chance of the plastic shattering. "Yes, the [iPhone 4 screens] are 30 times harder and so they're going to break more," Wiens says.

Glass front and back, goes to the edge and not protected by a rim of some sort - of course it's going to break more. 82% more apparently.

[Biscuit]

Agent - its a good point, most of what makes an iPhone is the software, and I am 100% in agreement that it is dated and needs more configuration options. Not to the level of Android imo (where its very easy to make your device unusable if you do something stupid) but definitely in that sort of direction.

Widgets would be the way to go imo, custom keyboards would be nice too, and a better notification system that isn't pinched from HTC Manilla (WM6 era).

Thats the software though which I would divorce from the phone as much as I would with Android. Although I appreciate it's more difficult with an iPhone since you don't have a choice of software. Does raise an interesting question though..if someone made an iPhone 5 that wasn't Apple branded, ran Android 4.1 and kept the same quality/parts/warranty that Apple provide..would Android fans buy one? I'd certainly by tempted, especially as I really don't like Samsung's design for the SX series (s3 in particular, its like a boat!) but have warmed to Android slightly since my purchase of a china tab.

I dont think i would, i just dont like the apple hardware at all and personally i think 'quality' is more of an illusion built from the superiority impression they give off. I dont think they are nice devices to hold and use, they are awkward and un-ergonomic. The hardware is no better than many cheaper phones including samsung's. Besides which the price is also an issue, the inflated price of apple phones is definitely another factor in this.

The death of android? ...i can dream...

By death i mean rebirth into something original, not a blatant copy that has been polished to look 'classy' but is no more reliable than windows vista

Thats funny because statistically iphone apps crash more than android ones and a lot of the features suggested by people on here already exist in android

Erm, well no. It actually takes quite a lot to shatter/break an iPhone 4/4S - just as much as an S3 or other high end, slim phone. I've dropped my work one from a height, down the stairs [carpeted], onto concrete, it's bounced down solid stairs at work..and its still fine. My personal phone (HTC Titan) has had similar treatment in it's time, and has a dent in the case but again no shattered screen.

I did admittedly smash the screen on my very first iPhone (first generation), but that took a very drunk night and me falling over iPhone first into a rock with all my weight on it.

ALL of current gen high end smartphones are susceptible to smashed screens/breakages, not just iPhones. If you are complaining about high excesses then that is another issue - really no-one ever needs mobile phone insurance if you have a home insurance policy. In 99% of polices your phone is covered (in the home or out!) and the excess is the same regardless of whether it's an iPhone, S3, Nokia 3210 - usually £50-£100. Your phone is not indestructible, it's not an old nokia - take care of it like anything else and it will be fine.

Back OT - 4G support looks promising, especially with everythingeverywhere holding their own media event the day before (tuesday) to announce UK wide 4G LTE rollout! Good job I am on Orange
http://www.slashgear.com/everything-...-eve-07246477/

Also latest news shows that Qualcomm have their Global 4G LTE chip in production for delivery in time for the iPhone 5 launch..of course all rumour right now but it does fit. UK 4G/LTE support would seal the deal here for me and many more ;D No idea how EE will deal with data usage on that network though..a 100-1000mb connection would eat up most plans in a second.

And YOUR experience is clearly so much more valid than all the other people in the world. Out of all the people i know with iphone 4s (there is a LOT)i think i know 3 people's who arent broken in some way.

Taken from Agent's sig:

Unhelpful posts:
When a product has a known flaw that's posted about all over the web, posting "But mine works fine guys"

What would i like to see?
1 - introduce something new that they genuinely developed from scratch rather than stole/copied from another OS and just polished off
2 - In the more likely event that they do, do that, dont patent the idea then attack everyone in the world for using it
3 - Free adaptors with the phone to allow easy connection between whatever connector apple use and the now world standard micro usb
4 - For this device to be a huge let down and apple to be taken down a few notches

How likely are my wishes? not very.

[Andi-C]

A large Pennis on the back instead of an Apple ? so when you hold it to your head... > I dont need to go on here, you get the point !

[pctech2012]

Lots of angry sheeple lined up outside Apple stores as they finally wake up to the fact they've been being ripped off year on year.

[Dutchjonsey]

Interested to see whats happening with the screen on the new one, given that theyve been pushing retina on the older ones.