News - Apple iPhone 5 unveiled today, so what's new?

[TheAnimus]

Re: Lumia 920: Are there any samples of pictures taken from the camera, or is the hype based on specification only? If the camera can match up to the hype, then it would be very interesting. I also like the idea that it can be used with gloves. What is however a pity is the 32GB capacity. If the camera is decent, I'll probably use it quite often and I want my phone to hold quite a lot of music too. The OS is also a bit unproven, and I worry about the availability of applications to replace what I use most. It's also on the heavier side.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/7/329...tos/in/3057769 Also if you like having music on your phone, the XBox music pass (previously Zune!) is much better than spotify premium I find.

However for traveling its still using a stupid sim. I actually carry two phones when away, my UK number and my local sim. I am now using a Nokia Lumia that I bought new for £70, as it has execptionally good offline maps for South East Asia, Africa and Russia. Also good enough in France/Spain thou I've not really used it much there.

[Bluecube]

I can't really see anything worthwhile in the new iPhone to make me want to buy it. Having said that I don't think much of the equivalent Android devices either. At the end of the day, smartphones are just phones with fancy widgets and there's only so much you can do with phones! Ooooohhh, faster CPU, quintillion megapixel camera, 4k video... yaaaawwwwnnnn. I think I'll see what bargains there are to be had on the iPhone 4s second hand market.

[pp05]

An iterative change is akin to moving from big writing to little writing; in technology terms it is merely an 'update'. New number; old device!

There isn't that much you can do to a touchscreen based phone hardware wise. They are pretty powerful given they have battery constraints. So better to start polishing the software and bringing real tangible improvements to the overall experience.

[The Hand]

I'm neutral as far as Apple goes, but I think Apple may have "plateaued out" now with this dull launch/spec bump. It's going to sell and break records etc, but they are not going to increase their customer base. They'll be stuck with their 15% share of the smart phone market at best.. in fact, even that will likely be eroded by Android and now WP8 IMHO.

[Fraz]

[ed^chigliak]

This is not the chrono-synclastic infundibula where all the different kinds of truths fit together. It's not even three beautiful women sculpted out of "Titanic peat".

I guess I can wait for the iPhone 20.

[addz17]

How boring and plain lol I don't like apple as a company or any of their dumbed down, overpriced, simpleton products... maybe i'm just biased.

[GeorgeStorm]

That is all

[TheAnimus]

The iPhone 5 as tired as this meme is.

[Camoxide]

Never seen NFC being used in the real world. Also wireless charging is stupid. the pad still has to be connected to a plug socket so what's the point? What if my battery's dead and I want to have a long phone call?
Apple don't add features to compete. They live in their own little world.

[TooNice]

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/7/329...tos/in/3057769 Also if you like having music on your phone, the XBox music pass (previously Zune!) is much better than spotify premium I find.

However for traveling its still using a stupid sim. I actually carry two phones when away, my UK number and my local sim. I am now using a Nokia Lumia that I bought new for £70, as it has execptionally good offline maps for South East Asia, Africa and Russia. Also good enough in France/Spain thou I've not really used it much there.

Unsurprisingly, neither Spotify Premium, nor Xbox Music Pass is supported in Japan (I'll spare the music price gouging rant for another time too), so I am largely left with my own collection.

When you say Lumia which one are you referring to? I looked at the lowest number I could find (710) and it's on micro-sim which is no different from the the 920 - right?

I also have two mobiles I regularly carry on me, but the second (SE W800i) is about an year older than the iPhone, and in worse condition (the standby time is over a day, but the talk time is around 3min - so pretty much emergency only - not to mention other quirks that developed after the first year of use or so). I am tempted to get a cheap 3GS in the interim if the 5 drives the price down further. It'll serve my present needs and work as backup/overseas phone (regular sim) when I get a new toy.

Never seen NFC being used in the real world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaifu-Keitai (It's been around for 8 years in Japan)

Also wireless charging is stupid. the pad still has to be connected to a plug socket so what's the point? What if my battery's dead and I want to have a long phone call?

In the long run, a charging pad would be able to charge multiple devices. I've already seen them - the main problem right now is that it costs more than most people will think it's worth. It saves having a nest of cable of low power devices.

[miniyazz]

Never seen NFC being used in the real world. Also wireless charging is stupid. the pad still has to be connected to a plug socket so what's the point? What if my battery's dead and I want to have a long phone call?
Apple don't add features to compete. They live in their own little world.

The point is you have the convenience of dumping the phone down on a charging pad instead of fiddling around trying to plug in a cable. Most phones (granted you can't rely on apple to do anything remotely sensible these days) still support charging with a cable if you want to do things like call while charging.

[crossy]

Never seen NFC being used in the real world.

I used it two weeks ago to transfer some picture files from my daughter's Galaxy Mini 2 to my Galaxy S3 for backup purposes. There's also a couple of eWallet applications coming "real soon now" in which case it's possible that you'll be able to pay for your Big Mac n' Fries or Greggs Stottie with NFC-based micropayments. Even the town I live in has NFC-enabled MaccieD's and Greggs.

Also wireless charging is stupid. the pad still has to be connected to a plug socket so what's the point? What if my battery's dead and I want to have a long phone call?

As someone whose used it I'm going to disagree. It's really a convenience factor in that you just (to quote a fellow Hexian) "drop the phone on the charger" and then grab it n' go. No need to fiddle around the bottom of the device with plugs etc - and quite useful if you're doing it late at night (so either in the dark, or - ahem - alcohol impaired). And if - as you say - wireless charging is "stupid" then why are Nokia (who to be honest know more about phones than Apple, Samsung, etc do) are introducing it, and why are companies like Braun pushing it (for their toothbrushes - and I believe some top end electric razors).
And there's the small matter that wireless charging doesn't usually preclude the wired variety (if you do need to make that long time call with a near flat battery - although there's also a thing called "bluetooth headsets" that might help here!). Wireless charging also means reduced risk of damage to fragile power/data connectors.

Apple don't add features to compete. They live in their own little world.

Sorry that's just ridiculous - of course Apple "adds features to compete". If they didn't then that'd make them different to every other company. Heck, they added Apple Maps to compete with Google Maps, larger screens to match the market for these larger displays, etc.

There's an old cliché that's perhaps appropriate, "in business, a failure to compete is also a failure to succeed" (don't ask me who said it - can't remember)

[kopite]

Never seen NFC being used in the real world.

Isn`t the oyster card in London NFC?

Security cards in My work also use nfc.

[Guy]

Isn`t the oyster card in London NFC?

No, from memory they're using an RFID system.

[Hicks12]

I know Mcdonalds use it, currently in the store opposite me it has had a massive sign saying about NFC payments for about a year, shame i dont have a phone to use it haha.

Pretty underwelming release and im glad because once again it shows how unoriginal Apple is and I forsee the fall of this empire in the next few years as Microsoft and Nokia make their way back to the top and Android OEMs continue their success.

Apple were so hellbent on the whole "Stop copying us" and now it seems they just copied everyone, we dont need large screens its silly though stupid Android phones and now look its a larger display that they now advertise as Just Right, so the old iphones were wrong .

However I can see the appeal to people already in the itunes ecosystem and if it works for you then good for you, I dont want to be seen as knocking the users just the company , its very unoriginal and leaving out key future tech is the norm for Apple isnt it? No front camera saying you dont need it then next handset shouting to the rooftops about how you need this camera haha, going to be the same with NFC in iPhone 6 .

What I find the most hypocritical thing from Apples launch though is the whole copying, they kept saying to stop copying us and do something like Nokia with their Lumias and launch something different and if you guys have seen the new iPod Nano you will have to play spot the difference between it and a lumia!.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Nokia...medium=twitter
Slightly smaller screen and replaced windows buttons with their single button, very very original Apple.

Oh well, power to the Android and Windows Phone ecosystems!.