This week saw another highly anticipated launch from Apple – this time the iPhone 5, which will go on sale next week – and will be no doubt be marked by thousands of hardcore fans in sleeping bags, queuing around the block of every Apple store in the world!
While Apple’s latest offering boasts faster web usage, along with iOS6, the new operating system, its USP will really be its status as the first 4G iPhone. Indeed, Apple has confirmed that its latest offering will be run on the Everything Everywhere (EE) network – formed by T-Mobile and Orange – the first provider of 4G coverage in Britain. With EE expected to roll out 4G coverage to 16 UK cities by the end of the year, the iPhone 5 looks to be the start of a new era in wireless connectivity – a fact responsible for much of the excitement around this new release.
In terms of style, Apple hasn’t strayed far from the design of its previous models. The latest addition to the ever popular iPhone family has a taller, bigger screen – allowing space for an extra row of apps on the home screen – and is a thinner and lighter handset than its predecessors. While the iPhone 5’s appearance is more of a change from the last model, when compared with the virtually identical 4 and 4S models, it did prompt criticism on Twitter, with many expressing disappointment that Apple has again chosen to play it safe. Additionally, perhaps the major sticking point for many Apple fans will be the new smaller ‘Lightning’ connector, which will make all previous iPhone accessories and chargers obsolete.
The old adage that ‘you can’t please 100% of people 100% of the time’ is certainly true, but the fairly mixed response to this launch perhaps suggests that some of us are becoming a little bored with ‘samey’ releases from Apple. On the other hand, the 4S also came with its fair share of criticism, with Siri bearing the brunt of much frustration from consumers – myself included... Yet regardless, it still went on to become the best selling iPhone, with more 4S handsets having been sold than all previous models combined. No doubt, despite the mixed reception of the iPhone5 so far, the company’s famously loyal fan base will ensure that the iPhone 5 goes down in history as yet another Apple success story.
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