“Apple Inc.’s iPhone has been a trendsetter for half a decade. Now the question is whether it can avoid becoming a bore,” Jessica E. Vascellaro reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, packed with new features. The phone is thinner and has a bigger display. Its Siri virtual assistant has grown much more powerful. It has a new mapping and digital coupon service,” Vascellaro reports. “Yet no one heralded the new device as a great leap forward. What’s more, several features that are becoming standard across other smartphones aren’t in the iPhone 5. Many of those features, such as even bigger screens and ways to pay with your phone, are generating strong reviews from consumers and technology reviewers.”
Vascellaro reports, “Whether the missing features matter remains to be seen. Consumers worldwide have eagerly snapped up incrementally different versions of the iPhone in the past. Still, the technology gaps are getting more attention.”
Here’s a sampling of what the iPhone 5 is missing:
• Digital Payments
• Touch to Share
• Dynamic Home Screens
• Face Unlock
• Even Bigger Screens
• Wireless charging
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The screen is the right size and aspect ratio. It’s designed that way after much careful thought, not to get a check mark on a spec sheet shootout.
The iPhone 5 simply does things no other so-called smartphone can do. Things that aren’t goofy, let’s-do-it-just-to-say-we-can-do-it junk that are either not ready for prime time or gimmicky (wireless charging: don’t forget your stupid ass charging pillow which you have to – drumroll – plug in), but useful items that users will use often (and often take for granted): Siri, Passbook, the best smartphone camera and microphone system available, iCloud, Shared Photo Streams, iTunes in the Cloud, in-cell touchscreen, unibody construction, a huge third-party ecosystem, the most apps and the better versions by far overall vs. the ports for which the others settle, FaceTime, etc., etc., etc.
What every spec sheet misses: Apple’s tight integration. Hardware + Software working in conjunction with each other. Not off-the-shelf parts cobbled together by one outfit with a one-size-fits-all OS dumped in from some other company operating outside of its core competency. Apple offers unified seamless quality vs. a fragmented free-for-all.
iPhone 5 will break all smartphone sales records – just like every single iPhone model before it.
Related article:
Apple introduces iPhone 5 – September 12, 2012
Every release has the same cynics and whiners. Another amazing new iPhone. As usual it will sell out the first day.
it has better…everything. Not sure what people expect a phone to look like. Apple created this form factor. For the to change everything they have refined would be kind of silly.
the iphone 5 is a great phone, a great evolutionary step, it has many features that others don’t have and it will sell like hotcakes.
still, i am missing some useful features that others already have and would make some welcome additions no matter how hard apple tries to talk them down:
– a screen that would be operable with gloves and fingernails too (like the lumnia does)
– sharing between ios devices (itunes in the cloud and photostream are complicated substitutes for something very simple: beam my stuff from one of my devices to the other)
– wireless charging (doesn’t make much sense when you’re traveling but would be very useful at home. imagine you come home, lay your device on the charger and it also synchronises with your computer via wifi at the same time, no cables needed – sounds very convenient to me)
People sometimes ask the most stupid questions…
agreed. world-class excellence is never boring.
Increased battery life and screen size while making it thinner and lighter? That sounds amazing to me!
Truthfully, these folks parse & analyze every scrap & leak about the iPhone for months before it is actually released–and then they act bored & unimpressed when they already know everything about he phone ahead a time. Talk about some stupid hypocrites
I knew everything about this phone when the iphone 4 was released….nothing has changed…
It is boring….Apple knows how to market very well. Apple is gospel to you guys. OMG they added its gone from 4 to 5! I have an erection guys! I HAVE AN ERECTION!
Been a while, has it?
And up to twice as fast.
The internals are far from boring. Nobody but marketeering wonks gets their panties in a twist over the number of “features” a product has.
… but from a physical external design/styling point of view, the new iPhone doesn’t move the bar very much. As everyone anticipated, it abandons commonality with prior generations in dimension and dock connector, but doesn’t distinguish itself from the boring unergonomic block that is the iPhone 4 & 4S. Nobody on the street is going to ask, “is that the new iPhone?”. That is indeed a big fail.
No matter, it will still sell like hotcakes.
Seriously???
@castel: si.
from 3 meters away, if i flash the new iPhone at you, you won’t even see the difference from a 2-year old iPhone 4. Seriously.
But like i said, it’s what’s inside that counts. Apple moved the bar on its specs instead of adding hundreds of useless new “features”. that’s all right by me, just surprising that Apple didn’t make an unmistakeable new physical design.
But Mike, you missed the point.
I have an iPhone 4. I, and many many others still look sharp and intelligent using an iPhone, cause its an iPhone…..
With everyone else, will, its big / small / oval / what ever and within 6 months no one knows what you are using… Its a —- one of those etc phones.
I think Apple is very right on to keep the same form factor. At least for now. People the world over feel like they are part of a HUGE group using this phone. Stars use it. Presidents use it,. 50% of the people on the plane use it. So it MUST BE the best…. right??? (wasn’t that the excuse for buying a windows pc…. if they sold more quantity, it must be the right thing to get)
Anyway, just a thought.
You are right, red-necks use it, even every other cheap guy now uses iphone.
iphone 5 is very boring.
@ Samsung haters:
Stop using iphones because iphone uses screens and other components made by Samsung.
You still have half of Samsung in your hands. LOL 😉
Hello Kitty! You are so precious! So clever! Samsung parts! What do ya know? Should you be telling secret you naughty tattletale? Run along now.
At the risk of replying to a moron, when you are carrying a Samsung phone you have half of Apple’s patented iPhone IP in your hands.
Do you actually care if someone knows that you have the latest iPhone from 3 meters away (or at all for that matter)?
Hell, in some of the places I’ve been, you’d probably be better off if people DIDN’T know you had the latest iPhone. 😉
Exactly Gordon, i deliver pizza at night, and don’t want anybody in the ‘hood to know i have an iPhone!!
@ Gordon: I don’t give a care what phone someone else is using. But as you know, fashion trends move goods. Apple already got mixed press on having to resort to a patent protection to keep the copycats at bay — and now we see a product that doesn’t advertise itself as the newest thing. It looks like a small evolutionary step, which represents a missed opportunity. Especially considering that the iPhone 5 no longer works directly with any legacy iPhone accessories. As i stated earlier, not a deal breaker. US buyers will trade up when their contracts are due. International buyers will trade up when they need to and can justify the expense.
Curious…in your estimation what would a “new physical design” look like to make it ground breaking for you?
Then, jump into the Android wagon! Simple! Let the rest of us enjoy this wonderful and revolutionary device!
I said the 4S was a great update too and people bitched and moaned but it sold a zillion units.
This phone looks like a very solid evolutionary upgrade to the product line. I’ll be buying one. I’ll be surprised if the number of phones they sell doesn’t once again dwarf the Android competition. Android phones seem like cheap copies, crappy knock offs these days. They remind me of when you’d see Samsung Audio equipment in people’s homes, and they’d say it sounds just like Klipsch or something.
That being said, man I wish they’d stop doing the shows. They can’t pull of the eternal coolness of Jobs without Jobs. They put on a show and it’s a bad caricature of themselves. Just announce the products on the website. Take the website down for an hour, watch the excitement build, then bring it back up with the new products. Put everything you were going to say in a video and let it go at that.
TM, if you want to see a big fail, watch Microsoft try to do that kind of presentation. The last one was a copy of a Steve Jobs event. Hardware crashed, Hype was everywhere but no hardware, no cost, no data…
Now that was a big fail. LOL
“a big fail. No matter, it will still sell like hotcakes.”
Most businesses would be ecstatic over having that kind of “big fail”…
In Mike’s world, bicycles are still being sold with that same, old, boring, circular wheel design.
Wow, what the sheep will fall for, ay, Mike?
@ NHL: actually, no, bicycles are not using the same old boring circular wheel design. wheels on cutting-edge bicycles are nothing like the hand-built “black art” hoops of yore. Modern wheels are carbon fiber wunder-material works of art that can be spotted a mile away.
For example: https://madfiber.com
and do you know what? They sell partially because they LOOK like they mean business, not just because they are “new”.
Apple offers colors in the iPod lines. Apple offers different physical detail in the different iPod lines. Apple could have done a hell of a lot more with the iPhone 5. Apple abandoned its legacy iPhone accessories but tried as hard as they could to make the IPhone 5 look as close as possible in physical form to the iPhone 4. Missed opportunity for sure.
Come on, people, why are you so angry at Mike’s observations? He’s right that the outside style is not revolutionary and most of us wouldn’t even know the difference between it and earlier iPhone models in the wild. Who among us stands on the bus or subway eyeballing everyone’s phone to see if it’s an iPhone or an Android or which iPhone model it is? If you raise your hand and you’re very accurate, then you need to apply for a job at airport security.
Mike called it what it is. I accept his take on it.
funny how Apple competitors bemoan Apple is never good enough yet you people accept mediocrity and gadgetry over stability, user experience etc.
funny how you also judge a phone by its cover or why you’re always so concerned that the newer phone has to look different on the outside – who cares – do you buy new stuff just to show off? plus, what matters is the inside, whether you talk of humans or machines. and software counts more than hardware gadgetry – that is Apple’s secret and they are the only firm in the Black for a reason.
Well said.
Mike, you’re an idiot. If you need attention buy that ridiculously sized Galaxy.
@ Samsung haters:
Stop using iphones because iphone uses screens and other components made by Samsung.
You still have half of Samsung in your hands. LOL 😉
“That is indeed a big fail.
No matter, it will still sell like hotcakes.“
Okay, I don’t think “fail” means what you think it means.
Heck no, It’s sexy!
Theses sort of pundits have always had nothing but complaints about Apple’s products and people. They hated the first iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and then poor-mouthed every update. They hated Steve Jobs right up until he died, then sainted him so they could bash Tim Cook.
The screen is the absolute right size, and unlike the wannabes, they are not going to introduce any new feature unless it is useful and until it is ready.
So true. The events have always had the negative. This new iPhone looks sleek and advanced. It’s so much more tasteful than anything else out there. Of course, there are those who like gaudy look, but this is not for them.
time for one of us to register, Mike. Were you here first or me?
Just do like some of us have done when someone else posts using our name: Just add a suffix or “2” or whatever. Makes no difference who was first. We’re all among equals here anyway.
These pundits come in two variants. First, the group that is eager to appear “balanced” and not be branded as fanboys. Second, the rock-throwing mob whose ends—notoriety and money—justify the means.
Personally, I think too much of a big deal is being made of this. What is it with the religious persecution of Apple in the media?
As it is, Apple has barely been able to keep up with continuing demand for the iPhone. Boring? How about, solid hardware performer, consistency between iOS and apps, and continuing compatibility with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. The only thing preventing me from upgrading today is AT&T’s eligibility requirements for the subsidized price. The only nice-to-have feature that I was interested in was that the maximum storage is still set to 64GB. I was hoping for 128GB.
I like to think the persecution dates to 1997, when Wired placed a crown of thorns on Apple.
These missing items personally I don’t care about. But I do care about quality specs that work, and the ecosystem.
+1
People who find the iPhone 5 boring can always opt for the exciting world of Android phone where a new and different model is announced every week with meaningless spec-driven changes.
Concur with MDN but let’s face it — wireless charging would be sweet.
I wanted Tesla coils zapping my iPhone from across the room.
It would have made “Lightning” that much more interesting!
Wireless electricity transfer has way too much in common with lightning for me to think it’s simple & safe solution.
Wireless synching, on the other hand, would make perfect sense. Anyone know why we still need a cable to sync an iPhone with a Mac?
You don’t need a cable it is just faster than WiFi for some things. iPhones ALREADY synch wirelessly with your computer.
Just go and purchase a Powermat case for it – and then you’ll have wireless charging. I know someone who has this on their iPhone 4S, and it is pretty cool if you want that. He has a Powermat at work on the desk and one at home. He just sits his iPhone on it when he’s at his desk and it is charging.
Me? I just plug mine up. 😉
I buy in every third generation on my Mac products and the iPhone 5 looks like a real smart polished capable upgrade to me.
This is the phone I was hoping for in the last update. When my 4S contract runs out next fall I’m snapping up whatever the follow-up phone to the iPhone 5 is. It is only boring because the rumor sites are getting SO much info beforehand. Like the kid who unwraps their christmas toys early and then gets depressed when they show up under the tree.
This update finally gets us widescreen and LTE. The only thing left is inductive charging and maybe a lens with optical zoom and perhaps a barometer.
We just saw the release of a F-n amazing phone and OS and these critics are still whining?!?! What the hell do you want the phone to do, deliver babies and make you dinner?! Sheesh!!!
Siri is on it
MDN: “The screen is the right size and aspect ratio.”
So, what was the previous screen size and aspect ratio… wrong?
Every iPhone is right…. Until there is a new one
couldn’t have said it better myself. “well we didn’t win but look on the bright side, at least we got a bronze…right?” …
really mdn, really?
AND THE STICKHILM SYNDROME GETS RAMPED UP TO 5
sorry I meant Stockholm…no…you know, STICKholm syndrome actually works better—–as you convince yourselves to STICK with you captor–I MEAN Apple iPhone.
you are a rtard
you are probably right my good sir
…and you are a master of the intellectual retort
Using your feeble attempt at a metaphor, a bronze medal would still be quite an accomplishment. You likely wouldn’t even make it past qualifying. At the Special Olympics.
Nobody watches wide screen movies on an iPhone, EVERYBODY is watching YouTube videos all day long that fit the 4 screen
This is beautiful !! A big upgrade !
I think it feels a little off because we all know what was coming. More secrets being leaked…….good because we have a roadmap sorta, bad because the surprise is taken away from us when products are announced.
Never really wanted one until now. Too bad mobile data in the US is a total scam. Not paying it.
Hey, no whining from you until you’ve shopped around with Canadian carriers.
the iPhone 5 is exactly what I wanted from an upgrade. Its faster (cpu and wireless), thinner, lighter, has a larger screen while remaining usable with one hand, same if not better battery, and better camera. All of these improvements will actually affect my phone experience. Novelty features like facial recognition lock screens won’t do anything for me as it takes just as long to swipe my finger. The iPhone caters to improving the user experience while android phones cater to spec-sheet showdowns. Nothing new here.
The author does have a couple of points. Wireless charging would be nice. I also saw where they were going to have a fingerprint unlock. These are features I would like to have on my IPhone. Otherwise, I agree with most of the comments. The IPhone set its own bar for what a smartphone should be. It does not need to reinvent the wheel, every time out.
Oh please. Strong reviews? From where? CNET/ZDNET/Dvorak/Google paid Bloggers? LMAO
As my wife said after watching the iPhone 5 video…That Jony Ive makes me just want to buy Apple products.
I don’t want a huge change in my phone just for a huge change or so people on the street will know I’ve got the newest device. I want a device that lets me do the thing I do simply and efficiently. The fact the iPhone 5 is just a refinement of the 4S doesn’t bother me one bit.
My brother has been a Motorola DROID user since they first came out…he wants to upgrade to this. I think the sales figures will be staggering in the 4Q 2012.
Ever since Apple showed the world the right way to do technology, FUD-mongerers like Vascellaro have resorted to the old slight-of-hand of “feature” lists to try to tear Apple down in the public’s eye.
The “missing features” bemoaned by Anti-Apple FUDsters (paid bloggers? Hello, Google!) in Apple products are almost always poorly designed gimmicks on other companies’ products, that people can’t actually use, or only with great difficulty and at battery expense.
Apple does it right, or they don’t do it at all.
The Japanese for a long time only cared about feature on their phones. They’d buy this phones that did everything but cook them dinner and yet they never used them. Sometimes, in my opinion, it can be the features left out that might make it good. Engineering, as with all thing, must be done with restraint. That said, I wouldn’t mind inductive charging but by no means a deal breaker. Sounds like an expensive accessory of which I need three.
P.S. Can’t Passbook be used for payments? The Starbucks one shows a balance as though it were linked to some gift card or account. Couldn’t Amex or whoever, release a passbook? (I don’t know how it works on the backend, soooo…)
author Jessica!?!
whose boring?
your journalism!
is it not ironic and extremely sad to you that:
none of Apple’s competitors are measured by the same standards as Apple?!
the “others” can create nothing new except bad copies of Apple products and call new colors or bells & whistle gadgetry over their previous products and call it innovation, but no matter how advanced Apple’s R&D results are, it’s never good enough.
the perfectionism in Apple’s products is the ultimate result of gorgeousness in design and smoothness in user experience. no one manufactures so precisely and no one fuses hard-and-soft-ware so genuinely. the slickness, smoothness, stability, power, speed etc. is unmatched.
the biggest complaint of iPhone5 vs competition:
1. no 4.x” screen: silly, since it’s no longer portable in the pocket or hard to type with 1 hand
2. no NFC: no other SmartPhone has it yet either
3. no eCash: no other phone has it due to no NFC
4. no LiquidMetal: no competitor has it either
5. no Bendable Glass: no competitor has it either
6. no FingerPrint access: no competitor has it either
7. no Haptic Touch: no competitor has it either; still, strange, since Finnish co. said tech was ready last xmas
8. no StarWars-like 3D projection: no competitor has it either
Apple naysayers complain of:
1. iOS not being open-source: look at Android’s chaos. too many cooks in the kitchen. developer nightmare. manufacturer defection. etc.
2. no physical keyboard: they were not software-based. touch tech morphs phone into anything you want, physical keyboards get in the way of revolution.
3. iPhone is not innovative: iPhone1 2007 changed everything! since then, iPhone5 is now the 6th iPhone iteration. iOS has reached 6. Apple is not about inventing but doing it better, faster, more intuitive, stabler, friendlier, prettier etc. Apple is not about recycling but constantly improving every aspect, every level. Apple is not about gadgetry but doing the best of each category. competitors kill each other with superficial changes and gadgetry, whereas Apple kills their profits because users give a damn about Apple quality user experience. Apple fans are loyal and spend more than competitor fans who are quite disloyal, lest stuck in ego decisions or suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. Apple’s profits are not due to marketing lies or hype but deserving quality experience and topnotch customer service.
iPhone4S was lambasted by the press 2011-10-14 vs iPhone4 2010-04-08 for being exactly the same phone.
yes, it was the same exterior design, but inside all was improved, upgraded, physically, plus the OS too! so it was the best-selling SmartPhone ever!
it will be no different with iPhone5 vs iPhone4S despite your boring comment or supposition or theory, as i’m sure many other journalists or bloggers will complain about. plus the iPhone5 will sell even more than 4S since it’s not just a contractual cycle end for many users, but Apple has a much bigger user base now and iPhone5’s size + much better camera + iOS6 with own Maps app to kill Google Maps, not to mention Siri 1.0 etc. will forcibly sell more.
next time, please don’t lower journalistic standards by being only attracting readers through silly headlines – that’s called hitw_h_o_r_i_n _ g.
I want None of those features on my phone –
wireless charging – pain in the ass you need to take the charging base everywhere you go
NFC – Really where can you even use this and what about security – not sure this will ever be prime time
Touch to share? Really with email and text who cares –
Face unlock? too much time involved and I wear sunglasses and can’t answer the phone
Bigger screens – get a tablet I like to hold my phone with one hand.
Dynamic home screens – can’t find anything cause it is always moving to a new position..
Go get a different phone whiner….
How does a big fail sell like hotcakes?