Converting To The iPhone 5: Can We Believe The Hype?
Sure I text, Tweet and read the news on my phone, but I don't use it for games, watch the weather radar on it or base my every move around said gadget, and my life doesn’t ebb and flow with each new release of the latest-and-greatest high-tech gadget.
But, the one thing I will state, unequivocally, is that I cannot stand my Droid (It’s constantly freezing up)! I’ve hated it for a couple years now, but because I'm a miser I resisted the temptation to switch phones until the current phone ran its course.
I’ve contemplated moving to the iPhone for some time, but never really had the incentive to make the move, until I wandered onto Twitter Wednesday and watched my screen blow up every few seconds with Tweets about the latest and greatest feature the iPhone 5 has to offer.
According to SocialBaker’s CheerMeter, there were 1.3 million Tweets about the iPhone 5 during Apple’s event announcing the new phone on Wednesday. Pocket-lint calculated news of the phone's features were being Tweeted about 75,000 times per hour. This is on Twitter alone. Actual news articles account for close to 6,000 pieces of coverage (I'd hate to have to compile that clipbook). Now that’s publicity.
Still, being skeptical about what I was reading in the media, I put out and APE (all-points email) to my colleagues, asking about features, likes and dislikes. The following are excerpts from the debate between iPhone lovers/aficionados.
Andi Narvaez - Why will the iPhone 5 be the best yet of all versions of the phone?
I think many were expecting new features in the iPhone 5 that included a beating heart, brain, and the ability to text while it drives your car for you.
As it turns out, this new version of the iPhone is “only” 18 percent thinner, 20 percent lighter, features a 4-inch screen, fits more comfortably in your palm, has cool new camera features including the capability to share photos with groups via a real-time stream, enables FaceTime via the network… among many other seemingly little things that will add up and will make us use our phones even more.
But here is the real genius. Longer battery life, faster processing speeds and LTE capability (assuming that networks can deliver on that promise) means that people will be on their phones LONGER. This will have an impact on the industry as network providers will have to really think about how they continue to build out their infrastructure to support more phones online and their rate plans may require even more consideration around ways to monetize increasing data use. And did I mention that the iPhone 5 is expected to boost U.S. GDP and chip growth?
As cool as wireless charging and NFC capability would have been, the reason the iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet is that its impact will be transcendental.
Brittany Cusick - Why will the iPhone 5 not live up to expectations of other versions?
I’m sure that someone, somewhere will argue that the lack of Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple is at fault for any iPhone 5 downfalls, but the reality for me is this. The iPhone 5 is cool. It has some new bells and whistles that I’m sure will enable me to work faster or better than “ever before.” But at the end of the day, for me, the iPhone 5 is just another upgraded device. Yes, one that I hold onto dearly and freak out when I can’t find, but I’m not sure it’s going to change my life any.
As an avid Apple fan I can attest that once you go iPhone, you’ll never go back to some other smartphone. No matter how cool its name sounds or how futuristic its commercials are (yes Android, I’m calling you out. These tactics shall not work on me!).
So will I be ordering iPhone 5 on preorder tomorrow? Of course! But mostly because I’m due for an upgrade anyway, the home button on my current iPhone 4 is starting to bite the dust, and I’m just an iPhone person now. Not because I view the device as innovative beyond my wildest dreams.
I’m still weighing the pros and cons before making a purchasing decision, but from the reactions I’ve heard and read (Twitter is still ablaze) I think I can safely say, “frozen Droid be damned!”
