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iPhone 5 unwrapped


Johannesburg, 13 Sep 2012

Apple has taken the wraps off the long-awaited iPhone 5, and what it calls “the most beautiful consumer device” the company has ever created.

As expected, the new handset features a larger four-inch Retina display, new 7.6mm anodised aluminium body that is 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S, and a new Apple A6 chip.

Apple explains: “By making the screen taller, not wider, iPhone 5 is just as easy to use with one hand so you can tap, type and scroll the same way you always have, while enjoying even more of your content, including amazing apps optimised for the larger Retina display.”

The iPhone 5 runs iOS 6, which includes 200 new features, according to Apple - these include the new Apple-designed Maps app, Facebook integration, and an improved version of the intelligent voice assistant Siri. The iPhone 5 also supports LTE and DC-HSDPA.

Apple's senior VP of worldwide marketing, Philip Schiller, says: “We've packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning four-inch Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it.”

New features

Apple says the A6 chip gives up to twice the CPU and graphics performance of its predecessor. The camera on the iPhone 5 is an improved version of the 8MP iSight camera of the 4S - and 25% smaller.

The new camera has a sapphire crystal lens cover, and new features include improved image stabilisation, video face detection and a new panorama mode. The handset also has a new FaceTime HD front-facing camera that can capture 720p HD video.

Another new feature is the new all-digital Lightning connector that is reversible. Apple also announced that a Lightning-to-30pin Adapter is available to connect the new iPhone to legacy accessories.

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says the iPhone 5 has met expectations, but in the most unexpected way.

“It confirmed that almost all the main rumours were spot-on. This is unusual, and shows, more than anything, how difficult it has become to keep a lid on secrets about high-profile products. It emphasises the extent to which information no longer respects barriers put in its way.”

Goldstuck says the one pleasing confirmation was the new thin form-factor, which will make it a comfortable phone to carry in the pocket.

“The most displeasing confirmation was the four-inch screen. It simply does not match up to the benchmark set by the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X. However, Apple fans will be convinced.”

The handset will be available in either white and silver, or black and slate, and will ship to the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on 21 September. It will be released in a further 22 countries at the end of September - unfortunately SA is not on that list.

Apple edge?

Goldstuck anticipates Apple fans will go mad for the new handset. “It is sleeker, sexier and bigger. Outside of the usual Apple users, however, unlike in the past, there are viable alternatives as high-end phones for those at the cutting-edge. Those who are happy with a four-inch screen will find it the best phone in the world, but those who want a bigger screen will not be charmed.”

The killer features of the handset, according to Goldstuck, are the speed of the processor and speed of browsing. “Aside from speed and efficiency of app handling, browsing is the defining feature of most smartphones, and the iPhone will handle it better than most. If battery life is as good as Apple claims, it will overcome one of the key areas of resistance to the iPhones, which have always been battery hogs.”

The iPhone 5 enters the smartphone market at a stage where competition is extremely fierce, and the major contender of the moment is undoubtedly the Samsung Galaxy S3. “Samsung must be rather happy with the iPhone 5 as a marketing tool for their Galaxy S3, since it shows up just what a powerful contender the latter is,” notes Goldstuck.

Reuters quotes Gartner Research analyst, Carolina Milanesi, who says of Apple: "Where they are pushing the envelope, and where they remain the one to beat, is on the experience those features bring to the consumer. While other vendors continue to focus just on the hardware - delivering the speeds and feeds and bigger batteries - Apple focuses on pulling the operating system, the hardware and what you can consume on the hardware."

Lack of 'wow'

While it has been noted that the new iPhone lacks near-field communication technology (NFC), Goldstuck says: “NFC was expected, but didn't make an appearance. The truth is, the user is not begging for NFC.”

Chief executive of wealth management company, Destination Wealth Management, Michael Yoshikami, says: "There is not a wow factor because everything you saw today is evolutionary. I do think they did enough to satisfy.”

Goldstuck anticipates the iPhone 5 to pose more of a threat to the Nokia Lumia 920 than to the Galaxy S3: “The Lumia stood apart for its leading quality camera, especially in low-light conditions, and for its support of dual HSPA+. The iPhone 5 offers both.

“Chances are it will be a bigger seller than any previous iPhone, but in a far bigger and more competitive touch-screen smartphone landscape.”

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