At the start of this week, Apple Inc. announced the sale
of 5 million iPhone 5 units in just three days of its launch. The company
shares rose to an all time high to $703 with the launch (I wonder what the Microsoft-Nokia venture has to say about this). The
sales tally is a record for any phone, but it beats last year's iPhone 4S
launch only by a small margin and the analysts expected a better market
reaction.
In a recent announcement, the company did mention that it
sold 4 million phones in the first three days. However, like all good things,
its shares crumpled by 1.3% to around $690 in the post launch phase. But any which
ways, fans will be fans and their excitement only soars higher.
Talking of excitement, Apple’s English fans had camped
out for a week in a queue that snaked around the block, to get hold of the
first lot of the iPhone 5. In Hong Kong, the first customers were greeted by
staff cheering, clapping, chanting and high-fiving them as they were escorted
one-by-one through the front door.
Tim: the Apple Cooker
Interestingly, Apple had introduced its own breed of mapping
system as an attack on Google Maps and this has kept the users and critics vocal
for some time now. But what has happened with the ‘Zero’ thought and incomplete
application is that it was launched with a number of glitches and all of which
have been crucified on social networks. To name a few, Apple maps offer fewer details,
lacks public transit directions and has a number of misplaced landmarks.
What’s even more interesting is the fact that CEO Tim
Cook, after apologizing for the glitch, has formally recommended the users to
use the competitor’s map applications (including
Google Maps) to get around, until the application is improved. This is a
rather bold move for the world's most valuable company, which prides itself on
producing industry-leading gadgets that easily surpass rivals.
Whats New in 5?
iPhone 5 has a 1.3GHz dual-core processor with a 266MHz
tri-core graphics processor built in. For laymen, this means launching more
quickly, switching between apps more quickly, and operating your mail or adding
effects to the photo quicker. To know the true potential of this processor, you
would perhaps want to play with complex numbers or large-scale database
searching, which by the way is very much possible.
Even with tall claims, the battery life is nothing
different from the iPhone 4S.
It does sport a large 4-inch Retina Display and is easy
on the eyes with videos and photos looking even more lush. It is noticeably
lighter than the iPhone 4S and not only is it thinner, but the replacement of
stainless steel and some of the glass with anodised aluminium makes noticeable difference
to how it feels.
Apps that have not been updated run at their usual size, for
the screen is the same width as before. So the phone just fills in black bars at
the top and bottom to display non-optimised content. This, as of now, is the
case with a good number of popular apps from the AppStore.
The new operating system, iOS 6, makes it easy to share
photos with your friends and family. All you have to do is select the photos
and email them to whomever you want. Assuming the recipients also has an Apple
device running on iOS 6, they will get a notification that will send the
designated photos to their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. This will not be device
specific for long because the new iOS can be downloaded for free beginning
Sept. 19 on a wide range of older Apple devices, including the three previous
versions of the iPhone and the last two versions of the iPad.
The pre-installed YouTube application – which featured in
iPhones ever since 2007 – is gone (Not a
big deal as you can download the application made by YouTube owner Google Inc.
in Apple's iTunes store).
iOS 6 also offers a feature called Passbook, a one-stop-shop
for storing digital coupons, airline tickets and gift cards. Even though this
seems to be promising, it could have been better, had the company supported it
with NFC to enable wireless payments at the checkout stands equipped for the
still-nascent technology. Some of the Androids have this function but as I
said, it’s still a baby tech.
What I think:
The iPhone 5 is not really a revolution. If you got an
iPhone 4S last year, the iPhone 5 offers little reason to abandon it yet. But,
if you're still hung up on an iPhone 3GS or even an iPhone 4, there is news for
you – “This phone is going on sale in 22 other countries TODAY!!”
Follow me on @vaimasters
Send ur feedback on vaistorm@gmail.com
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