Here’s list of the
most important new stuff in the iPhone 5 for those of you who use the iPhone
for business tasks or carry an iPhone as your company phone.
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| The iPhone 5 is taller and thinner than previous models. Photo credit: Apple |
1. Larger screen - The most significant change from the
iPhone 4S (and all previous iPhones) is that the new iPhone screen has
stretched from 3.5 inches to 4 inches. The aspect ratio has also changed from
4×3 to 16×9. That gives you more real estate for reading and viewing things on
screen, but it also means developers are going to have to change their apps
(existing apps will auto-fill the space with black bars). Apple’s Jony Ive
explained the change when he said, ”By making the screen taller but not wider,
you can see more of your content but still comfortably use it with one hand.”
2. 4G LTE capability - Apple has finally added 4G LTE
capability to the iPhone. This is a feature that many Android devices have had
for 18 months. Nevertheless, its inclusion is a welcome addition for business
professionals who are heavy data users and want to be able to quickly download
documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, etc. The bad news is that 4G
LTE runs on different wireless frequencies in different countries and the
iPhone does not contain a universal LTE chip, so LTE roaming is going to be
inconsistent depending on which LTE-enabled version of the iPhone 5 you get in
your home country.
3. Faster A6 processor - With the iPhone 5, Apple is
introducing the new A6 processor, which the company says is “up to twice as fast
compared with the A5 chip” and “also offers graphics performance that’s up to
twice as fast as the A5.” In general, the new chip should enable apps to launch
faster, web pages to load sooner, and photos and graphics to show up and
refresh more quickly.
4. Improved battery life (claimed) - Apple says that the
iPhone 5 offers battery life improvements over the iPhone 4S, but didn’t get
into the details. Interestingly enough, back when Apple unveiled the 4S and
claimed that it offered battery improvements over the iPhone 4, the company
said that the iPhone 4S would get 8 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video
playback time, and 6 hours of web browsing time. On Wednesday, Apple claimed
that the new iPhone 5 will get 8 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video playback
time, and 8 hours of web browsing time over LTE. So, the only battery life
improvement is in web browsing.
5. Metal backplate - The iPhone 5 switches from the glass
backplate on the iPhone 4/iPhone 4S to a metal backplate. This is the first
metal backplate since the original iPhone in 2007 (the iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS
both had plastic backplates). The most significant thing about that from an IT
and business standpoint is that it is likely going to be a lot more sturdy and
result in fewer replacements when the phone gets dropped.
6. Updated camera - The camera specs in the iPhone 5 are
virtually identical to the iPhone 4S–which already had an excellent camera–but
Apple had to fit it into a thinner package. There are also a few key feature
improvements. The software now includes a new panorama mode. Apple says that
the iPhone 5 takes photos 40% faster and
takes better low-light shots. CNET’s Josh Lowensohn reported that the new
camera “combines pixels in the dark, which gives you up to two f-stops better performance
in low light. That’s an impressive claim.” Since lots of different types of
professionals–from real estate agents to health care workers to construction
contractors–use the iPhone camera as their primary business camera, any
improvements can have a positive impact. Apple also upgraded the front-facing
camera on the iPhone 5 to 720p, which should bring notable improvements in
video calling.
7. Audio improvements - Apple introduced several features to
improve the audio quality of the iPhone 5. It increased the number of
microphones from two to three. There are now microphones on the bottom, front,
and back of the device and the front and back mics work together as an array to
do beamforming. The iPhone 5 now features wideband audio (also sometimes called
HD Voice), which Apple said will be supported by over 20 cellular carriers at
launch. All of this is aimed at improving call quality so that you can make
calls when you’re in noisy rooms and have a better experience when you’re doing
things like dialing into conference calls from your iPhone.
8. New connector - In order to make the device thinner and
potentially do faster data transfers, Apple replaced the old 30-pin connector
that has been on its devices since 2003. The iPhone 5 features the new
“Lightning” connector, which is all-digital and is 80% smaller. This will be a
major pain for people who already have extra cables and dock connectors for
their iPhone. There is an adapter, but Apple is charging an unconscionable $30
for it. The best thing you can say about this new connector is that it is
reversible, so there’s no way to plug it in upside down. But, if you’re an
existing iPhone user who will be upgrading to the iPhone 5 then you’re going to
need to be prepared to buy adapters for your docks and/or buy some extras
cables for your laptop bag, your night stand, etc.
