I think if you updated from the 4S to the 5 thinking it was something "new" then obviously you are just trying to keep up with the Joneses.
I was going to upgrade, then I seen the release of it and that killed the thought of upgrading. Same as 4S, longer screen, different design, and does the same thing that the 4S does. I'll keep my 4S.
Nothing is the same as the 4s. It's as different as any Android or Windows handset. The longer screen maintains single hand usability but adds more real estate, colors, contrast, reflection and the 'properties' of the screen have all been improved upon. The speed increase from the A5-->A6 is a 100% or two fold performance jump in al, measured specs...as is the new GPU the PowerVR SGX543MP3 doubles the graphics performance, BrowserMark scores are a two fold increase....and the Sunspider benchmarking is twice as fast...and the 4s was/still is a dominant force in it's own right. Still very comparable in these scores; GPU, CPU, browsing and Java tests--to the 'flagship' 'Droid counterparts. We've still got a 4s in house...but after almost three months of '5' ownership...as well, my son's new iTouch 5--the perceived, subjective and objective observations between the two models is extraordinary. As is the incredible, impeccable engineering design. Easily the best iPhone to date
One thing many of you waiting for a revolutionary update need to remember, that will NEVER, EVER happen again. Not with an existing device. They did it in 2007. That was the revolutionary design/release. The original iPhone. From now forward, evolutionary designs with both hardware AND software (recent management shakeups @ Apple Inc, IMHO show there are 'others' in management that agree iOS may indeed be starting to 'stale' a bit...and to put the lead hardware stud behind the software is a brilliant move and one we 'fans' should be able to look forward to in future updates). To me, the software is exactly where revolutionary tactics may still reside. These next two years of iOS and OSx development/interaction will prove interesting.
Yep, no reason to upgrade, it's exactly the same as the 4S. It makes phone calls and uses apps. No innovation here, move along. # I love how you claim it's the same, then list two reasons that its all new.
I personally upgrade every 2 years, so I was coming from the 4. The 5 was a great upgrade for me and the sale of our unlocked 16 & 32 4's paid for the entire upgrade for 2 32gb iPhone 5's. The upgrade basically cost us nothing.
Regardless there is no way I would go back to the 4 or 4S. LTE is simply too amazing. Everything else was just a bonus.
Exactly, precisely, and TRUE!
LTE, if you have access is absolutely a night and day difference. Regardless of whether you're surfing, uploading pics, downloading news feeds or RSS...an iTunes song (sometimes literally in 5 or 6 seconds), streaming video, using Siri...the list goes on and on and on. Faster than 'connected' broadband in most folks' homes from their ISP---a true world of difference. If you don't have it in your market yet, don't fret! AT&T is on a frantic rollout pace to catch up with Verizon...mom n pop local ISPs are doing their bit--TMobile and Sprint moving forward. The UK is finally starting their rollout...Asia has always been WAY ahead of 'the west' when it comes to technology and bandwidth. Korea, Japan, and Taiwan...and with China now selling the iPhone and updating their high speed, wireless networks...it should be ubiquitous in the 'world' over within 5 years. I'm in Anchorage Alaska...they (AT&T) flipped the LTE switch literally two weeks before the iPhone 5 release. I actually noticed it on my iPad '3' at first. If Alaska is enjoying LTE in several markets...at least in the USA, you should see it soon...at least in reasonable sized markets.
Do you need to upgrade to a 4" inch? Is .5 inches that big of a difference? Maybe if you're a chick it is.
As for different design, is the 4S that heavy to hold?
If you're going from the 4 to the 5, then yes there is a reason to upgrade.
In my eyes going from a 4S to a 5 is pointless. My 4S data is fast enough for me, I don't need LTE to browse.
See above. Definitely much, MUCH MORE to LTE than browsing alone...albeit browsing is a much more enjoyable experience. As well, I'm definitely not 'a chick' and your post tells us a lot about your age. Just because your Mom said 'absolutely NOT!' Doesn't mean you should outright dismiss the attributes of a 4s--->5 upgrade. IMHO it's the absolute biggest performance update/upgrade since the iPhone released...other than maybe the '3G' subsidized upgrade from the original.
Over the last two months I have been researching a phone to replace my iPhone4 because it has intermittent problems that were not readily duplicatable.
I spent a lot of time with
Samsung SIII
Samsung NoteII
Apple iPhone 5
When it came to usability, man those large screens on the Samsung could not be beat, however my familiarity with IOS prevented me from going to Android.
So I focused on the iPhone 5.
Well after all was said and done, my iPhone 4 finally gave up the ghost.
I paid Apple for an out of warranty replacement.
The iPhone 5 was disappointing to me. Anyone who says the iPhone5 screen is a big improvement over the iPhone 4 is just trying to justify the so called 'upgrade' because the difference truly is minimal.
There is a performance boost with the iPhone 5 but not enough to justify spending $300 or $400 and being LOCKED into another two year contract!
I'll stick with the iPhone 4 until Apple comes out with something more functional for my use!
Again, sorry you're unable to appreciate the significantly updated screen. It's not just 'longer'. It sports better color and calibration from the 'factory'. Less reflection, more accurate and natural when watching 16:9 movies or extra real estate for gaming and it's controls...extra 'portrait' browsing room especially noticeable when in full screen, reading books and magazines or PDFs (speaking of which, PDF rendering is almost immediate...instantaneous reaction to manipulation of PDFs. Very nice indeed).
I think the biggest benefits to the '5' are yet to come. As developers utilize the tricks and power of the A6 processing and extra RAM (another 'biggie'!)--as well, packaging their apps with the 3.5" equivalent, we'll see what the phone is truly capable of. For now though, in almost every task I'm doing on my '5' is fast, without lag, and much improved over my 4s. Just like the 4s vs the 4 right now, the most notable performance measures are still six months out...but why not be ready? If you've got an upgrade available on your account, it only makes sense...as you can always recoup most of, if not all of your upfront associated subsidized costs. If you hold out a generation, it's not necessarily going to turn out that way as the resale of older handsets decrease. If you know you're going to have a cell phone. If you're happy with your carrier and aren't planning to leave, why not?
It definitely, once again, IS the best iPhone...if not smart phone available today.
J
