Did Steve Jobs Really Work on the iPhone 5?

[SomeDudeAsking]

So, I'm sure you've heard of the rumors that before Steve Jobs died, one of the last things he did was to work on the iPhone 5 and make that one of the items Apple would release. Does anyone think this is true? I find it hard to believe Jobs did anything on the iPhone 5 because it's so lacking in any wow factor in the face of so much competition from Samsung. If I was in Steve Jobs' shoes working on the final project of my life, I wouldn't have been so conservative. What is most likely is that Jobs did not do anything at all with the iPhone 5, iPad Mini, etc....

[vastoholic]

All it said was that he left a road map for apple product for next few years (I think 5). It has plenty of wow factor. People these days are just unimpressed by amazing technology because its abundant.

[yOyOYoo]

I hope Steve Jobs planned for an upcoming iNote.

I really wish my iphone had a bigger screen. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be happy with a Galaxy Note 2 sized iPhone.

[Prime85]

Originally Posted by SomeDudeAsking

So, I'm sure you've heard of the rumors that before Steve Jobs died, one of the last things he did was to work on the iPhone 5 and make that one of the items Apple would release. Does anyone think this is true? I find it hard to believe Jobs did anything on the iPhone 5 because it's so lacking in any wow factor in the face of so much competition from Samsung. If I was in Steve Jobs' shoes working on the final project of my life, I wouldn't have been so conservative. What is most likely is that Jobs did not do anything at all with the iPhone 5, iPad Mini, etc....

The iPhone 5 has plenty of the wow factor. First of all it is the fastest phone currently on the market. On geekbench it scores 1665 where the SIII only score around 1400. If that isn't wow then I don't know what is. If by wow factors you actually mean gimmicks then no it doesn't have any of those because the SIIi has plenty of gimmicks to go around.

[syd430]

The risks will be left for the iphone 6. There was no reason to take a huge gamble with the iphone 5.

[Mrbobb]

Everybody knows, the last iPhone Jobs worked on was the 4s, "For Steve."

[kendall69]

Steve even worked on the yet unheard of i-Hologram. First previewed when the showed Tupac on stage at Coachella.
A virtual 3D hologram that you can interact and touch via virtual reality. A floating in virtual space keyboard.

YA Steve was brilliant

[wordoflife]

I'm sure he did.

Surely they (Steve) didn't spend all that time designing the 4S. The 4S probably took them, like, 20 minutes to put together.

I tend to agree that the 5 isn't particularly "wowing", but by that account, looking at some of the iPhone upgrades, they weren't really that "wowing" either. However, the upgrades are just as significant (if not more) than were the upgrades from original to 3G, 3G to 3GS , or 4 to 4S.

Original -> 3G iPhone ... 3G feature
3G -> 3G ... faster, better camera, basically.
4 -> 4S ... faster, better camera, basically.
4S - > 5... bigger screen, LTE, faster...

I know there are more upgrades than that I can't think of them off the top of my head right now. But I think you see where I'm getting at.

[bushman4]

Steve Jobs set down a list of probable technologies, projects, and goals for Apple to achieve.
This is what I would think. Of course everything is apropos to current available technology , consumer needs, profitability etc.

[aerok]

I just think he prepared a very broad roadmap for products like:

Make sure to have Apple Maps ready by 2012
Siri should be out of beta by iPhone 6
Make sure all products are retina by 2014
Slowly drop MacPro
etc

[JS82712]

Originally Posted by aerok

I just think he prepared a very broad roadmap for products like:

Make sure to have Apple Maps ready by 2012
Siri should be out of beta by iPhone 6
Make sure all products are retina by 2014
Slowly drop MacPro
etc

well, looks like apple already failed at accomplishing the first one.

[jmpnop]

Originally Posted by JS82712

well, looks like apple already failed at accomplishing the first one.

But they sure did accomplish the last one though

[iAco]

Originally Posted by syd430

The risks will be left for the iphone 6. There was no reason to take a huge gamble with the iphone 5.

nope nope.

iphone 5 is actually a year old. the latest technology from apple is usually a year old. they are working on iphone 6 now, and start developing iphone 6S once the 5S is released. Software updates come as they go. usually on a annual cycle.

so, when iphone 4 was released, steve began work on 5. so yes, he was involved.

i find the iphone 5 formfactor impressive over the previous one. the lacking 'wow' factor is due to the fact that iOS isn't changing much. They need to reinvent the UI and make major upgrades. kind of like how Mac OS went from normal to Aqua. Some sexy wow factor.

[thekev]

I think the OP here overstates the "direct" (I emphasize direct) contribution by Jobs to any product. Didn't the turtleneck overlord pride himself on finding talent?

[SunnyRenegade33]

Originally Posted by yOyOYoo

I hope Steve Jobs planned for an upcoming iNote.

I really wish my iphone had a bigger screen. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be happy with a Galaxy Note 2 sized iPhone.

Get the Galaxy S III then. I'm pretty sure iPhone users don't want a phone that's too big in both weight and screen size - because then it'll just feel too bulky. I think the iPhone 5's screen size is more than good enough with respect to what I'd expect out of a mobile phone... hell, I was even content with the iPhone 4S' screen.

If you want screen real estate, get an iPad mini or an iPad.

[throAU]

Apple is a software integration company more than anything else.

The "wow" will be with the apps.

[irDigital0l]

Originally Posted by throAU

Apple is a software integration company more than anything else.

The "wow" will be with the apps.

You mean like Podcasts, Find My Friends, Cards, Game Center, Passbook, Newsstand?

[Breezygirl]

I think it was best Steve passed away at Apples prime, I think he would be sad to see where Apple is heading.

[throAU]

Originally Posted by irDigital0l

You mean like Podcasts, Find My Friends, Cards, Game Center, Passbook, Newsstand?

No I mean with the iOS programming API that enables third party developers to do cool stuff.

iOS is a platform. The base included apps are not all the device is capable of - and they're not all Apple is at least partially responsible for.

Without a stable, functional API there would be no apps. If apple didn't update the API, advancement in what new apps could do with the device would progress more slowly.

[12dylan34]

I do wonder how far he planned into the future, though. Yes, the roadmap for 5 years, but I wonder if he got really general and far into the future, like wrote out his vision of the ideal computing experience for the next 100 years or so.

[mcdj]

Originally Posted by SomeDudeAsking

I find it hard to believe Jobs did anything on the iPhone 5 because it's so lacking in any wow factor in the face of so much competition from Samsung.

The first things I thought when I picked up the iPhone 5 for the first time?

Wow, it's thin.
Wow, it's light, but doesn't feel cheap.
Wow, LTE is fast.
Wow, the UI is smooth.
Wow, the extra screen real estate is handy.
Wow, it looks cool.

As for the competition from Samsung...

Wow, it feels cheap and plasticky.
Wow, the screen looks iridescent green and feels mushy.
Wow, scrolling is choppy. Zooming too.
Wow, the jumble of icons and buttons on the home page are so unintuitive and inconsistent.

That's 6 wows to 4, for those of you keeping score.

[iSensei]

Originally Posted by yOyOYoo

I hope Steve Jobs planned for an upcoming iNote.

I really wish my iphone had a bigger screen. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be happy with a Galaxy Note 2 sized iPhone.

iPad mini. Note 2 is way too damn big for a phone!

[irDigital0l]

Originally Posted by mcdj

As for the competition from Samsung...

Wow, it feels cheap and plasticky.
Wow, the screen looks iridescent green and feels mushy.
Wow, scrolling is choppy. Zooming too.
Wow, the jumble of icons and buttons on the home page are so unintuitive and inconsistent.

That's 6 wows to 4, for those of you keeping score.

But the phones actually feel ok. But the screen looks a lot more vibrant compared to the iPhone 5. But with Jellybean 4.1/4.2 scrolling is "butter" smooth. But the icons never go anywhere unless you move them just like the iPhone.

[throAU]

Originally Posted by irDigital0l

But with Jellybean 4.1/4.2 scrolling is "butter" smooth.

So jellybean is where iOS was in 2007 in that respect?

[vastoholic]

Originally Posted by irDigital0l

But the phones actually feel ok. But the screen looks a lot more vibrant compared to the iPhone 5. But with Jellybean 4.1/4.2 scrolling is "butter" smooth. But the icons never go anywhere unless you move them just like the iPhone.

But you need to get your eyes checked. But the icons/home screens are still a jumbled mess to begin with.