I respect OP's personal review on the iP5. Just from reading other's positive and negative reviews, and seeing the 5 for myself, I know that I'd be content with my 4S. There are similar concerns OP presented that others have also voiced in this forum.
Sooner or later, Apple will have to redesign the 5, whether it be 2 years from now or in 4,6, or 8 years. I respect those that have said that the 5 is a total redesign, but I, like many others, think the 5 looks to similar to the 4S design-wise. And I think, people just want a new phone all-around - specs and design IMO.
If I really need and were ready for an upgrade, I'd choose the 5, because the capabilities of what the 5 offers is enough for me.
Thanks.
To everyone else, there are things I like about the iPhone 5:
1. Better screen contrast.
2. Faster.
3. Good low light camera.
But honestly that's about it. It's just not terribly innovative compared to the iPhone 4S. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything else out there. We're committed to developing for iOS. I'd like a really cool phone option other than the iPhone but all other mobile operating systems pretty much suck.
All this said, I cannot agree with Steve Jobs more on this when he said:
"Design is how something works."
Repeat that a few times and it becomes incredibly clear. You can quote specs all you want. You can talk about better cameras, slightly faster App launch times... If it doesn't feel and look good, it's a tough sell. And this is one of the first Apple products in a long time that I'm turning my nose up precisely because the device seems to have bad design. Bad design because:
1. It's too tall and skinny.
2. The edges are sharp and unfriendly.
What I think we're witnessing here is the Post-Steve Jobs era. While Tim Cook was jerking off with investors about dividends and fighting Samsung, he forgot about product management. Steve Jobs was the ultimate product manager. After reading Isaccson's bio of Jobs, the one thing I really liked in the book was the design process. How Steve would go into the design studio and not even look at what people were doing on computers. He'd just sit right down at the prototype table and feel the styrofoam designs. He'd eliminate half a dozen and set aside one or two he liked and wanted to focus on refining. And on and on the design iterations would go.
He's not around anymore. I have a feeling the 5 would look and feel different with Jobs around. A larger screen like this demands a brand new, thought from the ground up, design. And it should be wider.
For anyone who really likes the 5, I get it. There's lots to like about it. Unfortunately, the design seems to be all wrong. And as an aside, although I haven't mentioned this, I too was a victim of a nicked and dented phone out of the box. I had to take it back and get a plain vanilla replacement from the Apple Store. As you can see, I'm not trolling this. I'm just focused on what I think are major design shortcomings.
