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5 Reasons to Skip the iPhone 5

Honestly, I think the only reason which matters is that your 2-year contract isn't up yet and you can't justify paying a hefty early recontracting fee. The rest is just rubbish. The iphone 5 is a pretty significant upgrade overall and you are griping over minor details like lack of nfc or wireless charging, which in all honestly, aren't even that useful or practical at the moment? :confused:
 
As for NFC.

I've got it on my current Galaxy Nexus. Other than impressing the little teenagers working at McDonalds when I go to pay for something, it is completely useless. It's not like I can leave the wallet at home now. 30% of the time the NFC reader at the vendor doesn't even work yet.

NFC Tags: Ok, neat little feature, but other than switching the phone between modes or sending a text message or some other nonsense, NFC tags are a gimmick more than anything else.
 
Name of article should be:

The 5 dumbest reasons not to upgrade to the iPhone 5.

Stupid article I've read over this topic.
 
iThomas said:
They also said that about the 30 pin connector?
Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite.

The 30 pin connector has been around for about 10 years now. You can expect Lightning to be around for about 10 years, and when they do change the plug again, it will be to another all-new connector. His point still stands. If you want to stick with your 30 pin accessories, you better think of how your 4S will be in 2030.
 
Italianblend said:
This is apple's problem:

The Operating system is the phone - and it's the same darn thing each time out. It might be efficient, but it's boring, and we're getting over it. No customization, same boring colors, no personality.
Click to expand...

After having used the iPhone 5, I think this post is spot on.

I was expecting the iPhone 5 to impress me and for me to want it even more, but instead the experience of using it was literally no different to my iPhone 3GS. The OS is exactly the same, the important apps are exactly the same. There is just not enough difference for me to want to upgrade now. All you get is better performance, but that doesn't matter if you don't run the kind of apps that require it.

So even though I've disagreed with this point in the past, I would have to agree now that the OS is getting stale. Theres nothing actually wrong with it, but its reached a point where it just needs to be freshened up in some way. And if Apple are smart, when they do create a new GUI for iOS they will drop support for older devices even faster, just to make their newer phones feel distinct from the old ones.
 
Isn't it an 8 pin connector?

AFDoc said:
9 pin connector is here to stay so you better not plan on updating ever.
Click to expand...

I have read that it is a fully reversable 8 pin connector, not 9 pin. Because it is fulle reversable (it doesn't matter which way is upside or downside) I think it must be an 8 pin connector; it would be difficult to imagine an odd number of pins that can function that reversable way.
 
lordhamster said:
As for NFC.

I've got it on my current Galaxy Nexus. Other than impressing the little teenagers working at McDonalds when I go to pay for something, it is completely useless. It's not like I can leave the wallet at home now. 30% of the time the NFC reader at the vendor doesn't even work yet.

NFC Tags: Ok, neat little feature, but other than switching the phone between modes or sending a text message or some other nonsense, NFC tags are a gimmick more than anything else.
Click to expand...

NFC is pointless ... I guess bluetooth with take over for this kind of thing.

The industry is bitching about the iPhone not having NFC because they were hoping the iPhone would kick-start its adoption by having it!

Like Phil Shiller said ... NFC solves a problem that doesn't exist.

G.

----------
mortenandersen said:
I have read that it is a fully reversable 8 pin connector, not 9 pin. Because it is fulle reversable (it doesn't matter which way is upside or downside) I think it must be an 8 pin connector; it would be difficult to imagine an odd number of pins that can function that reversable way.
Click to expand...

Why? the centre pin would be in the same place regardless of what way you put the connector in, so not really any harder or different to implement.

Edit: Apologies, I'm guessing you thought it was 4 pins either side of the connector.... it's in fact 8 pins each side.

G.
 
There are countless reasons TO get the iPhone 5 though, so I don't care. I love mine, and so does everybody I know that got theirs.
 
Yeah keep trying to convince yourself you made the right decision......I spent $700 to get the 5 on launch day and I'd do it again tomorrow. It's better in every way.
 
My 2 cents for skipping the iPhone 5

1, The coating on both black and white is weak.
2, !
3, !
4, !
5, !

I currently use the 4s in the Uk where at present we don't have networks with Lte or 4g. Some are working on it.

I buy my iPhones outright so I don't have to wait to upgrade and I have the disposable income.

What's under the hood of the iPhone 5 ticks all my wants and needs boxes.

I prefer to go naked and not encase mine in rubber , metal or plastic but knowing how easy this thing marks up I would end having to.

Maybe a YouTube tutorial will appear showing a user removing the coating with one of those green scouring pads !

Or Apple making a statement on thus would help too !
 
That was quite possibly the ********* "article" (and I use that term VERY loosely here) I've ever read. Sounds like something that was written by a young teenager who's upset they aren't getting an iPhone.
 
Quu said:
Those reasons aren't very compelling. And did you write that article? :confused:
Click to expand...

No, actually we all know I wrote it. No, really, I think Bill Gates wrote it.

That being said, while the iPhone is at the top of the heap, it has fewer issues than other smart phones. The reason all the criticism is out there is because it's the top product and one others copy.

I think the writer of the article has left out the most valid reason and that's Samsung. After all the anger has subsided, what Samsung has done is no different than what Microsoft and Apple did stealing GUI. It's just the cost of doing business and is it worth it to get $6 billion dollars of estimated revenue each quarter (from arguably Apple ideas) for a long time if the cost is getting sued for a billion for infringements? Samsung is now on the map, and I will begrudgingly give them kudos for great products (even if stolen), and then are the ones laughing all the way to the bank. Apple had to put the time and money into R&D and argue it was billions, but like Microsoft, Samsung used the path of least resistance and believe that stealing and paying a small percentage in damages is worth it. Microsoft went from being unknown not too long ago to being the biggest company in the world (passing up HP, Compaq, and IBM) with that practice and Samsung is only doing what others have successfully done.

For me, reason #6 and the only possibly valid one to not buy iPhone 5: the Samsung line

we have to realize that if one goes with Samsung, they have a great phone, but if they go with Apple, they also have a great phone and at this stage, it's Apples vs. Oranges
 
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1. Screen - the black bars on the top and bottom (on the black phone at least) blend in incredibly well. I have to really take a good look to see if an app has been upgraded or not. Most developers will upgrade their apps quickly. Every day i have had a couple of apps show up as having support for the larger screens.

2. The connector isn't going to go anywhere. If you are going to stick with apple, you are eventually going to have to use the new connectors. Hopefully cheaper versions become available shortly.

3. The cost is the same as every iphone. I have paid $199 for the 3g, the 4, and now the 5.

4. the biggest problem that i have with the software is the inability to make other apps the default. Even if you use chrome all the time, safari still pops up when clicking links. Same issue with maps... even if google releases a maps app, the apple maps will be the default.

5. I don't remember seeing a NFC payment option anywhere in any retail store. I can't imagine that this is in wide release.

Most of these are pretty stupid. Honestly, if you are out of contract and have owned iphones in the past, then the 5 is pretty much a no brainer. I wouldn't upgrade if i had a 4s though. At that point wait until the 5s or whatever it will be called and buy then at the subsidized price.
 
63dot said:
Microsoft went from being unknown not too long ago to being the biggest company in the world (passing up HP, Compaq, and IBM) with that practice and Samsung is only doing what others have successfully done.
Click to expand...

Well hold on, Apple stole the original Mac OS virtually from Xerox which OSX still has a lot of the same look and feel of the original Mac OX. Let's not pretend any major tech firm hasn't stolen a few ideas from their competition....

Heck the first Compaq PC was created by reverse engineering an IBM PC.... They blatantly copied the PC and admit to it completely.

Almost all of my electronics are Apple so I am no PC/Android fanatic, but even I can admit that my favorite corporation steals ideas....
 
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I feel like I just got link-baited to a Geocities site. Anyone remember that? I expected to see a glittering unicorn GIF and maybe a little green and black site stats counter at the bottom.

I won't take the bait and run with it, but I'll at least throw my hat into the "Those 'reasons' are poorly thought out and silly." ring.

Any one of the things discussed in your "article" could very easily, and clearly have been argued as being positives.

Hire a web designer.
Squarespace?
 
TheRainKing said:
After seeing the iPhone 5 keynote and looking at all the review videos I actually really wanted one, but I went to a phone store earlier today and tested one out and I have to say, I wasn't really that impressed. It was actually a shock to me to see how boring it was. I'm currently using an iPhone 3GS and when I messed around with the iPhone 5, it actually felt like the EXACT same phone. Obviously the screen was bigger and it was much faster but I couldn't believe how much it felt like my iPhone 3GS. I thought to myself, ok if I upgraded to this phone, "how would I use it, and what would I get out of it?" and all I could think of was..

Text messages - Exactly the same on my iPhone 3GS

Phone calls - Same on my 3GS. Maybe calls are better quality but I really don't spend enough time on the phone to care.

Camera - I would enjoy the superior camera, but I already have a decent digital camera so its not enough incentive for me to upgrade.

Browsing the internet - The screen is bigger so I can see more content, but I really don't find myself craving for that on my current iPhone so I don't think I'll care much. Web pages will load faster but again, it doesn't bother me enough on my current iPhone for me to care. LTE download speed would be nice but because I live in an obscure town I wouldn't expect to get any coverage or decent speeds.

Navigation - I already have the new maps system on my 3GS and the coverage is terrible in my area. As for the 3D maps, well when I tested it on the iPhone 5 I found it to be just as useless as I expected. Who is really going to use that feature to find there way around? It's so much simpler looking at flat maps. So yeah I don't care for 3D maps.

Siri - I would use Siri if I had an iPhone that supports it, but from what I've heard it gets boring really quickly so I can live without it.

Apps/Games - I'm not much of an app user to be honest. I only have about 8 apps installed right now on my 3GS and they all run just fine as well, so I don't think the extra performance you get on the iPhone 5 would matter much to me.

Email - Same as on my iPhone 3GS

Weather - Same as on my iPhone 3GS

Reminders & Notes - Same as on my iPhone 3GS
Click to expand...

I agree. I'm still using a 3GS with a high degree of success. I mean, its definitely getting tired, but its still very functional. I'll probably upgrade next month just because I'm on ATT and I might as well take advantage of the subsidy.

Looking forward to the retina display and slightly larger screen. Also, the camera will be a huge upgrade from the 3gs. In daylight the 3gs takes decent pics, but at night (low light situations) its pretty bad.

Other than that its the same phone with all the same features you listed above. LTE is nice, but I don't consume high enough rates of data to where I couldn't wait a second or two for a page to load. Of course I'll enjoy higher speeds witth less wait time, but its not something I was actively pursuing if I didn't have an upgrade on the horizon.
 
paulrbeers said:
Well hold on, Apple stole the original Mac OS virtually from Xerox which OSX still has a lot of the same look and feel of the original Mac OX. Let's not pretend any major tech firm hasn't stolen a few ideas from their competition....

Heck the first Compaq PC was created by reference engineering an IBM PC.... They blatantly copied the PC and admit to it completely.

Almost all of my electronics are Apple so I am no PC/Android fanatic, but even I can admit that my favorite corporation steals ideas....
Click to expand...

All true. It's really a corporate war out there and there appears to be very few rules. ABC Bay Area radio was talking about the appeals to the Samsung theft case and the cost to both companies with go well over the initial billion dollar judgement. By the time this is resolved, it will be years from now and nobody will really care.

I love my Macs but also my Gateway ain't really bad and Windows 7 (though parts of it has a suspiciously borrowed OSX feel to it) is a nice OS. My cell is a RAZR is it's good enough for me and I don't have an attachment to smartphones which seems for society to be far more addicting than computers ever were (thus the #1 position of Apple right now).

From what my phone can do, the iPhone 4 would be a huge improvement. I don't really see a great need to get a 5 and certainly don't have the need, or time, to stand in a big line and camp out. The Samsung commercial dissing this religious practice of Apple fanatics who make the rest of us look bad is right on. If anything, skipping generations can be a cheaper way to go. I do that, on the computer end with my operating systems. Jaguar to Tiger to Snow Leopard worked well. I am on Windows 7 and don't feel a need to jump to 8.
 
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Italianblend said:
This is apple's problem:

The Operating system is the phone - and it's the same darn thing each time out. It might be efficient, but it's boring, and we're getting over it. No customization, same boring colors, no personality.
Click to expand...

2007: Apple gives birth to a Unicorn. The masses go wild.
2012: Apple's Unicorn is maturing to be a more perfect rainbow generator. The masses are bored and want Apple to give birth to a Vampire.
 
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