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It's so funny... I remember when my computer maxed out at 32MB of ram* (1995) and we used to joke about computers have "a GIG of Ram" one of these days. Now, we've got that in phones. Amazing.


*going from 8MB of ram to 32MB cost me $1500! (am I remembering that right? Sounds insane!)

ha! It truly is.
Just like how we joke about Terabytes now.
 
Enough to host a Minecraft server... Everything is going according to plan :cool:
 
Its not that I dislike iOS, I don't. I had a 3GS and loved it for a long time, but I feel that Android and Windows Phone are leaving iOS behind in terms of features and under the hood updates. And UI updates for sure.,

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Well, I think its because Apple has fallen behind the times as far as Phones go.

Personally, I buy whatever phone does the best job for me, and there was a point in time when the iPhone did that ( I love mah Macs to )

But you see the Windows Phone and Android guys getting tons of crazy powerful hardware, tons of new features, and they get them very quickly. While Apple seems to lag behind in every category besides profits, and that doesn't matter unless your a shareholder.

Apple is worth 600+ billion, second most valuable company of all time ( adjusted for inflation ), and they are a huge success. Why can't they take some of that money and do something really awesome again?

Awesome point. Finally someone who isn't an apple gremlin sitting in their basements slowly stroking their iphone.

The 4S was basically an iPhone 4 with newer specs.
The 5 is basically a 4S with a bigger screen, newer specs.

It's like Sony coming out with a faster laptop with a bigger screen and then half the tech world going nuts and calling it the most innovative thing to happen this year.

The 4S was such a weak launch, they had to prevent Siri from being made available on the 4. They needed something to make the 4S "new".

I'm beginning to think the smartphone market is become commoditized. I hope I'm wrong. The iPhone itself isn't all that different from other phones. In fact, other phones have better "specs". It's the ecosystem that makes the iPhone a winner.
 
I guess I will be upgrading from my 4S :D

The iPhone 5 is a great upgrade from the 4S, more than many people think. 2x the performance and graphical aspect, 2x the ram, better camera features, new screen, LTE (ftw), etc.

Honestly, no matter what iPhone you have, this is an awesome upgrade.

(speaking from experience. sold my 4S and pre ordered 5)
 
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My question is - will all these upgraded specs matter that much when app developers will still intend to support the iphone 4 and 4s? Thus, they are still likely to program to the lowest denominator. The result may be apps that don't take full advantage of the iphone5's improved specs. So we may not see much impact beyond being able to hold more pages in memory or slightly faster loading time on apps. :confused:

I think you are spot on here. Frankly, this is te main reason I am disappointed that the 3GS was supported as long as it has been. It seems apple has dropped it now, but the same will be the case with the 4 I am sure. Among other things, this is a large part of why I may not upgrade this time around. My 4s can literally do everything the 5 can. I will say I might be slightly jealous if the 5 does significantly better with open tabs in safari. That has annoyed me fr ages.
 
Although widely expected, it is nice to see proof for this. It is a pretty significant upgrade too.
Can't wait to get my hands on an iPhone 5.

T.
 
Why there is label with samsung's part number if A6 is produced by TSMC? Or I have missed something...
This only confirms that Samsung has manufactured the stacked RAM chips inside the package, it doesn't say that the A6 CPU is manufactured by Samsung. And to be fair, this is a rendered image, not a photo of an actual production chip. Apple have used other manufacturers for the RAM inside Ax processors before, and the lettering is very much different then.
 
I love the silliness of some posters:

The iPhone 5 is only the iPhone 4S with a bigger screen and better specs...

You could essentially say the exact same thing about any two generations of any smartphone on Earth! The Samsung GS3 is only the Samsung GS2 with a bigger screen and better specs! The Nokia Lumia 920 is only the Nokia Lumia 800 with a bigger screen and better specs.

In fact, you can make essentially the same statement about any two generations of any product at all! The new Macbook Air is only the old Macbook air with better tech specs. The new Aston Martin is only the old Aston Martin with a slightly new design and better engine. The new Moleskin Notebook is only the old Moleskin Notebook with a new cover design and nicer paper!

What did people expect?! What did they want?! I mean, for all the griping didn't Apple just launch an absolutely state of the art smartphone? Doesn't it carry the very latest tech in LTE chips, ARM processors, manufacturing techniques, touch screen technology, image processing? Isn't likely the fastest smartphones going while still being among the thinnest and lightest handsets on the market?

There are, as far as I can see, only two things NOT included in this new iPhone which anyone could reasonably complain about: wireless charging and NFC. The first is a gimmick - it's slow, inconvenient, expensive and adds little to no value over and above standard charging methods. NFC is a more complex question - there are clearly potential uses for NFC but none are yet compelling to me and Apple made a judgement call about the design compromises they would have to make in order to incorporate NFC and decided it wasn't worth it. That's a legitimate decision although clearly others think differently. Of course, both NFC and wireless charging can easily be added through the use of a third party case - so those options remain for people who really desire that functionality.

I see the new iPhone is a fantastic achievement. The 4S remains one of the best phones on the market in terms of technical specifications and, for me, the best phone going for overall design, ease of use, ecosystem etc. I still look at my 4S, which has a design that's over two years old, and find it to be a thing of beauty - classically stylish and made of exceptionally high quality materials. Obviously this is a matter of taste but I'd wager good money that, in a few decades' time, the 4/4S will be the subject of study for industrial design students all over the world while few other smartphones will warrant any consideration. Nokia's Lumia range is lovely in many ways but it might date more quickly because of its more pop-like sensibilities. The Galaxy range from Samsung won't last the test of time - they're nice to look at but lack substance visually. I picked up a Sony Experia handset yesterday and was surprised by how cheap and tacky it felt. I know there are some nicely built handsets out there, don't get me wrong, but I genuinely haven't seen one that comes close to the 4/4S, and that's after more than two years!

The iPhone 5 is, by all accounts, a very nice feeling handset - I can't comment directly until I've held one in my hand. Only time will tell if it becomes a design classic like the 4/4S but all the signs are good so far.

They've stuck closely to the design philosophy of the prior generation and created a handset which goes even further in terms of minimalism - peeling away the facade to reveal the industrial design, the function of the device. The unibody case is simpler than the glass and stainless steel of the prior generation. The slate/black and silver/white combinations are even more stylistically pure as the metal and the glass are matched more closely for the cleanest fit (the white one looks stunning but I intend to stick with black as it's less showy). The brushed, matt finish of the flat faces compared to the high shine of the chamfers creates a striking but subtle impact - a tiny detail that turns a potentially homogenous, even boring shape into something really eye catching (as always, it's the little things that count). All the busyness is now concentrated on the bottom edge of the handset leaving an even cleaner finish around the other three edges but the tidy design of the smaller port and bold, circular speaker holes stop things feeling cluttered.

The iPhone 5 is a phone built for people who love great design. Sure, I like a phone that goes like stink! I love high end technology as much as the next geek, but I also love great design. In fact, I love great design more. That's why I wouldn't buy a Samsung - they're nice but the niceness is immediate and fleeting - lemonade vs the aged single malt of truly great design. Instantly pleasing but just as instantly forgettable, pop vs classic rock. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it isn't appealing to me. If you want something like an iPhone you really only have one option: an iPhone.
 
I think you are spot on here. Frankly, this is te main reason I am disappointed that the 3GS was supported as long as it has been. It seems apple has dropped it now, but the same will be the case with the 4 I am sure. Among other things, this is a large part of why I may not upgrade this time around.

Funny, people complain tooth and nail that big ol' "evil" Apple intentionally drops features from older devices to "force" an upgrade, armageddon sky is falling lawsuit mass destruction. And then people complain that Apple has supported a device for too long :)

Be happy then that ARM 6 devices are finally getting dropped. And considering how each new iPhone smashes the sales of the previous combined, there should still be some incentive for the 5 (or at least more 4S) specific apps to hit the store. And anyone with a 3GS at this point probably isn't the most lucrative market to target anyway.
 
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I love the silliness of some posters:

The iPhone 5 is only the iPhone 4S with a bigger screen and better specs...

You could essentially say the exact same thing about any two generations of any smartphone on Earth! The Samsung GS3 is only the Samsung GS2 with a bigger screen and better specs! The Nokia Lumia 920 is only the Nokia Lumia 800 with a bigger screen and better specs.

In fact, you can make essentially the same statement about any two generations of any product at all! The new Macbook Air is only the old Macbook air with better tech specs. The new Aston Martin is only the old Aston Martin with a slightly new design and better engine. The new Moleskin Notebook is only the old Moleskin Notebook with a new cover design and nicer paper!

What did people expect?! What did they want?! I mean, for all the griping didn't Apple just launch an absolutely state of the art smartphone? Doesn't it carry the very latest tech in LTE chips, ARM processors, manufacturing techniques, touch screen technology, image processing? Isn't likely the fastest smartphones going while still being among the thinnest and lightest handsets on the market?

There are, as far as I can see, only two things NOT included in this new iPhone which anyone could reasonably complain about: wireless charging and NFC. The first is a gimmick - it's slow, inconvenient, expensive and adds little to no value over and above standard charging methods. NFC is a more complex question - there are clearly potential uses for NFC but none are yet compelling to me and Apple made a judgement call about the design compromises they would have to make in order to incorporate NFC and decided it wasn't worth it. That's a legitimate decision although clearly others think differently. Of course, both NFC and wireless charging can easily be added through the use of a third party case - so those options remain for people who really desire that functionality.

I see the new iPhone is a fantastic achievement. The 4S remains one of the best phones on the market in terms of technical specifications and, for me, the best phone going for overall design, ease of use, ecosystem etc. I still look at my 4S, which has a design that's over two years old, and find it to be a thing of beauty - classically stylish and made of exceptionally high quality materials. Obviously this is a matter of taste but I'd wager good money that, in a few decades' time, the 4/4S will be the subject of study for industrial design students all over the world while few other smartphones will warrant any consideration. Nokia's Lumia range is lovely in many ways but it might date more quickly because of its more pop-like sensibilities. The Galaxy range from Samsung won't last the test of time - they're nice to look at but lack substance visually. I picked up a Sony Experia handset yesterday and was surprised by how cheap and tacky it felt. I know there are some nicely built handsets out there, don't get me wrong, but I genuinely haven't seen one that comes close to the 4/4S, and that's after more than two years!

The iPhone 5 is, by all accounts, a very nice feeling handset - I can't comment directly until I've held one in my hand. Only time will tell if it becomes a design classic like the 4/4S but all the signs are good so far.

They've stuck closely to the design philosophy of the prior generation and created a handset which goes even further in terms of minimalism - peeling away the facade to reveal the industrial design, the function of the device. The unibody case is simpler than the glass and stainless steel of the prior generation. The slate/black and silver/white combinations are even more stylistically pure as the metal and the glass are matched more closely for the cleanest fit (the white one looks stunning but I intend to stick with black as it's less showy). The brushed, matt finish of the flat faces compared to the high shine of the chamfers creates a striking but subtle impact - a tiny detail that turns a potentially homogenous, even boring shape into something really eye catching (as always, it's the little things that count). All the busyness is now concentrated on the bottom edge of the handset leaving an even cleaner finish around the other three edges but the tidy design of the smaller port and bold, circular speaker holes stop things feeling cluttered.

The iPhone 5 is a phone built for people who love great design. Sure, I like a phone that goes like stink! I love high end technology as much as the next geek, but I also love great design. In fact, I love great design more. That's why I wouldn't buy a Samsung - they're nice but the niceness is immediate and fleeting - lemonade vs the aged single malt of truly great design. Instantly pleasing but just as instantly forgettable, pop vs classic rock. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it isn't appealing to me. If you want something like an iPhone you really only have one option: an iPhone.

I couldn't have put it any better, especially with the fact that every other device upgrade is the same as previous models only few enhancements.
 
Ok so double the RAM and a new A6 processor that is allegedly twice as powerful? That's a huge jump up from the 4S, which already runs smoothly. My 5 is already ordered so it wouldn't have mattered, but this does make me feel better about the purchase.
 
iPhone 5 is not for me

The iPhone 5 is not for me.

Funnily enough it is not Apples fault. I am after a 4g iPhone that will work on all networks in the UK (and some abroad). Unfortunately it looks like you will have to purchase a network specific iPhone 5. There is also the paucity of 4g networks in the UK.

I actually do not use my iPhone 4 as a phone that much. I rarely listen to music and rarely watch movies. I do use texting, Safari, email, notes, calendar, the camera and some apps a lot (including TomTom).

What I do miss is not having a file explorer. I like to be able to store files that relate to each other in one folder, rather than storing files in separate apps. I rarely use the cloud as there is often little to no signal and no wifi in many places I go to. I therefore need the files on the iPhone. I would like to have more storage space on my iPhone though

I don't use Facetime, Siri doesn't like my voice (english accent). Passbook is something I might use if theatres & airlines use it. Youtube is something I use a fair amount. I don't play games, I read newspapers on my iPhone, look at the weather (meteogroup is better than the Apple app) and use the calculator, alarm clock, contacts and voice notes.

When the UK has a better 4g network, and I am able to purchase one iPhone that is usable on all networks I may reconsider. Until then it really is not worth my while upgrading from my iPhone 4.

Oh yes, I live in the third largest city in the UK, so the networks really have no excuse for such poor network coverage.
 
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My only significant complaint against my iPhone 4 is that apps don't load instantly. I get very frustrated when I load up Safari, tap the search or address box, and it takes a few seconds to respond. Maps is sometimes the same way. When I am walking around or driving, those few seconds can have a large effect. I was planning to day-one this new phone due to this alone. Knowing it has plenty of RAM to go along with the CPU/GPU that is 4x faster than my current phone is great news.

My phone has always felt kind of heavy, so I'm also looking forward to the reduction in weight.
 
saw this on CNET. guess samsung already knows the iPhone 5 has 1GB RAM..
SAM12172-PrintWSJ10.87x21_copy_610x1179.jpg

Thats really great and all but I don't see any of the features Samsung listed as "useful". Like the share shot who exactly am i gonna share every picture I take with? Its a great idea but I don't really see the use for it. I'm not 14. I mean all that stuff they list I would never use. BTW android OS is just ugly to look at.

BTW I also noticed they didn't list all the stuff the iPhone does only the specs. Nice job Samsung.. all that stuff Samsung list are "features". I mean turn over to mute? Thats on the list? My Rezound does that and I don't see it on HTC Spec list..
 
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Just the other day we had a thread here griping about how Macrumors has become one giant Android fanboy Apple hate bash fest. I guess things have changed since then.

Most of the trolls are hiding right now because the iPhone 5 turned out to be more awesome than they expected.
 
I think the point most Android fanboys miss is the fact this is not an arms race.

Apple is not in this business "one-uping" the competition in terms of hardware specs.

Example: Rolls Royce and Bentley are superb luxury cars with a specific target audience. Do you believe they care about having the most souped-up engines? Absolutely not! They build quality cars that serve their purpose and do so very well.

The "it's not about hardware" answer inflames all the Android lovers into a "yeah, you say that now until Apple upgrades it's hardware...then oh wow!"

Point taken! Apple does want to keep its technology relevant, but not because it's in an arms race with Samsung. It does so, because it adds its own functionality, just as Rolls Royce and Bentley will upgrade their engines when necessary.

Apple (not just the iPhone) is an EXPERIENCE! This is nowhere on Samsung's comparative advertising poster. iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, iMessage, Face Time, iCloud Backups, Music, Movies, TV Shows, iBooks, apps. ALL OF THESE work cross platform (iPad, iTouch, Mac).

I take a picture with my iPhone, it's now on my iPad and Mac...IMMEDIATELY with no wires. I purchase a movie, it's now on my Mac, AppleTV, iPhone, iPad, iTouch. The same with music, books, and apps. If someone calls me via FaceTime, my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iTouch all ring at the same time. Whichever is closer...I can use! If someone sends me an iMessage...it goes to all my devices. Calendars, Contacts, reminders, notes...etc. All wirelessly sync'd together across all my devices. Shared Calendars allows me to keep a family calendar. Now everyone in my family can add an event and everyone is instantly aware of what that person is doing...AMAZING technology!

iOS6 brings many, many new features such as shared Photo Stream...now I can take pictures, and share them with my wife/kids and they have them instantly on all their devices. What's cool, is iOS6 is FREE to all Apple devices that aren't dinosaurs.

The above is just a software discussion. Now let's discuss Apple's true passion...design engineering. As mentioned already, the designs are second to none. I understand everyone has different tastes in design, but Apple continues to produce luxurious high-end products that feel expensive and unforgiving. This is their true greatness as a company. They want to achieve in superior design because quality is a rarity and an indicator of style/fashion. There is a reason a 2 year old iPhone 4 still command a premium on eBay.

If you're buying an iPhone 5 just to have a smartphone, you're missing the point. Apple is an experience. The iPhone seamlessly integrates with your iPad and Macs. The apps and OS updates are universal and continually improve the end user experience. All your music, books, movies, etc., just work naturally across platforms (without 3rd party support). This is standard Apple.

Now throw in the greatest app store on the planet and you can only add to that experience.

Again, this is not an arms race in terms of specs. Apple makes every decision based upon end user experience, not on what Samsung is doing!
 
cheap plastic

If you go into a hospital and you see some medical instruments or equipment made from various plastics, or see a luxury yacht or sports car, or any other device using plastic you you say yuk cheap plastic?

Or might you consider that Plastics, and that term covers a vast array of materials each with their own properties, for flexibility, strength, impact resistance, weight etc etc.

May actually be the best and ideal material for the job?
 
If you go into a hospital and you see some medical instruments or equipment made from various plastics, or see a luxury yacht or sports car, or any other device using plastic you you say yuk cheap plastic?

Or might you consider that Plastics, and that term covers a vast array of materials each with their own properties, for flexibility, strength, impact resistance, weight etc etc.

May actually be the best and ideal material for the job?

Well from personal experience (I own a launch S3) the quality of finish on the S3 is abysmal, from the swirling rainbows in the white flimsy battery cover to the join marks in the fake plastic metal look surround.

If anyone doubts the gulf in class between the build quality of Apple product and Samsung product, then you are blinded by fire burning deep inside your Samsung loving ballbag!
 
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