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First Post...Is my iPhone 5 a dinosaur now?

G

Gincoma

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 10, 2013
286
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I switched to apple a month ago and Im very pleased with it in fact I love my iPhone 5 I will never go back only regret is I didnt switch it sooner. My question is the technology in my current phone going to last me lets say 5 years or do I have to upgrade to new technology (when people with analog phones had to go to digital? I only ask cause the new phone is going to a 64 bit vs current 32 bit. Im happy with my iPhone 5 and have no need to switch. Thanks you fellas
 
Last edited:
Gincoma said:
I switched to apple a month ago and Im very pleased with it in fact I love my iPhone 5 I will never go back only regret is I dignt switch it sooner. My question is the technology in my current phone going to last me lets say 5 years or due I have to upgrade to new technology (when people with analog phones had to go to digital? I only ask cause the new phone is going to a 64 bit vs current 32 bit. Im happy with my iPhone 5 and have no need to switch. Thanks you fellas
Click to expand...

No, of course not..Apart from the extra "grunt" the new CPU gives the 5S and the extra camera and fingerprint features, the 5 is still a perfectly capable device. I'm skipping the 5S and sticking with mine. It will work just fine under IOS7.
 
The fact that it is now discontinued bothers me! Even though I know my phone is a good phone it still bugs me! But anyways it will last you a while, there is no need to upgrade because the iPhone 5 is still a really good phone!! The fingerprint reader is hype, the camera isn't the biggest improvement either!
 
You normally get 1 major OS upgrades and 1-2 minor OS upgrades with an iphone. iOS 7 is your major upgrade. Probably iOS 8 is going to give you very few new features next time around except compatibility with newer third party apps. So each iphone is basically good for 2 years, after that you get few features but at that point you're able to upgrade to a new iphone with a subsidized price.

That being said, there are plenty of people rocking 3 year old iphone 4's and are happy.
 
Awesome with the quick responses guys glad I joined this forum. For some reason its bothering me with the new 64 bit while I maintain the current 32 bit, the other new features don't concern me at all. I just dont want to have to get a new phone just cause technology wont allow it and I assume in future all smart phones will go to 64 bit versions
 
Gincoma said:
Awesome with the quick responses guys glad I joined this forum. For some reason its bothering me with the new 64 bit while I maintain the current 32 bit, the other new features don't concern me at all. I just dont want to have to get a new phone just cause technology wont allow it and I assume in future all smart phones will go to 64 bit versions
Click to expand...

Just think of it this way! Apple comes out with new phones every year. So really we are always going to be in the same boat! To buy a phone every year seems unnecessary unless you can get an upgrade!
 
having seen the new features and specs. im completely happy with my 5 until the 6 comes along. There isnt a single feature which would draw me to the 5S atm
 
Given how much the 5C is, I'm actually in the market for a 'new' 5 (or barely used), because it's a beautiful phone with the same power for likely less money. So, no, in the end, I believe your phone is perfectly acceptable. You still have the same tech as a current gen phone. That's awesome!
 
Still a very capable and fast phone. I've upgraded every year since owning the 3G but I'm comfortable skipping the 5s.
 
Its my first Apple product and want to keep it as long as possible. Just bought a Macbook Pro w/retina display and totally happy. Next is a iPad :cool:
 
Gincoma said:
Its my first Apple product and want to keep it as long as possible. Just bought a Macbook Pro w/retina display and totally happy. Next is a iPad :cool:
Click to expand...

Me too :) bought a MacBook and the iPhone 5 just recently but like I said it bugs me that our phones are now considered extinct dinosaurs lol
 
Your iPhone 5 hasn't been discontinued...it's just been covered in plastic and called the 5C!
You're lucky enough to have a beautiful alumium version :)
 
Nope, if anything you should be happy with it, the 5S is a meager spec bump at best, aside from the fingerprint sensor there's no real change, sure the A7x but I mean I have yet to see a game that actually challenges the A7 at all!
 
Gincoma said:
I switched to apple a month ago and Im very pleased with it in fact I love my iPhone 5 I will never go back only regret is I didnt switch it sooner. My question is the technology in my current phone going to last me lets say 5 years or do I have to upgrade to new technology (when people with analog phones had to go to digital? I only ask cause the new phone is going to a 64 bit vs current 32 bit. Im happy with my iPhone 5 and have no need to switch. Thanks you fellas
Click to expand...

5 years? Not gonna be a desirable choice in 5yrs... It'll still function, just won't be able to run (then) current software.

I'd say with a smartphone these days, it's a good idea to upgrade every 2~3 years.
 
Gincoma said:
My question is the technology in my current phone going to last me lets say 5 years or do I have to upgrade to new technology (when people with analog phones had to go to digital?
Click to expand...

There are already a few threads around here on the same discussion.

YOU have control how long it lasts.

In these waters we got the America's Cup going. They are racing on these AC72 (72 foot) catamarans that can go up to 40+ knots. Their previous boats was the AC45, about 1/2 as fast, then before that they raced on 12 meters mono hulls, again slower.

So is your 12 meters outdated? YES if you bought the boat for racing purposes, but if u bought it just for cruising around, your 12 meter is still good.

So... what you intend to do with the phone?
 
I've got a 5 and honestly you'll be happy with it for another 12-24 months, depending on your "New Phone OCD" levels!
 
Yep its an obsolete piece of junk now. You MUST get rid of it and either go with a 5S, 5C or 4S because thats only what Apple sells now.
 
I have a 64gb 5 and I actually don't feel the need to jump on the 5S ship. The 5 is everything I need and more, never run into a situation where I needed more processor power, the 5 is a beast as it is.
24 month contract ends August 2014, roll on the 6 (the real upgrade)
 
The iPhone 5 is certainly not a dinosaur. It will be a perfectly good phone for the next couple of years. However I would not really be expecting it to last five years, two to three possibly four, but not five.
 
I am happy with my i5 too right now. No plans to upgrade it to the i5S or to downgrade it to the lower spec i5C.

Only thing to do before the end of the year for me is to buy Apple care and thats my phone covered for another year under the warranty. I like my amazing I5 as it is, and with IO7 it will be fully complete like a new phone with the new OS :)
 
Krissypantz2828 said:
The fact that it is now discontinued bothers me! Even though I know my phone is a good phone it still bugs me! But anyways it will last you a while, there is no need to upgrade because the iPhone 5 is still a really good phone!! The fingerprint reader is hype, the camera isn't the biggest improvement either!
Click to expand...

The fingerprint reader is an amazing useful addition and the 5S camera, flash etc are much better than those found on the iPhone 5. Fact.
 
Gincoma said:
Awesome with the quick responses guys glad I joined this forum. For some reason its bothering me with the new 64 bit while I maintain the current 32 bit, the other new features don't concern me at all. I just dont want to have to get a new phone just cause technology wont allow it and I assume in future all smart phones will go to 64 bit versions
Click to expand...
This is probably the first time an iPhone 5 person shouldn't upgrade. Very minor hardware changes, the software is what's important.

I'm considering it because Gazelle is giving me $335 for my 32Gb and I can get the 5C (same phone) for $199.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to do it but its basically like if be making $100 after taxes.
 
Gincoma said:
I switched to apple a month ago and Im very pleased with it in fact I love my iPhone 5 I will never go back only regret is I didnt switch it sooner. My question is the technology in my current phone going to last me lets say 5 years or do I have to upgrade to new technology (when people with analog phones had to go to digital? I only ask cause the new phone is going to a 64 bit vs current 32 bit. Im happy with my iPhone 5 and have no need to switch. Thanks you fellas
Click to expand...

Nah, the 5S is mostly marketing. You are getting a nicer camera, which I like and is arguably the most compelling upgrade, although I don't particularly know just how much it was upgraded. Other than that you get a fingerprint sensor that is VERY limited for the time being and foreseeable future. Other than that all the other marketing checkpoints are exactly that, just marketing and not something that you will miss or would be useful to you if you had a 5S over a 5.

As for software upgrades, Apple seems pretty generous. The vanilla non S iphone 4 is getting ios7, that's pretty generous, heck my old 4 chokes on ios 6 so I'm not sure how it would run ios7, but I appreciate that they are offering it. The 4 is 3 upgrade cycles ago, so I would say you can be pretty comfortable with 2 more upgrade cycles at the minimum, and even after that if you are ok with running an older OS, which honestly who cares? No I'd say you are just fine, save your money.
 
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