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Gotta Say It Feels To Me Like the iPhone 5 is Going to be Epic

*facepalm* Guess I gotta pull this out again:

The next iPhone

The next iPhone will mark the fifth generation of the iPhone. Whether it's called the "iPhone 5", the "iPhone 4S", the "iPhone 4GS" (I know, it's dumb), or just the "new iPhone", it will be the fifth generation iPhone. Therefore, until we know the official name, it is referred to as the iPhone 5 on the forums. There is no implication that using the term iPhone 5 means that the person believes it will have a new physical design.

The iPhone "tick-tock" design cycle

This refers to the apparent pattern that the iPhone is redesigned (tick) one year with the iPhone in the following year using the same (physical) design with new specs (tock) and it's false. Often times people associate this with a major-minor upgrade cycle. Here is the history of the iPhone's (physical) design:

2007: new design (tick)
2008: new design (tick)
2009: same design (tock)
2010: new design (tick)

As you can see, the history does not support a tick-tock-tick-tock pattern of design. There is not enough information to know if Apple has moved to particular pattern of design if you ignore the original iPhone (tick-tock-tick-__?__). Only until the iPhone 5 is announced can there be an argument for any type of pattern.

Major v. minor upgrades

The physical design (whether a new design or the same as a previous iPhone) does not indicate the magnitude of an upgrade. The distinguishing specifications of the iPhone can be divided into three categories: internals, peripherals, and design. The internals affect the performance of iOS and all its apps. The peripherals expand functionality and improve the experience of using iOS, but have a minimal impact on performance. Finally, the design affects aesthetic and practical appeal, but it has no effect on the use or performance iOS. In order of importance, these specs are:

Internals
CPU
GPU
RAM

Peripherals
Radios
Screen
Camera
Sensors
I/O
Storage

Design
Form factor

As you can see, the physical design contributes the least amount to the overall magnitude of an upgrade.

If one speaks of the upgrade to the iPhone 3G as "minor" it is in comparison to another upgrade, such as the upgrade to the iPhone 3GS. To illustrate, the iPhone 3G upgrades included: Radio (3G and GPS), I/O (louder speakers), and Form factor (rounded back, non-recessed headphone jack, metallic buttons). The iPhone 3GS upgrades included: CPU (cortex A-8 and increased clock speed), GPU (SGX535), RAM (doubled), Radios (doubled 3G bandwidth), Screen (oleophobic coating), Cameras (additional MP with video), Sensors (compass), and Storage (up to 32 MB).

As you can see, the upgrades from the 3G to 3GS were more numerous and of a higher importance to those upgrades from the original to the 3G. Therefore, the iPhone 3G was a minor upgrade and the 3GS was a major upgrade (always relative, of course).

Was the iPhone 4 a major upgrade from the 3GS? Well, here's the upgrades: CPU (clock speed), RAM (doubled), Radios (doubled 3G bandwidth, added 802.11 N wifi), Screen (increased resolution and lamination), Camera (2 additional MP, flash, front-facing camera), Sensors (gyroscope), I/O (additional mic for noice cancellation), Form-factor (thinner, glass back, steel frame).

There were far more upgrades from the 3GS to the 4 than the 3GS had from the 3G, but the 3GS had more significant upgrades in areas of higher importance (the internals). That makes them roughly equivalent so they were both major upgrades. With the A5 processor, the iPhone 5 is shaping up to also be a major upgrade.
 
I just want a new iPhone, my 3G is still limping along and I'm trying to hold out for the next one this summer. I also don't give a damn what they call it...
 
Android will likely go quad-core with Kal-El this year which can make A5 look old before 2012. See the cycle? No different than waiting for video games and playing the same 20+ year old Nintendo franchises. Real innovation dies eventually and we are left with a newer gimmick and new eye candy here and there. Apple has never been about making it into an arms race. They will lose everytime to Android because of the multiple OEMs it has. iOS needs to revamp and even then the luster will wear off fast with some gimmicky animations. Like changing your wallpaper or default pic on Facebook. You love it at first and then you want to change it up eventually.

I was thinking how I would feel if I had a BlackBerry PlayBook or WP7 phone after 3-6 months? I think I would get sick of them eventually once the honeymoon phase is over. Esp WP7 since you can't customize it yet. PlayBook's multi-tasking would be such a battery drain. They are just a new UI and OS that I would get tired over time. Had iOS come after Android and WP7, most people would be sick of them and would be calling iOS efficient and fresh.

If iOS gets a revamp over the grid pattern, I can imagine some people saying what a battery drain or inefficient the new look is. That the animations are unnecessary and only eye candy. That the "classic" layout was quicker. Nostalgia builds from there. Just cycles, man. We love it at first and then get bored of it over time.

The key for these manufacturers is to lock up consumers with software and an ecosystem which Apple does flawlessly. UI and hardware will always improve anyway. It is disposable every few years. Another year, another new iPhone. Is it really going to feel EPIC every year? I was playing around with the black and white iPad 2 the other day and didn't see such a huge difference in performance over last year's model. Like 1-2 seconds faster will really make a difference?

A year from now, another thread like this will exist about how the iPhone 6 is going to be EPIC because it will be quad-core and LTE-ready. To stay cutting edge can be expensive and offers only short-term gratification. Years from now, we will forget about moments like these and think about other great memories in our lives. Waiting for a new phone is not one of them.
 
Savor said:
Android will likely go quad-core with Kal-El this year which can make A5 look old before 2012. See the cycle? No different than waiting for video games and playing the same 20+ year old Nintendo franchises. Real innovation dies eventually and we are left with a newer gimmick and new eye candy here and there. Apple has never been about making it into an arms race. They will lose everytime to Android because of the multiple OEMs it has. iOS needs to revamp and even then the luster will wear off fast with some gimmicky animations. Like changing your wallpaper or default pic on Facebook. You love it at first and then you want to change it up eventually.

I was thinking how I would feel if I had a BlackBerry PlayBook or WP7 phone after 3-6 months? I think I would get sick of them eventually once the honeymoon phase is over. Esp WP7 since you can't customize it yet. PlayBook's multi-tasking would be such a battery drain. They are just a new UI and OS that I would get tired over time. Had iOS come after Android and WP7, most people would be sick of them and would be calling iOS efficient and fresh.

If iOS gets a revamp over the grid pattern, I can imagine some people saying what a battery drain or inefficient the new look is. That the animations are unnecessary and only eye candy. That the "classic" layout was quicker. Nostalgia builds from there. Just cycles, man. We love it at first and then get bored of it over time.

The key for these manufacturers is to lock up consumers with software and an ecosystem which Apple does flawlessly. UI and hardware will always improve anyway. It is disposable every few years. Another year, another new iPhone. Is it really going to feel EPIC every year? I was playing around with the black and white iPad 2 the other day and didn't see such a huge difference in performance over last year's model. Like 1-2 seconds faster will really make a difference?

A year from now, another thread like this will exist about how the iPhone 6 is going to be EPIC because it will be quad-core and LTE-ready. To stay cutting edge can be expensive and offers only short-term gratification. Years from now, we will forget about moments like these and think about other great memories in our lives. Waiting for a new phone is not one of them.
Click to expand...

And then one day, as we die, we realize that even the things we thought were so important weren't, and that life is fleeting and our actions were simply the means to an end, to pass the time until the conclusion.

If you play the existential card you'd better be prepared to go to the end. Yeah, it's just a phone. Exactly.
 
Savor said:
Android will likely go quad-core with Kal-El this year which can make A5 look old before 2012. See the cycle? No different than waiting for video games and playing the same 20+ year old Nintendo franchises. Real innovation dies eventually and we are left with a newer gimmick and new eye candy here and there. Apple has never been about making it into an arms race. They will lose everytime to Android because of the multiple OEMs it has. iOS needs to revamp and even then the luster will wear off fast with some gimmicky animations. Like changing your wallpaper or default pic on Facebook. You love it at first and then you want to change it up eventually.

I was thinking how I would feel if I had a BlackBerry PlayBook or WP7 phone after 3-6 months? I think I would get sick of them eventually once the honeymoon phase is over. Esp WP7 since you can't customize it yet. PlayBook's multi-tasking would be such a battery drain. They are just a new UI and OS that I would get tired over time. Had iOS come after Android and WP7, most people would be sick of them and would be calling iOS efficient and fresh.

If iOS gets a revamp over the grid pattern, I can imagine some people saying what a battery drain or inefficient the new look is. That the animations are unnecessary and only eye candy. That the "classic" layout was quicker. Nostalgia builds from there. Just cycles, man. We love it at first and then get bored of it over time.

The key for these manufacturers is to lock up consumers with software and an ecosystem which Apple does flawlessly. UI and hardware will always improve anyway. It is disposable every few years. Another year, another new iPhone. Is it really going to feel EPIC every year? I was playing around with the black and white iPad 2 the other day and didn't see such a huge difference in performance over last year's model. Like 1-2 seconds faster will really make a difference?

A year from now, another thread like this will exist about how the iPhone 6 is going to be EPIC because it will be quad-core and LTE-ready. To stay cutting edge can be expensive and offers only short-term gratification. Years from now, we will forget about moments like these and think about other great memories in our lives. Waiting for a new phone is not one of them.
Click to expand...


Also, who the hell needs quad core in a PHONE?
 
Small White Car said:
Apple cares very little about what they've done in the past.
Click to expand...
Sadly this also applies to learning from past mistakes as well.

I'm REALLY hoping they do create an exceptionally good iPhone 5.

One that will live up to their claim "It just works".

A phone we could All Be Happy with.

Hey Apple, are you there? Listening?

We KNOW you can do it.
 
I'd buy the iphone5 if it has a 4" screen and much improved bat. If not, will keep my 4 another year lol
 
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