How much could the iPhone 5 really revolutionize things at all?

[nyc999]

I never understood this craze for LTE.I get it its nice and fast, i certainly welcome it as the next step in celullar data technology.

But it wont change the way you do things in any way. Its just a speedbump.

You dont understand Lte. It is more than just a speed bump. Videos are loaded extremely fast, in case you want to jump forward. Web pages load much faster. Pandora never buffers. I can talk, surf the web, and use voice directed navigation with turn by turn directions at the same time.

I think it is quite ignorant to knock innovations when you dont fully comprehend them.

 

[infinity12402]

You dont understand Lte. It is more than just a speed bump. Videos are loaded extremely fast, in case you want to jump forward. Web pages load much faster. Pandora never buffers. I can talk, surf the web, and use voice directed navigation with turn by turn directions at the same time.

I think it is quite ignorant to knock innovations when you dont fully comprehend them.

Its because people who "don't understand the craze" are people who have clearly never tried 4g lte. Its ridiculous how much faster it is. And like someone else said, when your technology downloads and loads faster, you can be more productive.

 

[woodekm]

I cant WAIT to put 4 more icons on my home screen!

 

[Skika]

You dont understand Lte. It is more than just a speed bump. Videos are loaded extremely fast, in case you want to jump forward. Web pages load much faster. Pandora never buffers. I can talk, surf the web, and use voice directed navigation with turn by turn directions at the same time.

I think it is quite ignorant to knock innovations when you dont fully comprehend them.

I have used wi-fi. So imagine it as wi-fi on the go. Am i mistaken here? Any other benefits other than raw speed?

I am not trying to knock it down, i want LTE as well. I just don't understand the craze some people have for it. The "OMG LTE must-have-first-day-buy" kind of craze.

 

[beamer8912]

I think the problem a lot of people are having is withdraw from a large upgrade. Let's face it, Apple's upgrades are on a tick-tock. You get a new form, some amazing new hardware features and a couple of software features with the tick, see the 3G and iPhone 4. Then with the tock, the upgrade isn't as visible. You get a hardware spec bump, maybe a new feature or two (Siri), but it doesn't impress that much. I'm of course speaking of the 3GS and 4S.

It's been 2 years since we've seen the last tick, and I think a lot of people want to see something really different. I think its coming, but it will never be as revolutionary as the first iPhone was to the smartphone market.

 

[Interstella5555]

People like you are the reason innovation stagnates.

 

[CallOfDuty]

I think the problem a lot of people are having is withdraw from a large upgrade. Let's face it, Apple's upgrades are on a tick-tock. You get a new form, some amazing new hardware features and a couple of software features with the tick, see the 3G and iPhone 4. Then with the tock, the upgrade isn't as visible. You get a hardware spec bump, maybe a new feature or two (Siri), but it doesn't impress that much. I'm of course speaking of the 3GS and 4S.

It's been 2 years since we've seen the last tick, and I think a lot of people want to see something really different. I think its coming, but it will never be as revolutionary as the first iPhone was to the smartphone market.

It will not be revolutionary as there are other major players in the Smartphone industry. If Apple is the only sole monopoly in the industry, each and every iteration would be considered a huge leap forward with no other competing technologies.
Assuming if Samsung and HTC didn't exist, there would be no Android and there would definitely be no Galaxy SIIIs or One Xs , close competitors to the iPhone now. Means no Pop out play or whatever, so if Apple retains the same iPhone OS since launch, it would still be considered a leapforward as its the only thing you could get for the best phone.
If you understand economics, you will know that if a particular industry dealing with a certain good is earning super-normal profits (means high returns minus the cost), other players will naturally join in.

 

[sentinelsx]

I cant WAIT to put 4 more icons on my home screen!

as opposed to flashing 4 new identical ROMs?

 

[JAT]

I have used wi-fi. So imagine it as wi-fi on the go. Am i mistaken here? Any other benefits other than raw speed?

I am not trying to knock it down, i want LTE as well. I just don't understand the craze some people have for it. The "OMG LTE must-have-first-day-buy" kind of craze.

Wifi at what speed? My home internet is 40Mbps, consistently reporting 35-37Mbps on Speedtest. VZW 3G is up to 1.5Mbps, often much slower for me. I can watch internet videos at home like they are stored on the phone. On 3G, it's: wait a minute for it to buffer, and hope it doesn't stall.

Note: I am never a "first day" craze person. (except for the Model S, which I can't afford, anyway) But I am looking forward to LTE in my phone.

 

[beamer8912]

It will not be revolutionary as there are other major players in the Smartphone industry. If Apple is the only sole monopoly in the industry, each and every iteration would be considered a huge leap forward with no other competing technologies.
Assuming if Samsung and HTC didn't exist, there would be no Android and there would definitely be no Galaxy SIIIs or One Xs , close competitors to the iPhone now. Means no Pop out play or whatever, so if Apple retains the same iPhone OS since launch, it would still be considered a leapforward as its the only thing you could get for the best phone.
If you understand economics, you will know that if a particular industry dealing with a certain good is earning super-normal profits (means high returns minus the cost), other players will naturally join in.

I don't contest the presence of others has dramatically affected the industry. However, the iPhone has still made remarkable leaps in its evolution. While the phone itself hasn't had any sort of revolution since it was first introduced, small features that have been added to it have revolutionized other industries.

See retina displays, possibly Passbook (NFC), the App Store and its effect on the mobile gaming industry. I don't claim that Apple was the first to have any of these, however they did implement them correctly and since then we've seen many other companies try to replicate them.

So really, its not as much about how revolutionary the next device is. That has stayed more or less stagnant since it was first introduced. It is more about what the features bring and what they can be used for.

And personally, I see NFC as a potential big change to how we purchase products. Imagine never carrying a wallet again. It could potentially become your government issued ID (wishful thinking, I know). But it certainly has the potential to revolutionize your wallet...

 

[solo118]

They make subtle changes, yet call them magical!

These small changes will not be revolutionary, but who knows what might be lurking in the offices of Apple.

 

[b166er]

The Motorola Atrix kinda does that

Yes! Kind of like that- but add to it 100% wireless charging and eliminate the need to remove your phone from your pocket. The iPhone, or most smartphones even, are almost as powerful as a full on computer. In time I think the computer and the phone will be one. Desktop interface for serious work, then just walk away and take it all with you. No more syncing. It's all on one device.

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They make subtle changes, yet call them magical!

These small changes will not be revolutionary, but who knows what might be lurking in the offices of Apple.

They were apparently working on the iPad for nearly a decade before it launched. So the things we are seeing now I'm sure they dreamed up five or more years ago. Who wouldn't love a glimpse into those labs?

 

[spiderman0616]

As a heavy iTunes Match user, I just want LTE. I don't care what other things they add. Just give me LTE. I was fine with them leaving it out on the 4S because I trust that Apple will not release something they don't feel will give the optimal user experience, but Apple has had plenty of time to perfect an LTE iPhone.

 

[chakraj]

New iphone will be super revolutionary, it will have ..... LTE, ohh, ahhh.... and Maybe even super new unheard of thing called NFC..... they might even have a new display this is almost 720p.....

With those new and revolutionary features it will pull the iphone 5 years ahead of the competition... it will be may years before the competition is able to catch up and offer features like that...

 

[Sedrick]

They were apparently working on the iPad for nearly a decade before it launched. So the things we are seeing now I'm sure they dreamed up five or more years ago. Who wouldn't love a glimpse into those labs?

Yeah, I can see it now. SIX rows of icons on the home screen! That must have taken them about 30 seconds to dream up...

 

[chakraj]

One day maybe years from now they will revolutionize the phone industry again and have "seven rows of icons" wow, I can only dream of such future technology.

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

You can always go further, but it takes time and someone with a great idea. If Apple disappeared today the smartphone market would continue to advance (hardware wise) at the same pace it has been the last couple years. They got the ball rolling and companies (well, samsung) could continue to innovate at their current pace. But having the competition should eventually breed a killer new feature. It's just a matter of who gets there first.

In my opinion, the next "revolution" will be battery life. I would expect within five years time we may have batteries on our smartphones that can go on for days. I also expect we will see truly wireless/dockless charging when within a certain proximity to a base station. These things are coming for sure, it's just a matter of when. The tech is there but it's a matter of making it small and being able to mass produce it.

The screens could be better. I'd love to see a hybrid LCD/e-ink or something along those lines. The Audio has major room for improvement. And lets be honest, Apple hasn't even gotten the home button right yet- so clearly there is a thing or two they could do to at least make the user experience more pleasant even if it wasn't revolutionary.

I wish it was virtual. Maybe one day.

 

[Blakjack]

Uh, no, they can't. Can't, as in, not technologically possible. SLRs have little to do with the quality of their photos. SLR lenses, otoh...

I just want iOS with LTE. VZW's 3G is very slow, and it does impact how I can use the phone.

I don't know anything about cameras other than pixels alone don't make the camera. I was only hoping and wishing. But I do assume the camera in the phone can only get better each year. Right?

 

[Sedrick]

One day maybe years from now they will revolutionize the phone industry again and have "seven rows of icons" wow, I can only dream of such future technology.

Maybe we should show Apple more respect. If they knew folks out there were actually laughing at their latest 'innovations', they might not release a phone at all !

Honestly, though, I hope they've got more than we've seen. Both hardware and OS.

 

[nyc999]

I have used wi-fi. So imagine it as wi-fi on the go. Am i mistaken here? Any other benefits other than raw speed?

I am not trying to knock it down, i want LTE as well. I just don't understand the craze some people have for it. The "OMG LTE must-have-first-day-buy" kind of craze.

I stated the benefits in my quoted post. Let me give you an example. Lets say are you the passenger in a car. You are listening to pandora and have gps voice directed turn by turn directions on. You get a phone call from a friend and you want to look up something on the internet on your phone. You can do that - look up something on the web while you are on the phone. Your GPS will stay on and keep voice directing you turn by turn. You can even send text messages while you do ALL of those activities without any buffering (the music would obviously cut off while you are on the phone and resume immediately after you hang up). You can even stream a movie on your laptop tethered to the 4G in your car at high speed while you are doing all of the above.

You just can't do that all that simultaneously with 3G, but you CAN with 4G. Therefore, there are clearly more benefits to 4G than just "raw speed." I am not trying to bash Apple. I like Apple and own their products. Just prefer my 4G Droid.

 

[Technarchy]

I don't know what the next Paradigm shift will be, but I wager an Apple product will be the reason it gets its footing...

 

[nuckinfutz]

Within the context of mobile phones ...revolutions are not supposed to come every year. That's called evolution.

 

[AFDoc]

You dont understand Lte. It is more than just a speed bump. Videos are loaded extremely fast, in case you want to jump forward. Web pages load much faster. Pandora never buffers. I can talk, surf the web, and use voice directed navigation with turn by turn directions at the same time.

I think it is quite ignorant to knock innovations when you dont fully comprehend them.

Basically you made his argument for him it appears. All you did was describe the speed bump the OP mentioned.

I believe the OP does comprehend what LTE is all about. A speed bump. It does not allow you to do anything you can't do on 3g or even edge for that matter, it's just sped up. You know a speed bump.

I have used wi-fi. So imagine it as wi-fi on the go. Am i mistaken here? Any other benefits other than raw speed?

I am not trying to knock it down, i want LTE as well. I just don't understand the craze some people have for it. The "OMG LTE must-have-first-day-buy" kind of craze.

You're doing ok, don't let the man get you down. I have LTE phones and the speed bump is nice but I wouldn't sell off a kidney for it.

 

[DodgeV83]

I stated the benefits in my quoted post. Let me give you an example. Lets say are you the passenger in a car. You are listening to pandora and have gps voice directed turn by turn directions on. You get a phone call from a friend and you want to look up something on the internet on your phone. You can do that - look up something on the web while you are on the phone. Your GPS will stay on and keep voice directing you turn by turn. You can even send text messages while you do ALL of those activities without any buffering (the music would obviously cut off while you are on the phone and resume immediately after you hang up). You can even stream a movie on your laptop tethered to the 4G in your car at high speed while you are doing all of the above.

You just can't do that all that simultaneously with 3G, but you CAN with 4G. Therefore, there are clearly more benefits to 4G than just "raw speed." I am not trying to bash Apple. I like Apple and own their products. Just prefer my 4G Droid.

The current iPhone can do that, honestly it's not that difficult to do, my Windows Mobile phone was doing that in 2005

 

[skidbubble]

When Apple issues a 1 TB (yes, terabyte) iPhone I would consider that pretty groundbreaking as that is more than just a little spec-bump. I am tired of having to pick and choose small portions of my media (movies, pictures, music, games) to put on my phone. The 128 gb Galaxy S3 has the right idea.