I got my 64 GB Space Grey 5s yesterday. I completed my order 5 minutes after the Canadian store opened on the 20th and it got here yesterday after a crazy voyage from China -> Korea -> Alaska -> Kentucky -> Washington -> BC and finally to my home in Calgary. It was the 8th business day since the order to it fell within 7-10 days as promised. I'm satisfed.
Space Grey is gorgeous. I did like the slate iPhone 5 I used for a while at an old job, but I do prefer the grey. Just better contrast and an overall better look for me. I''ll always order black faced iPhones and this one is my favourite yet (the 4s is no slouch either which I've been using for 2 years).
I heard a lot of moaning when the 5s was announced how Apple isn't innovating enough. Let's face it, the iPhone is a great tool already. I liked the form factor of the 5 so getting an improved version is not a bad thing. I am still not convinced I need a larger screen. That's what iPads are for. I need something compact, but useful at the same time. The 4s has served me well, but I always found myself wanting more.
Having used a 5 for a few months at an old job, I learned to appreciate the form factor and lighter weight. I do like the LTE and WiFi options a lot. The phone is just snappier. I found myself using the browser a lot more on the 5 and it's no different on the 5s so far.
When all the rumours of a fingerprint scanner came out, I thought like many others did. GIMMICK. Touch ID is far from that. Not only do I appreciate how slick it is to learn fingers, it works great. So much better than entering a passcode. I am of the firm belief that you must secure your phone just like any other digital item where so much of your life resides. It is so much easier to operate the phone one handed. Apple has a winner here. I do see them putting it in the iPads later, but I think it's very well suited to the iPhone format. I am using it often and it does a great job.
I've heard people complaining about the feel and sound of the home button now. It's just different and I've quickly got used to it. I find the 4s feels strange now.
I scored the Apple leather case in black. Sure, it's a bit spendy but I'm surprised that people will pay $30+ for slight pieces of plastic. The case feels great in your hand. Grip is important to me and it definitely helps with one handed operation so it goes hand in hand with Touch ID. The case is super light and does not add much bulk to the already light 5s. The case almost feels like velvet more than leather. Very soft. As far as people complaining about how hard it is to take off, I can say with certainty....YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! Two fingers on top of case. Two thumbs on Apple logo. A bit of a push with your thumbs and voila, it pops off with little effort. I've removed it several times including once last night when I was setting it up so I could enjoy looking at the work of art in it's naked form.
I came across a few small hiccups that was driving me crazy (not phone related). I restored from a 4s backup using iTunes. Don't forget to "transfer purchases" from the phone to iTunes before you do this. Also, use the encrypted backup option so all your passwords carry over. I was short about 60 apps and their settings and had to set up all my passwords again.
It was during the initial setup that I had to add all the apps manually, but also noticed my Gmail accounts (using Exchange profiles) did not work. I Googled all over to find a solution and found one small post somewhere saying that Google stopped supporting the feature on new installations effective May 2013 unless you are a Google Apps for business user. Well, I have an account but not for those profiles so I had to set them up using a regular Gmail setup. My business account carried over flawlessly using the Exchange profile including passwords.
Rather than deal with all the tweaks again, I made an encrypted backup of my 4s after making sure all the apps were transferred to iTunes. Make sure your previous phone is set up exactly how you want your new phone to be before you do the backup and turn on airplane mode so no changes will happen during the backup.
I then did a system restore on the 5s (which also brought in 7.02 in the process) and it not only brought in all the apps and passwords flawlessly, but the desktop was set up exactly the way I wanted it. I did have to move a few folders around to adjust for the larger screen, but the setup is perfect now. I wish I understood all this before I did the setup the first time. Be patient if you have a lot of apps and photos (I do). The restore takes a while. As with my 4s, I have about 16 GB free on my 5s.
The 5s is a winner. I have been upgrading every two years on the "S" models, so whatever Apple decides upon in 2014, I'll wait until 2015 to decide if I need to replace this work of art or not.
For all of you waiting impatiently for yours to arrive, it's worth the wait. I think the supply is definitely improving. I saw a post from a fellow Canadian in Toronto who said a store there got a massive shipment of 5s today and sold out of silver sooner than gold (he said they still have stock on gold later in the day).
It won't be long before the typical release pandemonium is behind us all and we'll all be rocking a great device. If you're upgrading from an earlier version than the 5, this upgrade is huge. For Touch ID alone, I think those upgrading from a 5 will very happy. For all your Android fanboys trying to rain on the parade, I think you're a little green with envy.
Space Grey is gorgeous. I did like the slate iPhone 5 I used for a while at an old job, but I do prefer the grey. Just better contrast and an overall better look for me. I''ll always order black faced iPhones and this one is my favourite yet (the 4s is no slouch either which I've been using for 2 years).
I heard a lot of moaning when the 5s was announced how Apple isn't innovating enough. Let's face it, the iPhone is a great tool already. I liked the form factor of the 5 so getting an improved version is not a bad thing. I am still not convinced I need a larger screen. That's what iPads are for. I need something compact, but useful at the same time. The 4s has served me well, but I always found myself wanting more.
Having used a 5 for a few months at an old job, I learned to appreciate the form factor and lighter weight. I do like the LTE and WiFi options a lot. The phone is just snappier. I found myself using the browser a lot more on the 5 and it's no different on the 5s so far.
When all the rumours of a fingerprint scanner came out, I thought like many others did. GIMMICK. Touch ID is far from that. Not only do I appreciate how slick it is to learn fingers, it works great. So much better than entering a passcode. I am of the firm belief that you must secure your phone just like any other digital item where so much of your life resides. It is so much easier to operate the phone one handed. Apple has a winner here. I do see them putting it in the iPads later, but I think it's very well suited to the iPhone format. I am using it often and it does a great job.
I've heard people complaining about the feel and sound of the home button now. It's just different and I've quickly got used to it. I find the 4s feels strange now.
I scored the Apple leather case in black. Sure, it's a bit spendy but I'm surprised that people will pay $30+ for slight pieces of plastic. The case feels great in your hand. Grip is important to me and it definitely helps with one handed operation so it goes hand in hand with Touch ID. The case is super light and does not add much bulk to the already light 5s. The case almost feels like velvet more than leather. Very soft. As far as people complaining about how hard it is to take off, I can say with certainty....YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! Two fingers on top of case. Two thumbs on Apple logo. A bit of a push with your thumbs and voila, it pops off with little effort. I've removed it several times including once last night when I was setting it up so I could enjoy looking at the work of art in it's naked form.
I came across a few small hiccups that was driving me crazy (not phone related). I restored from a 4s backup using iTunes. Don't forget to "transfer purchases" from the phone to iTunes before you do this. Also, use the encrypted backup option so all your passwords carry over. I was short about 60 apps and their settings and had to set up all my passwords again.
It was during the initial setup that I had to add all the apps manually, but also noticed my Gmail accounts (using Exchange profiles) did not work. I Googled all over to find a solution and found one small post somewhere saying that Google stopped supporting the feature on new installations effective May 2013 unless you are a Google Apps for business user. Well, I have an account but not for those profiles so I had to set them up using a regular Gmail setup. My business account carried over flawlessly using the Exchange profile including passwords.
Rather than deal with all the tweaks again, I made an encrypted backup of my 4s after making sure all the apps were transferred to iTunes. Make sure your previous phone is set up exactly how you want your new phone to be before you do the backup and turn on airplane mode so no changes will happen during the backup.
I then did a system restore on the 5s (which also brought in 7.02 in the process) and it not only brought in all the apps and passwords flawlessly, but the desktop was set up exactly the way I wanted it. I did have to move a few folders around to adjust for the larger screen, but the setup is perfect now. I wish I understood all this before I did the setup the first time. Be patient if you have a lot of apps and photos (I do). The restore takes a while. As with my 4s, I have about 16 GB free on my 5s.
The 5s is a winner. I have been upgrading every two years on the "S" models, so whatever Apple decides upon in 2014, I'll wait until 2015 to decide if I need to replace this work of art or not.
For all of you waiting impatiently for yours to arrive, it's worth the wait. I think the supply is definitely improving. I saw a post from a fellow Canadian in Toronto who said a store there got a massive shipment of 5s today and sold out of silver sooner than gold (he said they still have stock on gold later in the day).
It won't be long before the typical release pandemonium is behind us all and we'll all be rocking a great device. If you're upgrading from an earlier version than the 5, this upgrade is huge. For Touch ID alone, I think those upgrading from a 5 will very happy. For all your Android fanboys trying to rain on the parade, I think you're a little green with envy.
