I’m gonna take a quick break from football and acknowledge the cultural phenomenon that is the iPhone 5. Without a doubt, this is the most hyped release for a cell phone that has ever been seen, and our television screens and Twitter feeds will be flooded with updates about it when it goes on sale on Friday at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time.
From every early review that I’ve seen on it, it seems like this iPhone is not the complete overhaul that many are waiting for, so much as a refined upgrade that makes it a more complete device. Apple has always rolled out upgrades more slowly than the competition, wanting to perfect a certain aspect of the technology instead of being the first to push it out of the factory. The iPhone 5 will have many “new” features that Android and Windows have had for quite some time, such as 4G LTE connectivity, a larger four-inch screen (still small by Android standards), and turn-by-turn navigation.
I’ve been using some variation of iPhone since 2007, when the first one came out, and was won over not by the features, but by the quality of the workmanship. The iPhone has always been a beautiful device, and when you hold it in your hand, you can tell that the craftsmanship and attention to detail is head and shoulders over the competition. Even something as simple as scrolling through pictures or up and down a webpage feels smoother and more responsive than any other phone I’ve played around with. It was the satisfaction I felt from owning that first iPhone that got me interested in the rest of Apple’s product line, and made me a believer in the rest of their hardware (I should actually collect some royalties from Apple due to the number of people who have been influenced to purchase iPhones and Macbooks because of me).
I’ll be in line early Friday morning to pick one up because I am currently without a phone (I sold my 4S to pay for this new one), and I’ll follow up with my thoughts on how the new iPhone stacks up against the old one and whether it was worth the upgrade. The toughest decision to make until then will be whether to get a white one or a black one . . .
*Anybody else gonna get one?
