The Official iPhone 5 Thread (Liveblog links inside!)

[SAWYER]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdIWKytq_q4&feature=player_embedded

 

[CZroe]

OMG! The tolerances are measured in microns now! Who wants a phone with tolerances that aren't measured in microns these days?! Intolerable. That's probably why I got a speck of dust inside my iPhone 4! Never again.

I sure didn't see Siri emphasized much. It was almost like it wasn't even a selling point because everyone already has an iPhone 4S. Even with a base loyal enough to upgrade yearly, they have a whole new base of hand-me-downs.

I know LTE isn't available to everyone and isn't a strong selling point for everyone, but they still should have dwelled on it a bit longer and trumpetted it a bit more. They could have shown some example of what's possible with the bandwidth boost that wasn't possible before or something. Instead, they kinda tooted their horn on their past models being fast enough to be considered "4G." Strange.

 

[CZroe]

I don't think that anyone seriously thought that the first point there was on the table.

Just wait for the iPhone 5S. The two-tone color scheme is because they didn't want it to look different when they added that feature in the next generation, just like all "S" models in the past looks the same.

 

[Aikouka]

Speaking of the back of the phone, I'm wondering what cases will be available next Friday. Personally, I much prefer the cheaper Monoprice rubbery cases. They may not provide the safety of something like an Otter Box or a Lifeproof case, but I find that they protect the back without making the phone too unwieldy. Plus, they have such a tight fit that they feel even less bulky than other smaller cases.

 

[Eug]

I've pretty much given up on cases, and I'm thinking I may be giving up those screen protectors too. Maybe I'm just an idiot, but I destroyed 3 screen protectors for my Nexus 7. Bubbles because of dust particles. Actually, the first one was relatively OK, because the few bubbles were in the bezel area, but it had a small crease in the edge because of a bent envelope. And then I just fscked up the next two.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Speaking of the back of the phone, I'm wondering what cases will be available next Friday. Personally, I much prefer the cheaper Monoprice rubbery cases. They may not provide the safety of something like an Otter Box or a Lifeproof case, but I find that they protect the back without making the phone too unwieldy. Plus, they have such a tight fit that they feel even less bulky than other smaller cases.

how does lifeproof compare to otterbox? lifeproof is waterproof isnt it but does it protect your phone better than otterbox?

 

[Oyeve]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdIWKytq_q4&feature=player_embedded

Thats freaking hilarious!

 

[Aikouka]

I've pretty much given up on cases, and I'm thinking I may be giving up those screen protectors too.

I had a screen protector on my 3GS for about two years.

EDIT: Oops, I completely forgot to write the rest of this part...

I stopped using the screen protector after that. It just always got gunky, and my screens have never gotten scratched. Most of the scratches that I incur tend to happen from setting the phone down. My 4S, which has always been in a case, looks fantastic and it only ever had different cases.

Here's the case that I used last with it:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=7109

Before that, I used the clear variation of it, but I hated the weird crystal pattern on the back. It just looked... well, too "Bedazzled" for my tastes. I also used a Tyrael case from PDP, but it doesn't cover as much of the phone, and the slight nick on the top is probably from the case not protecting the phone from me trying to plug the 3.5mm cable. It was also a bit thicker, which I didn't care for.

how does lifeproof compare to otterbox? lifeproof is waterproof isnt it but does it protect your phone better than otterbox?

I don't own one, but my friend had her phone in an Otter Box and now its in a Lifeproof case. She pretty much swears by the thing and is definitely willing to show you that it is sturdy. She told me about how a friend asked her about the case and she just threw it against the wall. Saying that was enough to make my face look like this: ! Her opinion is that the Otter Box is simply too big. She also has some similar complaints as other users that the headphone jack adapter is rather easy to misplace and you have to have it.

I recall reading a review for the case where the guy originally didn't care much for the case, but he later revised the review stating that the phone fell out of his pocket... while riding a motorcycle and was apparently run over by a car. The phone was slightly damaged, but considerably less than you would expect for all of that.

If you're interested in one, I'd say keep your eyes pealed for a good deal. I recall seeing a 20% off coupon for phone cases at Best Buy Mobile (this is different than the normal Best Buy stores), which would include the Lifeproof case (-$16).

 

[Ichinisan]

I think the next big innovation will be eliminating the one crutch that has plagued cellphones since their inception: Having to hold the darn thing. Project Glass is a step in that direction, but we've got a ways to go.

Bluetooth was a step in that direction, but most people reject it for being "too douchey."

 

[Eug]

Bluetooth is more trouble than its worth. Eventually I gave up on that and for hands-free I just use my the wired headphones with built-in mic that came with my iPhone.

I use those in the car, and better quality noise-isolation ear-canal headphones for music when I'm not driving.

 

[ControlD]

OMG! The tolerances are measured in microns now! Who wants a phone with tolerances that aren't measured in microns these days?! Intolerable. That's probably why I got a speck of dust inside my iPhone 4! Never again.

I got a chuckle out of that as well. I have worked in the machine tool industry for close to 20 years and I don't think I have ever in that time worked on a machining project that didn't have tolerances measured in microns. If Apple wasn't already holding to micron tolerances then they had some pretty sloppy standards up until now which I doubt is the case. Oh well, it sounds impressive at least.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Bluetooth was a step in that direction, but most people reject it for being "too douchey."

it's annoying. gotta turn it on the phone, etc. i had a bluetooth phone since 2004 but barely use it.

i use it more now that its integrated with my car.

 

[bearxor]

I think I'll rock iphone naked. Going back to the aluminum back should definitely let the phone hold up a little more abuse without looking terribad. I MIGHT put a screen protector on the front. Undecided.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

high quality cases like incase cases help the phone feel more ergonomic because it adds a little thickness. I would rather protect both the screen and the body than to scratch anything. Aluminum scratches. My MacBook Pro is a scratched up baby

 

[s44]

I think I'll rock iphone naked. Going back to the aluminum back should definitely let the phone hold up a little more abuse without looking terribad. I MIGHT put a screen protector on the front. Undecided.

Yeah no, the back won't explode any more, but the front is the same exposed, break-on-impact arrangement that has been there from the 4.

Skip the film (only saves scratches, not shattering from drops) and rock a TPU case. Best cushioning option that doesn't turn your phone into a boat anchor.

 

[halik]

I gave up on DLNA a long time ago. I could never get the servers to work consistently with my DLNA-compatible Sony Blu-ray players, which is ironic considering Sony was the big push behind DLNA.

However, I don't use Airplay either. And for Android, I just use SMB with my NAS.

It should be reiterated that Airplay is a direct competitor to DLNA. Basically Apple said screw you to the DLNAlliance and did their own thing.

I thought the same thing until I got a wifi router with USB support that has DLNA built in. Has been flawless ever since.

 

[foghorn67]

high quality cases like incase cases help the phone feel more ergonomic because it adds a little thickness. I would rather protect both the screen and the body than to scratch anything. Aluminum scratches. My MacBook Pro is a scratched up baby

Scratched up aluminum looks sexy. If my next phone is aluminum, I'll rock it naked too. Maybe stick with a decent screen protector though.

 

[Dominato3r]

I've never used DLNA but are you forced to use some mishmash pieces of software to et devices to tall to each other? Or is it one application that handles this stuff?

 

[Anubis]

is doing voice and data over 3g/4g that big of a deal to a ton of people? some tech websites seem to think so?
i cant say ive ever needed it or used it as i can

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Scratched up aluminum looks sexy. If my next phone is aluminum, I'll rock it naked too. Maybe stick with a decent screen protector though.

scratched up aluminum = old ipod touch backs

 

[Oyeve]

You guys will not use any case. If you cover it no one will know its an iphone5.

 

[foghorn67]

scratched up aluminum = old ipod touch backs

I found one the other day.

I would probably use a fine sandpaper and dull it out if it got scratched to hell. I've seen that on a few gadgets, looks neat.

 

[kaerflog]

This is the funniest thing I've seen.

 

[Mopetar]

I see a lot of complaining about lack of innovation. I'm guilty of it myself. But now I'm trying to figure out just what it is that I expect to see. At this point in seems like everything is just an incremental upgrade, a speed increase here, capacity there, better looking screens, etc. Where is the space for innovation? Software? When it comes down to it we're basically using handheld computers that happen to also be phones, right?

There probably won't be another major shift or large-scale innovation for a long while. The game certainly changed when the original iPhone came out, but you won't see anything radically different until something that can replace mobile phones comes out. Until then, we're just going to get small, piece-wise upgrades, much like the PC market remained much the same for decades with relatively minor upgrades year-over-year.

Things might mutate a little bit, similarly to how notebooks started to replace desktop PCs in a lot of cases, but they were still PCs, merely a new take on them. We might see mobile devices go through similar changes, but at their core, they'll still be quite similar to what we have now.

Right now, everyone has fairly similar products in terms of hardware. The screens are now 4"+, the SoCs are fast enough to make the OS run smoothly, and everyone has a pretty good camera. Those areas will certainly continue to improve, but I don't think that they'll offer a lot of value over current devices. Where I think a company has the best chance at making a serious improvement is in terms of battery technology. Smartphone battery life ranges between crap and usable, but few have what I would consider outstanding battery life. Getting these devices enough power to operate for multiple days between recharges will be an incredibly important feature.

 

[Aikouka]

You guys will not use any case. If you cover it no one will know its an iphone5.

Sure they will. They'll see how big and black my tool is while I'm holding it in my hand, and even though it's all covered up, they'll just want to get their hands all over it!

:sneaky:

is doing voice and data over 3g/4g that big of a deal to a ton of people? some tech websites seem to think so?
i cant say ive ever needed it or used it as i can

I mentioned it in the Apple sub-forum, but I don't see it being an issue for me. I rarely ever call people on my phone, and while I can recall a time or two where I used the cellular data connection while on the phone, I don't think it will be enough of a limitation to keep me with AT&T.

Heck, if it's really an issue and the person that you're talking to has an iPhone, just use Facetime!

"You're calling them wrong!" :hmm:

This just came in over my Twitter feed:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6295/...ous-voice-and-lte-or-evdo-svlte-svdo-support-