[mindwaves]

Disappointed with today's announcement. Apple needs to launch 2 different sized phones. A plastic shelled phone won't be significantly cheaper, as I am not sure that was Apple's intent. A larger 4.3'' phone would have been nice. Larger phones would have been nice along with a revamped OS for the larger phone. But up to a certain size is kind of crazy for the people justifying the size. People used to say my pants pockets fits the 4'' phone perfectly, so people are saying the 5'' phone fits perfectly and my 8'' tablet also fits! Are pants pockets increasing in size or something? My pants snugly fits my iPhone 5 and I wear regular sized pants. I don't like carrying anything in my pockets (unless wearing shorts) so everything goes inside my backpack usually or car.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Meh. My Android devices have facial recognition already. It's the same kind of gimmick.

Except of course, that it doesn't work. Or, more precisely, that it works under ideal circumstances, sometimes. And I say that as a fellow Android user.

The truth of the matter is that there's little space for innovation left in the handheld computer market. The fact that everybody and their dog are competing on specs - screen size, processor speed, number of sensors - kind of proves that.

When Apple launched the iPhone, it changed everything. But since that day, few things have changed. Sure, today's phones are faster, with better screens and excellent cameras, but that's all been evolutionary, not revolutionary, for all players in the market.

Google Glass is a step towards a future in which hardware and the OS will largely disappear from view. I'd expect Apple to be on the forefront of that but either they're really good at keeping secrets, or they just haven't taken a crack at it.

[turtle777]

Nice spec bump.

Fingerprint sensor alone is worth it.

I keep selling my two-year old iPhones (unlocked once off contract) for about the same the new on-contract costs me.

-t

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by mindwaves 

Disappointed with today's announcement. Apple needs to launch 2 different sized phones. A plastic shelled phone won't be significantly cheaper, as I am not sure that was Apple's intent.

A plastic phone allows Apple to put something "new" at the $99 w/contract price point while keeping their "status" phone at the $199 w/contract price point. Makes perfect sense to me.

[theothersteve]

Originally Posted by ort888 

I mean, you keep going back to the screen like it's some sort of amazing innovation. How is a bigger screen with more ppi any less of a marketing ploy than 64 bit processing?

Bigger screens aren't really innovation. Sure, they may be nice, but it's not like Apple can't figure out how to make a bigger screen, they choose not to.

Apple found a design they like for a Phone. It works great. They aren't going to throw it out and reinvent the wheel just because they want something different.

MacBooks have looked more or less the same for about 5 years now. The iMac has as well. The design works. Why change it just for changes sake?

If you like the HTC One, go and get one. It's a nice phone. It's also just as iterative and non-innovative as anything from Apple. Actually, way way more so.

You're completely missing my point. But first, the screen size and ppi. I mentioned that. I'm not saying it has to be a marketing issue or that HTC overly focuses on it. But the fact remains is that their ppi spanks Apple's by well over 100 ppi. The screen has to be seen and experienced to realize how effective it is. And you're seeing others on here wanting a larger screen. We get it dude, you like what Apple's feeding out. We don't have to like what you like. We're on here sounding off about what we like.

And who ever said I was happy with the MacBook Pro? The design in my opinion is tired and needs change. For instance, the sharp edges are annoying and bad design...

And the iMacs? They need to change it too. Sick of buying third party spindles...

Anyway, the point is that when you look at something like the screen, it is 'the' undisputed world heavy champion of a mobile device. It's everything. And Apple's screen is no longer any better than many others, and in fact for people who want a larger screen it's a dealbreaker. I'm pointing out that 2 years ago, the industry pretty much had nothing like Retina, and now something as important is this component Apple is falling behind. It means the iPhone isn't at the top anymore when it comes to aspects of their phone. And some would argue that the iPhone itself isn't even as good as some top end Android phones.

If only Android were more to my liking, I'd be outta here fast.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Nice spec bump.

Fingerprint sensor alone is worth it.

But now we will have kids cutting off their parents' thumbs to purchase thousands of dollars of DLC from iTunes.

[theothersteve]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

I agree.

Not to sound like a condescending dick, but I think many of the people wanting all of this radical change are people that are new to tech or just haven't look at the history of tech too much. There is always a lot of turbulence when new technology comes out, but then it sort of stabilizes and each new release is less radically different than the last.

You'll note that everybody has swarmed to the mobile space because there really isn't much that is going to be an absolute game changer in the desktop space at this point, and I think that most people see that. Why these same people don't understand that this rate of change is going to slow in the mobile space is a little confusing to me. It's also confusing why people *want* to replace their phones every 6 months?

Hmmm, what will end up a 4 year old design and you're drinking the koolaid.

Man, I could imagine having you on our product team... the negative nancy... you'd last about 5 minutes.

[theothersteve]

Originally Posted by OAW 

Huh? The original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the iPhone 3GS are virtually identical. The main visual difference is that the original iPhone had a plastic and aluminum back while the iPhone 3G and 3GS had all plastic. That was longer than a 2 year development cycle. Furthermore, the iPhone 4 and 4S had the exactly same external design with a 2 year development cycle. The iPhone 5 is considerably different than the iPhone 4/4S. And we are in the middle of the 2 year development cycle again. The iPhone 6 is the one that will incorporate the significant design change. You deride Tim Cook as an "operations guy" but there is a method to the madness here ...

iPhone 4 - Major Design Change
iPhone 4S - Spec Bump

iPhone 5 - Major Design Change
iPhone 5S/C - Spec Bump

iPhone 6 - Major Design Change.

Why? Because it's timed to when the vast majority of their customers are freeing up from their 2 year contracts with their carrier. Why should Apple expend all the resources to come up with some whiz bang new design for the iPhone 5S when most of its customer base can't purchase it because they don't qualify for the subsidized price with AT&T, Verizon, etc?

OAW

Oh man here we go. Another one.

Ready? Don't try and BS me or others, it's not going to work.

The original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the iPhone 3GS are virtually [visually] identical.

First put the koolaid down. Nobody. And I mean nobody who is rational and sane will say that the original iPhone is visually virtually identical to the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Please stop, it's embarrassing. They are not virtually visually identical. At all. They are totally different designs. The materials are different. The look is different. The feel is different. The physical dimensions are different. The whole design is different. The machine tooling is different. You can lay the original iPhone down and it stays flat on the table. The 3G and 3GS are bulbous in the back and don't lay flat. The 3G/3GS paved the way for the white and black colors. And Apple themselves highlighted this new design in the Keynote for it.

So please dude, just stop.

And here's the factual take:

1. iPhone 1, new design.

2. iPhone 3G, major redesign.
3. iPhone 3GS, spec bump.

4. iPhone 4, major redesign.
5. iPhone 4S, spec bump.
6. iPhone 5, same, exact design with tweaks and elongated screen, spec bump.
7. iPhone 5S, spec bump.

8. iPhone 6? But I'm sure you'll be glued to your seat saying wait til next year...

Ergo, current design will be over 4 years old when iPhone 6 launches. They've never gone beyond 2 years before this run.

Here's the 4/4S/5 side-by-side. Nobody but a person in utter disarray mentally will say that the 5 is a major redesign. It's not. They're virtually identical. That we can say now.

[theothersteve]

Originally Posted by OAW 

As for screen size, if Apple ever decides to offer an iPhone with a screen larger than what's on the iPhone 5 I sincerely hope that it's a different model. The iPhone 5 screen is perfect for me because I can A) easily slip it in and out of my front pants pocket or the inside pocket on my blazer, and b) easily operate it with one hand. I must admit those giant Samsung's look great as a "mini-tablet". But they look ridiculous as a phone and would be a whole bag of fail for me when it comes to pocketing and one-hand operation. If I were female with a purse or some guy running around with a "man-bag" or a satchel all the time then maybe I'd feel differently. But I for one am more than satisfied with the size of the iPhone 5 screen.
OAW

I don't know why I keep posting on here. I guess I'm a sucker for punishment. You seem to just skirt over facts to suit whatever position you're trying to take. Like every large screened smartphone is a mini-tablet. Please...

The HTC One at 4.7" is actually quite remarkable. I think this is right there around a sweet spot. Trim that bezel and you can actually have a smaller phone with a larger screen than the iPhone 5/5S...

This is what shapes the design of these products. That's why I'm focused on the screen as well because you have to design into and around it. It defines the entire product.

[OAW]

I see. The difference in the "flat back" of the original iPhone and the "bulbous back" of the iPhone 3G constitutes a major re-design in your view. But the all aluminum construction of the iPhone 5 is the "same exact design" of the iPhone 4's steel and glass body. The Lightning Connector is the "same exact design" as the 30-Pin Connector. The 4 inch screen of the iPhone 5 is just a "tweak" compared to the 3.5 inch screen of the iPhone 4. The incredible thinness and lighter weight of the iPhone 5 is just a "tweak" compared to the iPhone 4. Etc.

Yeah. We get it.

OAW

[Stogieman]

I haven't been paying much attention to the forums lately but whatever happened to freudling? Was he allowed to return under a different username after he was banned?

[subego]

The more I hear, the more I'm happy.

The only things actually wrong with my 5 is the battery life, and the OS is a little creaky.

It's not slow now, but I bet would feel that way in a year, so getting a speed bump before I feel it is a worthwhile feature.

I'm one of those people for whom the camera is vital, so I'm happy with that bump.


I'll be pre-ordering.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Except of course, that it doesn't work. Or, more precisely, that it works under ideal circumstances, sometimes. And I say that as a fellow Android user.

I dunno. I use it on my TF300 all the time. The only time it doesn't work is when it's really dark (lights off or only one light on in a room at night).

I like to make faces at it. Apparently my normal face is close enough to my grimace face to unlock it.

Incidentally, talking with BF about the new iPhone made us want to try playing around with NFC with my S4, and I gotta say, I am SUPER FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT IT. I want to put NFC stickers all over my stuff to make my phone do things.

[mindwaves]

Toyota makes cars in various sizes - one for people who like/need sedans, minivans, trucks, coupes. With Apple, you can only have one kind of car (a sedan). Sure it fits most people but without people who want an SUV or a coupe? You can now only choose what color you want.

Times are changing. Before, producing one phone a year may have been ok, but with your competitors churning out many models a year (some good ones also), people are going to say Apple has lost their edge, which I may be inclined to agree now.

[subego]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

I dunno. I use it on my TF300 all the time. The only time it doesn't work is when it's really dark (lights off or only one light on in a room at night).

I like to make faces at it. Apparently my normal face is close enough to my grimace face to unlock it.

Incidentally, talking with BF about the new iPhone made us want to try playing around with NFC with my S4, and I gotta say, I am SUPER FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT IT. I want to put NFC stickers all over my stuff to make my phone do things.

Low-friction input like facial recognition needs to work 100% of the time or it's worse than useless.

I still don't trust Siri.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

Hmmm, what will end up a 4 year old design and you're drinking the koolaid.

Man, I could imagine having you on our product team... the negative nancy... you'd last about 5 minutes.

I'm not sure what your point is? Is your point that people have realistic expectations when it comes to technology in general?

[ort888]

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

Oh man here we go. Another one.

Ready? Don't try and BS me or others, it's not going to work.

The original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the iPhone 3GS are virtually [visually] identical.

First put the koolaid down. Nobody. And I mean nobody who is rational and sane will say that the original iPhone is visually virtually identical to the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Please stop, it's embarrassing. They are not virtually visually identical. At all. They are totally different designs. The materials are different. The look is different. The feel is different. The physical dimensions are different. The whole design is different. The machine tooling is different. You can lay the original iPhone down and it stays flat on the table. The 3G and 3GS are bulbous in the back and don't lay flat. The 3G/3GS paved the way for the white and black colors. And Apple themselves highlighted this new design in the Keynote for it.

So please dude, just stop.

And here's the factual take:

1. iPhone 1, new design.

2. iPhone 3G, major redesign.
3. iPhone 3GS, spec bump.

4. iPhone 4, major redesign.
5. iPhone 4S, spec bump.
6. iPhone 5, same, exact design with tweaks and elongated screen, spec bump.
7. iPhone 5S, spec bump.

8. iPhone 6? But I'm sure you'll be glued to your seat saying wait til next year...

Ergo, current design will be over 4 years old when iPhone 6 launches. They've never gone beyond 2 years before this run.

Here's the 4/4S/5 side-by-side. Nobody but a person in utter disarray mentally will say that the 5 is a major redesign. It's not. They're virtually identical. That we can say now.

The 4S and the 5 do not have the same design. It's hard to take anything you say seriously when you present something like that as a fact.

[Laminar]

Who was that Canadian dude that got banned because he constantly ripped on everyone for being Apple fanboys? I'm getting serious déjà vu right now.

[Shaddim]

You mean the guy that got banned right before this guy showed up (freudling)? Yeah, that's just weird. What a coincidence.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

New iPhone is really uninspired. The colors are nice but completely pointless for anyone using a real case.

Also, I love how Apple marketing spins everything.

Everything is always the best ever. "Keynote is the most powerful presentation program ever made." ...'Cause that's totes an objective comparison with PowerPoint. I wish they'd be more logical and say something like "This is the most powerful version of Keynote we've ever made."

Everybody I've ever met who's used both says exactly the same thing.

Keynote is the one iWork app that runs circles around its Office counterpart. I'm not sure how much that applies to the iOS version, but I did notice that at one point, Schiller was careful to add "...on a tablet" to the end of one of his statements of glory WRT Office and productivity apps.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You mean the guy that got banned right before this guy showed up (freudling)? Yeah, that's just weird. What a coincidence.

Yep, that's the one.

[Spheric Harlot]

The one who always had access to inside information that flew in the face of what every analysis claimed (even those from asymco, who SURELY pays for access to all the best data), that he couldn't share with us, but that we needed to look at, because his conclusions were invariably self-evident?

Yes, this is Freudling.

Having to claim that the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4 have the same design in order to make a desperate point is exactly the kind to ridiculous argument he'd make.

[P]

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

You haven't addressed my point. When I say the marketers have taken over, I mean it's become about specs and variations. All this is is a faster CPU and different colors. The fingerprint scanner seems like a gimmick. How about facial recognition that actually works. I'm tired of buttons. Just turn on hands free! No voice, no touch.

So it's too much to push a button to wake the phone? I have bad news for you - how do you think those face recognition things work? Do you think they keep the camera on all the time? Other than in an NSA wet dream, nobody wants that. So instead of pushing a button to trigger a camera, you just push a button and get in.

The facial recognition in Android phones is generally quite easy to fool - a photo of the owner is enough. Google is quite open about this (they as much as say so in the settings itself) - the "lock" is only there to deter someone not very interested in getting in.

The reasoning behind the fingerprint sensor is simple: Many corporate users are required to have the lock on, and disabling it all the time is annoying. This is a feature for them. The rest of us save a split second in not having to do the unlocking move on the display.

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

Why it's all about marketing now:

1. Now we have 2 iPhones, one that's a plastic toilet version of the other with no breakthrough business model of cheap to buy outright. But they're colorful! And $100 cheaper! Let's compete against Android phones for cheapskates and developing countries... can you say race to the bottom?

In all that matters for a US user, it's the same freaking iPhone 5 we had last year, except with a colorful shell. Apple needed to make a revision because of the network baseband chip. You may not be aware, but the one in the iPhone 5 was quite limited in how many frequency bands it could support. It only supported one of the LTE bands in Europe, the 1800 MHz band - which in many ways is the worst of them. Apple also wanted to have a Chinese version (with support for TD-LTE, their proprietary Chiense variant). This was not possible with the baseband chips available one year ago. If Apple had only pushed the iPhone 5S with that upgrade, it would have been very limited in that big new push into China. It needed a revision, so it decided to save as much as it could by making two new variants of the next year's phone - the 5C limited to the specs of last year's phone, and the 5S the new hotness. The result is a very good selection of bands. The European version supports all three of the LTE bands, something I don't think any other phone on the market does yet, and the Chinese variant seems to be a hybrid with support for several carriers as well.

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

2. The difference between the new iPhone 5s and the old one is hardly anything but specs and colors. Gold! You don't say... wow... oooh, ahhhh. Same design. Same OLD design pushing 4 years. And don't get all crazy over 64-bit. We've been down this road with OS X. It's all marketing.

4 years...so the design hasn't changed since the 3GS? Even if you think that the design is the same as the iPhone 4, that's 3 years, not 4.

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

3. Apparently, the marketers were part of the design and formation of the App icons.

Even if true, that's important...why?

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

4. Apple is also apparently hiring hundreds of more designers/marketers.

Designers, not marketers.

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

Apple COULD have done a brand new phone. Thin design. Jet black and pearl white. Rounded edges. Liquidmetal? 4.7" screen? And on and on. But they didn't.

And this is delicious. You want a brand new design, and the first thing you mention is thin. One of the two main differences between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4 is that it is thinner - yet you apparently don't even count the iPhone 5 as a new design at all!

But hold on, it gets better. "Jet black and pearl white". Just a few lines up, you wrote: "The difference between the new iPhone 5s and the old one is hardly anything but specs and colors. Gold! You don't say... wow... oooh, ahhhh.". So you're complaining that they didn't change the colors, when they actually DID change the colors, except not to a color you like!

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

Please, be rational here guys. This phone does not make me want to run out and buy it. I've got a 5. I don't need this phone at all. It won't give me much of anything over my previous iPhone 5. This isn't compelling in the least...

One year later is never compelling. It's not meant to be, because of the 2 year upgrade cycle. It's the tick-tock thing. The 5S is just like the 4S: Faster, one headliner feature, better camera. I have a 4 - I never considered getting a 4S, but a 5 was at least interesting.

Originally Posted by theothersteve 

That HTC One is looking more and more interesting... higher ppi substantially, much larger screen, beautiful design... the iPhone is no longer the leading smartphone in the world. Time for a Beer Bash Apple!

So go buy one. Just please never try to design a phone.

[Phileas]

Here's what I want please :

The fingerprint recognition of the new iPhone. That's just 100% awesome.
The camera of the Nokia phones.
The always on voice recognition of the Moto X. OK, google, I really want that in the next Nexus.
The screen of the new LG G2. A real beauty.
The adaptability of the Asus padfone
The sound of the HTC One
The price of the Nexus 4
All powered by a modern, flexible OS.

Please and thank you.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by P 

Apple needed to make a revision because of the network baseband chip. You may not be aware, but the one in the iPhone 5 was quite limited in how many frequency bands it could support. It only supported one of the LTE bands in Europe, the 1800 MHz band - which in many ways is the worst of them. Apple also wanted to have a Chinese version (with support for TD-LTE, their proprietary Chiense variant). This was not possible with the baseband chips available one year ago. If Apple had only pushed the iPhone 5S with that upgrade, it would have been very limited in that big new push into China. It needed a revision, so it decided to save as much as it could by making two new variants of the next year's phone - the 5C limited to the specs of last year's phone, and the 5S the new hotness. The result is a very good selection of bands. The European version supports all three of the LTE bands, something I don't think any other phone on the market does yet, and the Chinese variant seems to be a hybrid with support for several carriers as well.

This is the most sensible explanation I've yet read for the 5c.

It also gave them the chance to clearly differentiate the lines: optically, the only real difference between the 5 and the 5s — apart from the gold — is the fingerprint sensor on the home button. Everything else needs explanation, which is never a good thing in a sales environment. With the 5c, the distinction is obvious, and everyone will already have a favorite before they even enter a store and go through the sales pitch. Selling something is MUCH easier if the customer has already fallen in love with the yellow (or the gold, as in my case).

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Is the battery life longer? Initial reports seemed to say that it should be more or less about the same as the iP5.

Basically, this looks like it's probably going to come down to the iP5s or the HTC One - I played with that phone for the first time last weekend, and wow...its friggin nice. But if the new iPhone has a better battery life than the iPhone 5 (which basically lasts one day of regular use), iOS 7 actually turns out to be pretty cool, and the camera is better than the One (which seems that it should be), then I'll probably end up with a new 5s - and hate myself in a year when 6 comes out.

Mostly because almost every single review of the One (or Android phones in general) end up talking about all the customization that was one to tweak this or that. (See also shif's comments.) That's great if you have hours and hours to spend researching and playing around with your phone. I certainly don't.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

I haven't been paying much attention to the forums lately but whatever happened to freudling? Was he allowed to return under a different username after he was banned?

Nailed it.

-t

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Is the battery life longer? Initial reports seemed to say that it should be more or less about the same as the iP5.

"As good as or better than" the iPhone 5 was the wording during the presentation, IIRC.

iPhone 5:

Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 225 hours
Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 8 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

http://web.archive.org/web/201307240...one/specs.html

iPhone 5c/5s (identical spec):

Talk time: Up to 10 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 250 hours
Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

http://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/


iPhone 4S:

Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 200 hours
Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G, up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

http://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/

[ort888]

The things I really want in an iPhone is better battery life, a slightly better screen and a slightly more flexible OS.

The fingerprint scanner seems like a step in the right direction, but we're going to have to see it work 100% of the time for it to really have value. It it bats .700 like Siri, then it won't be very useful.

Faster doesn't seem like a big deal right now. I mean, yeah, it's nice they are getting faster, but the iPhone 5 is already super fast for everything I want to do... and most app developers are going to have to make their software work on older phones anyway, so it will be years before we see 64 bit processors make a real difference.

Now, if they put the A7 in a new Apple TV that also runs apps... then, yeah, whole different story. Pretty sure that's what they are going to do.

The new camera stuff seems really great, but the camera on the iPhone 5 already blows me away. It's amazing.

I don't really get the 5C. But whatever. I won't be buying one.

I bet that a few years from now, there will be 3 or 4 different iPhone models.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Faster doesn't seem like a big deal right now. I mean, yeah, it's nice they are getting faster, but the iPhone 5 is already super fast for everything I want to do... and most app developers are going to have to make their software work on older phones anyway, so it will be years before we see 64 bit processors make a real difference.

The speed will increasingly make a difference as the device ages.

Originally Posted by ort888 

I don't really get the 5C. But whatever. I won't be buying one.

See P's explanation above: The phone needed a redesign for the new baseband chip, with full LTE compatibility.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

"As good as or better than" the iPhone 5 was the wording during the presentation, IIRC.

iPhone 5:

Apple - iPhone 5 - View all the technical specifications.

iPhone 5c/5s (identical spec):

Apple - iPhone - Compare Models

Thanks - perhaps a little better, that's good. Still about a day of use before charge, give or take. Given that the Android phones have not seemed to improve on this much (if at all), not a surprise I guess.

[P]

If you want to read up on the entire mess of LTE bands in the various iPhones, Apple has the page for you:

Apple - iPhone 5 - View countries with supported LTE networks.

Just for an example (because it's the one I know), Europe will be using bands 3, 7 and 20 for LTE. 3 is the re-purposed 1800 MHz band, originally the secondary GSM band and currently the secondary the 3G band. 7 is the new 2600 MHz band, which is what has seen much of the early buildout but was not supported by the iPhone 5 and only recently got support in any phones (it was mostly used in dongles). 20 is the "Digital Dividend", the frequencies we got back for compressing the band used for TV as part of the transition to digital. I'm not aware of anything built out there yet, but that band will have excellent coverage once we start using it, so I'm glad that the 5S and 5C support it - makes them that much more future proof.

[The Final Dakar]

I was off yesterday and completely forgot about it. But half the suspense is when you're in the market for a phone and I decidedly am not.

LOL at no 128 GB though. Pushed back another year!

[abbaZaba]

I am glad other people were having freudling déjà vu.

I really, really dislike the gold+white combo in the 5S. I find the white top/bottom on back and front jarring or too contrasting. Maybe it will look better in person, but I wish they would have gone solid gold all around or tried to match the plastic parts better. It totally kills it for me. Plus, with one of their cases on, the gold model is basically indistinguishable from the silver/white model. Bleh.

[Spheric Harlot]

Different strokes.

I'm in the market and want the golden one. Never had a case on any of my iPods nor iPhones.

Bummer about no 128 GB.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yeah, me too - but I would use a case of some sort so it'll be straight black.

The screen on the HTC One is just awesome and makes the iPhone's seem small in comparison. Plex handles all my multimedia and there's an Android app. There's also an Android version of the Remote app to control iTunes. I've got my eye on a Naim Audio streamer that currently only has iOS-app remote control, but apparently Android is in the works.

We'll see how iOS 7, finger swiping, and the camera stacks up in the new iPhone, I guess.

[OAW]

At first I was just "meh" about the iPhone 5s fingerprint sensor … mainly because I never bother to use a passcode on my phone. I'm in and out of my phone constantly throughout the day. And with my wife frequently using my phone as well whenever she runs out of Candy Crush lives on her iPhone 4 … well you can see how entering a passcode has always been too inconvenient. But after taking a closer look I see now how I could store both of our fingerprints on the phone to unlock it. And the ability to may app store purchases with a fingerprint is hella cool!!

Too bad I just got my iPhone 5 last December so I'm still knee-deep in my 2 year contract.

OAW

[angelmb]

Bummer about the iTunes 11 requirement.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by OAW 

Too bad I just got my iPhone 5 last December so I'm still knee-deep in my 2 year contract.

That's part of the reason I buy all of my phones outright and unlocked, without a contract. If at any time I want to sell there's always a ready market. Much cheaper than buying subsidized.

[OAW]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

That's part of the reason I buy all of my phones outright and unlocked, without a contract. If at any time I want to sell there's always a ready market. Much cheaper than buying subsidized.

That might work for you up north. But in the US at least the monthly service fee is no less than if you buy it subsidized. So even if you could transport the phone and have it work on another carrier … which is dubious at best … you're basically paying for the phone twice. Again, this is a testament to the insanity of the US cell phone market. It could very well be a totally different ball of wax in other countries.

OAW

[osiris]

(Greetings from Yokohama.... I may not be able to reply...)

I'm not surprised at the new line up (I doubt anyone here is), but I need an upgrade and will buy the 5s x2 (wifey wants the gold one)

I really have no problems with this upgrade, but I hope Apple makes the next version with a larger screen. I find the smallness almost crippling - typing is a damn nightmare, even now as I struggle with the small screen fer crissake... As for iOS 7, I hate the look. It looks like a visual mindtrip with blurred backgrounds and thin fonts. Mb I'll change my mind once I spend time with it and adjust some settings.

Overall, Apple needs to push the envelope again, or else.. The Samsungs are looking nicer to me now. Mata na-

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

I'm in the market and want the golden one. Never had a case on any of my iPods nor iPhones.

Forgive me for forgetting, do you have an iPhone 5? I have an ultra slim case on mine, and I find that every time I take it out of the case for whatever reason I almost end up dropping it because it's so slick. I expect when I upgrade next year that I'll keep my current slim case if it works on the 5c or just get a similar one.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by OAW 

That might work for you up north. But in the US at least the monthly service fee is no less than if you buy it subsidized. So even if you could transport the phone and have it work on another carrier … which is dubious at best … you're basically paying for the phone twice. Again, this is a testament to the insanity of the US cell phone market. It could very well be a totally different ball of wax in other countries.

OAW

Same here. But if you own an unlocked phone all you need to do is call the carriers and ask them to give you their best quote. Then you go with the one you like. Repeat every six months and you'll end up with a very reasonable price.

I am a Rogers customer right now, but could easily switch to any other provider at a moments notice. Also, when visiting the US or elsewhere all I need to do is drop a pay as you go Sim into my phone and instant cheap calls are mine.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Forgive me for forgetting, do you have an iPhone 5? I have an ultra slim case on mine, and I find that every time I take it out of the case for whatever reason I almost end up dropping it because it's so slick. I expect when I upgrade next year that I'll keep my current slim case if it works on the 5c or just get a similar one.

Nope, I'm on two-year contracts. 4S here.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Forgive me for forgetting, do you have an iPhone 5? I have an ultra slim case on mine, and I find that every time I take it out of the case for whatever reason I almost end up dropping it because it's so slick. I expect when I upgrade next year that I'll keep my current slim case if it works on the 5c or just get a similar one.

I've got a nekkid iPhone 5. Never had skidding problems.

I'm going to guess I have smaller hands than you though.

[Laminar]

Is hand size linked to testicle size?

[subego]

Nope. Just warmth.

[ajprice]

I was hoping the 5C would be cheaper than 32GB 5C = 16GB 5S. I'll hang on until the carriers announce prices for pay and go, but I'm probably holding on to my 4.

Anyone running iOS 7 beta on a 4? How is it?

[Hawkeye_a]

Am i the only one who finds all the iPhones (5S & 5C) announced the other day aesthetically hideous? I never was a fan of the 2-tone backs and I find the plastic 5C way too colorful (and doesnt go well with the black bezel IMHO).

Coupled with the fact that iOS7 now looks horrible as well, I cannot see myself upgrading willingly. (The only way I would upgrade is if my current devices fail, and even then I would try and get a 4S).

I like the idea of the fingerprint sensor though.

And on a side note, does it seem like Ive is just regurgitating the same lines over and over in the product videos?

/end-negativity

[ort888]

The Jony Ive in heaven videos have practically morphed into parodies of themselves at this point.