The announcement at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts saw the introduction of the iPhone 5 may not have brought about the additional surprises which we were hoping for, but it did bring a new Apple smartphone that seems to have once again captured the imagination of consumers. Critics took their usual stand of complaining that Apple had concentrated on making minor aesthetic changes rather than going down the route of innovation and announcing a truly revolutionary device. Consumers are the ones that matter, and with over two million new iPhones pre-ordered in just 24 hours, it looks like Apple will be onto another winner with the release.
The iPhone 5 is set for a general public release in two days time, and overnight, we have started to see some reviews being published from those who were lucky enough to get their hands on the review and testing units. The reviews are obviously a great resource for people who are considering exchanging their hard earned cash for an iPhone 5, but there will also be a lot of people who are wondering about the actual performance of the device when using it in a real-world environment for everyday tasks.
Anyone who has an iPhone or iPod touch and has interest in snapping photographs or getting involved in social circles will more than likely be familiar with Instagram. When the app was first released for the iPhone, it took the world by storm as it was one of the first of its kind which allowed filters to be applied to photographs which would in turn be uploaded and shared with the rapidly expanding Instagram network. Things have changed a bit since then thanks to Facebook's takeover and numerous app revisions, but it is still one of the most popular downloads on the iOS App Store.
iPhone 5 Sales To Exceed 8 Million During Launch Weekend, 46.5 Million iPhones To Be Sold In Q1 2013
As we’ve been reporting over the past few days, the iPhone 5 is selling like hotcakes / lemonade / gangbusters. Whether it’s technology enthusiasts, bloggers, cellular networks, or Apple itself, no one expected 2 million pre-orders in under 24 hours; it is an unmatched number in the smartphone industry. Now, the question is: will the iPhone 5 continue its momentum through the launch weekend, and further through the quarter? According to multiple analysts, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Details after the jump.
Apple's Jony Ive was once described by the late Steve Jobs as the guy with "the most power" within the Cupertino company besides, of course, himself, and having been responsible for designing some of Apple's most iconic products throughout the years, it's little surprise he's garnered himself something of a cult following.
The "stuck on a desert island" analogy is a thought-provoking hypothetical situation thrown up by many, in order to try and direct a subject into really mulling over an answer. When Samsung applied that theory to its Facebook followers - asking which electronic device they'd want if caught in the above situation - it seems the overwhelming majority opted for the iPhone, which is certainly a nice premise for the recently-announced iPhone 5.
Although the iPhone 5 has now been unveiled by Apple, attentions will still focus on the Cupertino company's smartphone for the time being - at least until the release date is finally upon us. Once that's done and dusted though, talk of the so-called "iPad Mini" should re-ignite once more, and last about a month until its purported release.
If you are in the business of designing and developing accessories or cases for Apple hardware, or just a hardcore fan who has keen interest in the engineering behind products and how they are actually put together, then Apple's trend of releasing blueprints and schematics of their new mobile devices is sure to please. Over the weekend, we were treated to some rather detailed technical drawings of the sixth-generation iPhone and that has been followed up with the blueprints of the fifth-generation iPod touch and the seventh iteration of the iPod nano.
Although the iPhone 5 won’t be publicly available until this coming Friday, a number of people have started to report that their pre-ordered units have started their journey from China to their part of the world. We've seen this behavior in the past with Apple taking the opportunity to make sure devices are shipped well in advance so they actually do get delivered on launch day rather than leaving a trail of unhappy customers. It also makes perfect sense from a logistical point of view for the Cupertino giants to spread out their deliveries rather than attempting to deal with all pre-orders in one go.
As many technology enthusiasts and bloggers will tell you, the iPhone 5 might be a bit of a disappointment. Apple may be calling it the “biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone”, but I still believe that that description is for the iPhone 4 which introduced a sensational new design, considerably faster internals and, of course, the industry leading Retina display - significant improvements over the 3GS. Compared to that, the iPhone 5’s main new features include a tweaked, taller design and display, faster internals and support for 4G LTE - a wireless technology that is available only in very selected regions around the globe.
