First there were rumors that the next iPhone(s) would start shipping in July, but MacRumors reported yesterday that production issues could delay shipments until September—or possibly as long as November—and at lower quantities than were originally forecast. If you are one of the people who hasn’t upgraded to the iPhone 5 yet and have been waiting for the 5S (or whatever Apple decides to call it), should you still hold off until Fall or go for a 5 now?
This is a question of more than passing interest for me. I have an iPhone 4 that I have been thinking I would hang on to until the 5S came out, but it has begun suffering from the smartphone equivalent of hip dysplasia in Labradors—the home button is shot. Sometimes it works when I push it, sometimes I jam my thumb repeatedly like an idiot until I give up and turn the phone off and then back on again to get to where I want to go.
Sound familiar? Button failure seems to be a common problem with older iPhones. Even more common, by what I see around, is screen smashing, or in the iPhone 4, back plate smashing. And then there are batteries that don’t hold their charge as long as they used to and new apps that only work properly with the speed or larger screen of the iPhone 5.
In general, Apple’s second versions of any given iPhone line have been better products than the first. The incredibly dependable 3GS added 3G support and the 4S aded Siri and a better camera. The iPhone 5 added a better front facing camera (for FaceTime in HD) and a considerably brighter, sharper and, of course, taller screen. And the processor speeds have consistently improved as well.
Early rumors for the 5S concerned an IGZO screen with even greater Retina+ resolution, but it is just as likely that Apple will consider the improved screen of the 5 to be sufficient for this next model. More certain are a faster quad-core A7 processor, a “smart flash” that will choose yellow or white light depending on ambient conditions and a high-end 128 GB configuration. It is also likely to have a chipset with worldwide 4G capacity.
The biggest addition is rumored to be a built-in fingerprint scanner and NFC capability. This could give two possible meanings to the “S” in the name—”Security” and “ Shopping.” These could help Apple compete with Samsung’s SAFE enterprise program as well as Google‘s Wallet. Both of these functions would require well worked-out support in iOS 7 to make good on their promise.
It is the fingerprint technology in particular that has made KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo push back his previous June shipment prediction in favor of a Q3 launch. Other reports have indicated that iOS 7 may be taking longer than expected, as well. With Jony Ive now overseeing software as well as hardware, we can expect some major changes in the next version of iOS, and possibly an entirely new design language.
It would be wise for Apple to take their time and get things right. Even though it’s stock has plummeted and Samsung is at its gate, It cannot afford another Apple Maps-like disappointment. If a fingerprint scanner can turn your iPhone into a proxy for currency, that will be a development worth waiting for. But losing people’s money is even worse than getting them lost, so I hope they work out all the bugs beforehand on this one.
As for me, I’m still on the fence. My faltering home button may make up my mind for me before the 5S comes to market. Given a fully functional older iPhone, I would suggest waiting for the next one, but the Fall can seem to be a long way away if your phone is failing.
Data source: Forbes (By Anthony Wing Kosner)
Sound familiar? Button failure seems to be a common problem with older iPhones. Even more common, by what I see around, is screen smashing, or in the iPhone 4, back plate smashing. And then there are batteries that don’t hold their charge as long as they used to and new apps that only work properly with the speed or larger screen of the iPhone 5.
In general, Apple’s second versions of any given iPhone line have been better products than the first. The incredibly dependable 3GS added 3G support and the 4S aded Siri and a better camera. The iPhone 5 added a better front facing camera (for FaceTime in HD) and a considerably brighter, sharper and, of course, taller screen. And the processor speeds have consistently improved as well.
Early rumors for the 5S concerned an IGZO screen with even greater Retina+ resolution, but it is just as likely that Apple will consider the improved screen of the 5 to be sufficient for this next model. More certain are a faster quad-core A7 processor, a “smart flash” that will choose yellow or white light depending on ambient conditions and a high-end 128 GB configuration. It is also likely to have a chipset with worldwide 4G capacity.
The biggest addition is rumored to be a built-in fingerprint scanner and NFC capability. This could give two possible meanings to the “S” in the name—”Security” and “ Shopping.” These could help Apple compete with Samsung’s SAFE enterprise program as well as Google‘s Wallet. Both of these functions would require well worked-out support in iOS 7 to make good on their promise.
It is the fingerprint technology in particular that has made KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo push back his previous June shipment prediction in favor of a Q3 launch. Other reports have indicated that iOS 7 may be taking longer than expected, as well. With Jony Ive now overseeing software as well as hardware, we can expect some major changes in the next version of iOS, and possibly an entirely new design language.
It would be wise for Apple to take their time and get things right. Even though it’s stock has plummeted and Samsung is at its gate, It cannot afford another Apple Maps-like disappointment. If a fingerprint scanner can turn your iPhone into a proxy for currency, that will be a development worth waiting for. But losing people’s money is even worse than getting them lost, so I hope they work out all the bugs beforehand on this one.
As for me, I’m still on the fence. My faltering home button may make up my mind for me before the 5S comes to market. Given a fully functional older iPhone, I would suggest waiting for the next one, but the Fall can seem to be a long way away if your phone is failing.
Data source: Forbes (By Anthony Wing Kosner)
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