Apple announced the 4-inch iPhone 5 smartphone

Apple today announced the most awaiting phone for all the Apple lovers, the Apple iPhone 5. Many of the rumors came while talking about iPhone 5. Among those rumours was the 4-inch display and that the phone is thinner and higher than its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. Also chinese iPhone 5 was also launched in china market way before its launch. 

The 7.6mm width makes it the thinnest iPhone so far. Making the phone thinner is probably a good enough reason for many to updating their existing 4S to the new model. But making a thin phone also limit the possibility for Apple to produce a much better camera as it must be room for the lens and sensor which must be stacked on top of each other. Therefore, the Iphone 5 has similar camera specifications. It is a 8 megapixel camera with a BSI sensor, auto focus, face detection and 1080p video capture. The front camera has an increased resolution of 720p.

The new phone has a 4-inch retina display that has a 640 x 1136 pixel resolution. The width of the display is the same as iPhone 4, but the height is increased with 176 pixels up to 1136. This makes up to add one more row for icons. The iPhone 5 has a 800:1 contrast ratio and 500cd/m2 max. brightness, again same as iPhone 4.

The old 30-pin connector has been replaced by a 8-pin connector called Lightning. A Lightning-to-30-pin adapter accessory is available in the Apple Store for $29. The adapter is compatible with all older accessories and Iphone 5, Ipod Touch 5th generation and Ipod Nano 7th generation.




Apple has also updated the headset with a new design. Earlier, you could mix left and right ear-plugs, but that is not possible any more as the new headphones has directional speakers. Just like Apple has done with the camera (iSight) and display (Retina) these headset has got a name. The new headphones are called EarPods and these will work with all previously released Apple products.

Apple has kicked out Google from the iPhone 5 software. Google Maps are now history for iPhone which is now replaced by Maps. Hence, the iPhone 5 will be the first Apple device running iOS 6, and Apple Maps are now the default navigation and map app on this and future iOS devices.

                                            Comparison of Google Maps v/s Apple Maps

Apple is very good at making their new products look revolutionary and sensational. One example of this evident during the presentation today. Instead of saying that the Iphone 5 is 1.7 mm thinner than the iPhone 4S, the company showed the audience that the new phone model was 18% thinner. A much larger number to show off.

The hardware specifications is not iPhone's strength any more. Looking at the specifications alone is not a good reason to go for this particular phone model. I think consumers will buy this for the well-known intuitive user interface and of course the Apple/iPhone brand name.

                              

The iPhone 5 will be available with three variants. Apple has not yet revealed the sim-free price of iPhone 5, but these are the prices in US on two year contract.

16 GB edition for $199

32 GB edition for $299

and the largest 64 GB edition for $399.

Too bad Apple didn't add a memory card slot on the new iPhone.

Like earlier the phone is launched in two colors : Black and White. iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Germany, Australia, UK on September 21st. 22 other European countries will get the phone on September 28. 100 countries will receive the iPhone 5 during December.

Apple again, has shown the world that it can make good software indulged in good hardware. There's no doubt that in one year from now, the iPhone 5 will be the best-selling mobile phones from Apple. I pesonally, do not think the iPhone 5 is the "All-new design" and "Completely redesigned" as Apple chose to call it. The iPhone 5 is an evolution smartphone based on the ideas behind Iphone 4/4S.

Some new features found in iPhone 5 -

• New A6 processor
• Three different network configurations (2 x GSM and one CDMA)
• LTE network speed
• Now with Wi-Fi a (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Larger display (4-inch with a 640 x 1136 pixel resolution)
• 1.2 front camera with 720p video capture
• New smaller Lightning connector (8-pin)
• Audio jack located at the bottom of the handset
• New EarPods headphones
• iOS 6
• Lighter with 112 gram

Apple iPhone 5 highlights -

• Weight: 112 gram
• Size: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
• Networks configurations - 

1. GSM model A1428: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 4 and 17)
2. CDMA model A1429: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)
3. GSM model A1429: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5)

• 4 inch touch display, 640 x 1136 pixels resolution
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5GHz
• 8 megapixel camera, BSI sensor
• Bluetooth 4.0
• A6 processor
• AGPS and GLONASS
• Talk time: 8 hours (3G)
• Standby time: 225 hours
• Sensors: gyro, accelerometer, proximity, ambient light

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The War of the Smartphones

There is a battle in progress - the winner will take a profitable chunk out of the mobile phone market and with it the ad and app revenue generated therein. The problem is that the media, bloggers, journalists and even the public believe there is an on-going battle between Google and Apple/BlackBerry in progress. But in reality this isn't the case, far from it, in reality Apple and BlackBerry are competitors as they have handsets which use a proprietary operating system and then they spend a small fortune marketing the brand. Google does something else. It does not make handsets (granted the Nexus is a Google handset but made and co-branded by Samsung) and it does not sell its operating system (it gives it freely to handset manufacturers under terms which allow Google services to interact within the network and handset to generate advertising revenue).

This creates a quandary whereby Apple and RIM are creating in all intense and purposes 'lifestyle' devices incarceration within a pre-determined ecosystem and enclosed application-based environment but Google leaves the portcullis to the castle open to anyone able to adapt, develop and thereafter resell their software. The problem is that Apple/RIM are intoxicated by their own 'brand', although that is not to say Android isn't a brand it's just what that brand means and therein becomes associated with is completely different to anything Apple or RIM create and distribute.

Market share

So, what the issue here surrounds is that of the public perception whereby 'Google' is going to steal or beat Apple and RIM into inferiority within the smartphone market. However this just isn't the case, in reality a free Google product will help to see an increase in market share, but that does not mean Google captures that market share for its self. HTC or Samsung capture that market. We need to remember that Handsets and Operating Systems, partially due to the success of Android, have become divorced from one another. This cleavage creates a perception  problem and one that needs to be cleared up.

Android is battling BlackBerry and Apple

Apple makes the iPhone. The iPhone is in incredible piece of both technological and marketing accomplishment yet it's operating system iOS is confined to the Apple mobile computing environment. You cant install iOS on a BlackBerry 9780 or a HTC Sensation. So that means Android cannot be compared to Apple or BlackBerry in the same way. Yet, this is what has happened so far. The question is can this be healthy for the future of Android.

The argument about Android's open eco-system are predominantly based on the Wintel arguments of the 1990s where, generally perceived, PC manufacturers and Software manufacturers colluded to bring down quality and technical excellence so as they could compete on a race to the bottom. Price was everything and that's how Intel, Windows and HP/Dell or IBM won out! The arguments are transplanted into the twenty first century that Google's Android will with Samsung, HTC and Sony Erricson's help see 'excellence' eroded through a battle of 'dumbing down' and racing to the bottom and competing on price.

Customer Views'

Yet, the issue here is that we are arguing that BlackBerry and Apple, the undoubted smartphone pioneers, worked hard to keep their phones at a certain cost level so as to retain their incredibly profitable revenue streams from collapsing because of engineering excellence. Apple and RIM make billions from selling phones, so when Android came along and people like DoCoMo, Huwaei and HTC created mid-range phones offering similar experiences to the iPhone or BlackBerry but at a substantially reduced price this created the perfect storm to occur within the mobile phone market. Apple and RIM went tooth and nail for the premium customers whilst Android's open handset alliance went all out for the budget and mid-size customers. The result was the undoubtedly that Android would dominate the smartphone market. Android handsets are shipping at 3-1 to Apple or RIM handsets according to Catalyst/comScore but, importantly, to different customers. 

Apple and RIM are rivals but Google's Android isn't, yet, a competitive rival to these two smartphone rivals.

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Apple co-founder "Woz" says Android better than iOS in some ways

In the year 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak jointly founded Apple, furthermore the very first Apple I computer was launched later the same year. The electrical engineer, Steve Wozniak (Woz) left the company after twelve years. He still holds Apple shares but are not full-time employee any more. His latest chat with Dan Lyons of The Daily Beast made headlines.

Woz said in a recent interview that there are some things which could be done much better with an Android smartphone compared to the iPhone 4S. Even though, Steve highlighted that iPhone 4S still his first preference phone and he believe the iPhone 4S is the most excellent overall smartphone. "My primary phone is the iPhone. I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does."

The co-founder is not very much impressed with the iOs app Siri any more (Siri is an intelligent software assistant and knowledge navigator functioning as a personal aide application for iOS. The application make use of a natural language user interface to answer questions, make references, and perform procedures by hand overing requests to a web services). He says the voice commands on Android work better than on his iPhone. According to Woz:

“I used to ask Siri, ‘What are the five biggest lakes in California?’ and it would come back with the answer. Now it just misses. It gives me real estate listings. I used to ask, ‘What are the prime numbers greater than 87?’ and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate.”

                                                              iPhone's Siri App

Another feature where Wozniak thinks Android is better is the built-in navigation system.

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