The Drum reviews the reviews of the iPhone 5. What is the aggregated consensus?
Apple’s latest and greatest is here and the worlds geeks and technology correspondents are already salivating over its sensuous aluminium and glass curves. More than just a sexy body however the iPhone5 has real intelligence too, its more than twice as fast as its predecessor.
Ultimately however it’s just another iPhone, albeit with 4G connectivity and a clunky dock connector redesign, an evolution rather than a revolution from a firm which has offered precious few of the latter since the original iPhone in 2007. Here we collate some of the main reviews of the device thus far in an attempt to gauge the general consensus.
The Telegraph described Apple’s latest piece of kit as ‘style, but no surprises’ with the papers technology correspondent Shane Richmond warning that ‘Apple could be left behind if it fails to keep innovating with the software that powers the iPhone.’
Charles Arthur at the guardian meanwhile felt that the gadget would have strong appeal to owners of older iPhones (from the iphone4 down) and those seeking 4G mobile broadband – but of limited appeal to everyone else.
Arthur concluded: “Android has the advantage that it offers many different brands, while Windows Phone is borne up almost entirely by Nokia. But with any of these you'll only buy once every couple of years. If the time and the price is right, the iPhone 5 is definitely the most integrated phone out there.’
Technology mag T3 meanwhile said of Apple’s ‘skinniest’ phone yet: “While there will be cries that the iPhone 5 is 'just a longer iPhone', it remains a significant hardware change for the phone that hasn't really had a good going over for a couple of years. Apple has worked wonders to reduce the overall size and weight while upping the power.’
Techradar on the other hand observed: “The added real-estate is welcome, especially given the growth of its rivals, and apps will apparently be easy to move onto the new screen size for developers.
“In the hand the Apple iPhone 5 certainly feels comfortable. You can see why Apple decided to keep the width the same, since it fits the hand nicely – just as its predecessors have.
Business Week’s Michael Liedtke was the most enthusiastic gushing that Steve Jobs would have been ‘delighted with the iPhone 5's blend of beauty, utility and versatility.’
Liedtke continued: ‘For many people, the iPhone is going to be a case of love at first touch. It's incredibly light and seems to be easier to hold. That means it might not be dropped as frequently as previous iPhones, reducing the chances of the glass on the display screen getting damaged.’