The much awaited iPhone5 has been announced with all fanfare. And it brings upgrades to every part of the phone – camera, screen, processor, build, and connectivity with LTE, Facebook integration, mobile maps with apple-designed cartography and the list goes on. I am sure you’ve read all about it in the last 48 hours and die hard ‘Applers’ are lining up outside the Apple Store in the days to come.
So while the much hyped device is now released, it would be interesting to step on the other side of the fence to figure if this fame is well deserved. Is it really a piece of innovation? Is it disruptive or just an incremental upgrade over 4s? Is the design absolutely out of the world and radically different? Or is it that Apple does not have anytime to do revolutionary design because they’re busy fighting lawsuits? Was this a ‘wow conference or a bummer?
What did Apple do that HTC or Samsung didn’t do with hardware? Among all the hoopla, I am not sure if a lot of people are asking this question. Would you be able to figure the difference between an iPhone4 and 5? Slightly lighter with front and back camera…what else? Why would you choose an iPhone5 over Galaxy S3?
Media is raving. Tom Cook is calling it the most beautiful piece of machine on planet earth. But would you call it mind boggling. It took many of the specs from 4s. Androids do as much or more. And, it is late to the LTE game. If Apple cannot compete on hardware then will it come down to the apps? Yes, the billion dollar industry, and will the phone that contributes most to this ecosystem will be the winner?
Enough said, and these are all questions on which I’d like to get your opinion. My house us a iEverything but that does not deter me from asking Apple the tough questions. Also, the bigger question which comes to mind is, how would you define innovation in the smartphone world? Hardware can only add to that much. Pour in your comments.