Apple finally began taking iPhone 5 online pre-orders a 3:01 a.m. EST today and sold out within an hour, according to The Washington Post. Shipping estimates are now indicating a two week wait, but some of the individual carriers were still giving a ship date of Sept. 21. The iPhone 5 sell-out is fairly impressive and is the largest, fastest iPhone rollout in Apple’s history. Many are weighing in today on what they’ve found so far to be the best and worst things about the newest iPhone.
There could be many reasons people are clamoring to get their hands on the latest iPhone incarnation, of course uppermost may just be that they can.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl checks out the new iPhone 5
"I think it's demand," said Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets, of the fast sell-out. "Apple wouldn't want to upset customers by running out in just an hour", according to Computerworld. The company rolled out to nine countries versus seven for the last time, and if they had concerns over meeting sales, they’d have reduced the rollout instead.
Only time and use will tell the true story of how successful the new iPhone 5 will be, but many are offering up their initial reviews already.
Hayley Tsukayama writes in the Post that, “The iconic smartphone has been redesigned with a series of small changes that are supposed to add up to a new gadget that feels familiar but evolved”. The new version also 20 percent lighter and 18 percent thinner.
The larger four inch screen shows a fifth row of apps on the home screen. Its width is unchanged for ease of use thumb wise, but the extra length means a new case, and it won’t fit in some pockets that an earlier iPhones did.
The new screen has a finer quality which is aimed at making colors pop more while retaining the “retina display” of the iPhone 4S. Also Apple improved the phone’s camera sensor so you’ll look better in phone photos regardless of the better screen.
The new iPhone 5 has an A6 chip which is supposed to run twice as fast as the updated A5 chip found in the iPhone 4S. So far reviewers appear to be backing that claim up. This is good for mobile gamers.
The iPhone 5 is 4G LTE capable, so it will officially operate on what the most people consider true fourth-generation networks. That’s good, but you’ll want to watch your data consumption since those faster speeds will make it much easier to lose track of you’re data consumption. You’ll want to check to see if you’re in an LTE area before you come to expect those faster speeds.
The new dock connector is part good, part bad. It renders many of the old accessories obsolete, but it’s supposed to have faster transfer speeds and is a big part of what makes the phone smaller and lighter. Apple is selling an adapter for $29, which will work with some but not all existing accessories.
The expense factor can’t be ignored. Apple has been reducing the price of the iPhone over the years. It first sold for $499 with 4GB. The iPhone 5 is still an expensive purchase starting at $199 and up. There are cheaper premium smartphones out there such as Android phones, Windows phones and even the iPhone 4S is selling for $99 or less. The iPhone 5 is particularly expensive if you have to break your current contract to get the upgrade.
For some it just may be good to wait a little while and let any bugs shake out. Remember antenna-gate? Or it could be battery life problems and other possible ones that Apple may want to address with later updates.
There is no single killer feature that you need to have now that isn’t in the iPhone 4S. Get it if it’s important to have the latest and greatest, otherwise never fear, a new iPhone will be out before you know it.
Check out a video review of the new iPhone 5 by clicking the image at the top. Will you be getting in line?
