The newly released iPhone 5 has made many wonder whether the new version is really any better than the last version, which was released only months ago.
With the release of the new version a few weeks ago and more phones being used in everyday life, users are beginning to experience glitches with the new phone design and new iOS 6 program. Some consumers are beginning to worry that it is more than ‘working out a few kinks’ with the new system. That is not to say that the new iPhone doesn’t have more than a few great improvements.
Senior Heidi Stevenson is a recent owner of the new iPhone and enjoys the changes. “My favorite thing about Apple products in general is that with each upgrade of software and hardware, you get features you didn’t even know you needed,” said Stevenson.
The improvements of the iPhone go beyond all of the technology speak of faster processing and increased graphics. The physical design of iPhone has gone through major changes; the phone and screen are larger than before. However, to ensure that it still fits well in the user’s hand, it has not grown in width, only height. Also, the whole phone is lighter, the iPhone 5 is 20 percent lighter than the previous 4s. To make it lighter, the engineers at Apple made each component smaller and made the iPhone only 7.6 millimeters in depth; even the screen is thinner. Before this model, the touch screen was made up of a separate layer of electrodes between display pixels; now, the pixels work double duty and not only display clearer images but also sense touch, according to Apple.com.
The internal workings of the iPhone have drastically changed. Engineers at Apple created a new Nano-SIM card, which is 44 percent smaller than a micro-SIM. In addition, most other phones have two chips to create LTE [Long Term Evolution]. The new IPhone 5 has only one chip, which controls voice and data and is called an A6 chip. The A6 chip is two times faster than the A5 and 22 percent smaller.
Sophomore Zack Schiding is a current owner of the iPhone 4s. “There are always improvements that can be made, but the one improvement that was definitely necessary was that they made the battery life longer. That has been one of the most common complaints I’ve had and heard [of],” said Schiding.
The improvements don’t stop there; the 8MP reversible camera has been redone also. With new features like panorama and dynamic low-light mode, the new camera takes great quality photos and is less likely to scratch, due to its sapphire crystal lens. The sapphire crystal used on the new iSight camera is the second hardest transparent material (behind diamonds, of course.)
In addition, Apple sound engineers, called acousticians, upgraded the traditional ear bud headphones to the new EarPods. They began by taking 3D scans of various ear types to find a common shape that would stay in the ear, even while on the go. Apple also had more than 600 people run on treadmills in extreme heat and cold, while shaking their head to see how the new design and technology held up against sweat and activity. While improving the fit and reliability of the EarPods, they also dramatically improved the sound quality, according to Apple.com.
Remember when you had to turn your iPod up all the way to drown out all other noises? Not anymore. The new design allows air inside the EarPod to create deeper and richer bass and to create better acoustics within the ear. All of this means one can have their volume up half way and not be able to hear anything other than what is wanted. “The EarPods are comfortable and provide Beats-worthy sound… I love it,” said Stevenson.
-http://www.apple.com/iphone/
