My Rant on the iPhone 5s

[torndownunit]

I think I might take back my statement that the camera updates are the most impressive thing and switch it to a tie with the GPU integration. Like I hinted at earlier, I think some of the frustration expressed is in wanting to see Apple make a device that beats some of the Android OEM's at their own game. It's probably not going to happen as they keep doubling down on slow evolution with polish.

This argument is very similar to the Moto X vs S4, for which any user of the former, just like an iPhone user, is going to obviously know that the Moto X is a faster, smoother, more elegant and more useful device, yet not having a "5" 1080p Dodecatetrahedron processor clocked at 3ghz and a removable battery, micro sd card and jedi gestures" somehow work against it, despite that being the design language of a separate philosophy. They're just saying two completely different things. The Moto X is clearly a "better" device if better is measured in performance, and the iPhone 5s just released a bigger battery and better GPU on a tiny screen that, for very similar reasons, should run circles around the S4 in terms of battery life, speed and fluidity moving through the UI and due to the processor (sorry, it's not a google-core) it's probably faster and smoother for gaming, videos, etc. as well.

The contrast of philosophies is one reason that, despite my total lack of interest in the ecosystem, the iPhone 5 probably just walked into the top 5 devices available list while the S4 is struggling to remain in the top 10 for anyone that isn't dependent on the micro sd card and removable battery niche or absolutely in need of a phablet-esque device.

I agree with most of your post for sure. I was completely satisfied with the performance and reliability of my last iPhone. But, as with a lot of other Apple users, the screen size became an issue when it was time to upgrade. Unless you want a smaller phone for portability reasons, It's really tough to pick up some of the other options available, and not get hooked on the larger screens. I went with the S4 and after having it for a bit. At time I might find the screen a little bit too large to be honest, and no I don't like some of the battery use consequences of that. But, I also definitely find the iPhone screen too small. I am impressed by the new iPhone, but even if I was picking my new phone right now, I would likely pass on the iPhone over the screen size.

As a former iPhone user I will say one thing. While Apple might lag behind implementing some features, when they do they tend to do a really good job of it (the Apple Maps fiasco aside). I am guess the new camera and new OS will be very nice.

 

[DroidArmy]

No they do not. If you were an objective person, you would clearly see that there are many changes internal to the iphone 5S that are not in the iphone 5. A new A7 processor with 64 bit that will allow the 5 to use more graphic intensive games. At the unveiling today, Infinity Blade 3 was displayed. This new game will not work properly on the iphone 5 and will be on sale alongside the iphone 5s. There will be other apps down the line that will require 64 bit processing power, I am sure.

There is the M7 processor that will be needed for new high powered health apps. That is coming to the App store as well.

There is a better camera with 1.5?m pixel size that will allow the camera to take better low light pictures. There is the larger f2.2 aperture. The lens is new with 15% more leans area.

And then there is the finger print sensor, that if it works as advertised, will be a god send to people like me who constantly open their phone between sets at the gym while I rest. I hate to enter my code everytime I have to unlock my phone. It is one of my big issues with smartphone. Dumb phones never had this problem.

Okay okay calm down a minute. The specs? Mostly minimal, even 64 bit. Samsung and Qualcomm are making processors that are much more powerful without the 64 bit aspect. And, seeing 64 bit is coming to Android phones within the next year like Kevin said, it will only be exclusive to Apple for a small amount of time. These updates are mostly minimal, I mean the iPhone 4s? That was a terrible upgrade. The only thing that I see even remotely important to the release is the fingerprint scanner. That's probably the only non minimal addition to the phone. The m7 chip was outdone by the Moto X, it's not new technology. It's just Apple playing catch up, but that's what you get when you only release one or two phones a year

 

[Haalcyon]

Okay okay calm down a minute. The specs? Mostly minimal, even 64 bit. Samsung and Qualcomm are making processors that are much more powerful without the 64 bit aspect. And, seeing 64 bit is coming to Android phones within the next year like Kevin said, it will only be exclusive to Apple for a small amount of time. These updates are mostly minimal, I mean the iPhone 4s? That was a terrible upgrade. The only thing that I see even remotely important to the release is the fingerprint scanner. That's probably the only non minimal addition to the phone. The m7 chip was outdone by the Moto X, it's not new technology. It's just Apple playing catch up, but that's what you get when you only release one or two phones a year

Hmmm...so you think there's another phone with a better camera and better gaming performance (for those that place a priority on a phone's ability to excel in games)? I'm a casual gamer at best but an audiophile by heart. A phone's ability to take a great photo isn't lost on me. For those whose contract is ready for renewal that are into the Apple thing, this new release will be attractive. We discuss this for entertainment only as Apple WILL sell a crapload of these whether or not you or I think it's worthy or not. I find entertainment value in the discussion as much as the next but I see no reason to try to convince that Apple's offerings are insignificant. They are not...the sales show this. For some, no matter what Apple offers it will be lesser than Android...simply because they prefer Android. Some think that the S4, Note 3, HTC One, or Moto X are the bees knees and toil pointlessly to convince others of their perspective. I'm a Samsung and Sony guy myself (right now, anyways) and quite the enhusiast at that. ... and I do love my toys but I just don't see the benefit in proving to myself or others that the other offerings are somehow lesser than my chosen brands or gizmos. I do hope I'm not being overly ignorant but perhaps I am. I still have to give Apple their props. Nice camera, cool fingerprint reader thinggy, and likely great performance. The anorexic screen doesn't work for me nor does the less flexible iOS...but my wife is entranced by them and she isn't any dummy.

P.S. If Apple can make such a great camera in their phones what's going on with Motorola? HTC? Samsung?

Sent from my Sony Xperia Tablet Z "The Sleeper Dohickey?

 

[Jaredshoes]

So mad about a phone that will literally have no effect on your well being at all, get over it.

 

[DroidArmy]

Hmmm...so you think there's another phone with a better camera and better gaming performance (for those that place a priority on a phone's ability to excel in games)? I'm a casual gamer at best but an audiophile by heart. A phone's ability to take a great photo isn't lost on me. For those whose contract is ready for renewal that are into the Apple thing, this new release will be attractive. We discuss this for entertainment only as Apple WILL sell a crapload of these whether or not you or I think it's worthy or not. I find entertainment value in the discussion as much as the next but I see no reason to try to convince that Apple's offerings are insignificant. They are not...the sales show this. For some, no matter what Apple offers it will be lesser than Android...simply because they prefer Android. Some think that the S4, Note 3, HTC One, or Moto X are the bees knees and toil pointlessly to convince others of their perspective. I'm a Samsung and Sony guy myself (right now, anyways) and quite the enhusiast at that. ... and I do love my toys but I just don't see the benefit in proving to myself or others that the other offerings are somehow lesser than my chosen brands or gizmos. I do hope I'm not being overly ignorant but perhaps I am. I still have to give Apple their props. Nice camera, cool fingerprint reader thinggy, and likely great performance. The anorexic screen doesn't work for me nor does the less flexible iOS...but my wife is entranced by them and she isn't any dummy.

P.S. If Apple can make such a great camera in their phones what's going on with Motorola? HTC? Samsung?

Sent from my Sony Xperia Tablet Z "The Sleeper Dohickey?

Alright, let me clear something up. I never said the 5s or any Apple product was bad. They're great devices, I owned iPhones for years. The point I was trying to make was that this is a minimal update at best and mostly gimmicks except for the finger print sensor (which somebody pointed out is a lot more secure than I previously believed). I'm sure Apple will sell an astronomical amount of these phones, but that doesn't mean it's anything special. Samsung has been kicking *** lately pumping out revolutionary devices. The camera on the Galaxy s4 and Note 3 are really good, in my opinion better than the 8 megapixel one offered on the iPhone. You also have the Galaxy s4 zoom (no idea why anyone would buy it, but it's an option). Most of my products are either Samsung or Sony as well, but they used to be all Apple. I've just given up on them because I don't see the magic anymore

 

[DroidArmy]

So mad about a phone that will literally have no effect on your well being at all, get over it.

I never said I was mad, I called it a rant. It's my personal opinion about the phone. It doesn't mean you have to agree with me

 

[garublador]

To be honest, what would make me go back to Apple instantly would be if they brought out a phone with a bigger screen, something like 5 inches or so.

IMO that's really the big "disappointment" with the 5S. It took several of the best advancements in smartphones and threw them all into one phone, but totally missed out on screen size, which is a pretty major thing to ignore. Hardware-wise, (i.e. ignoring the differences between iOS and Android) if it had a 4.7"-5" screen it would be like taking the best of the HTC One, Galaxy S4 and Moto X and rolling it all into one. As it is it took many of the things from those phones, but gimped how awesome any of that stuff is by making the screen too small for too many users. Superior graphic performance just isn't as cool on a smaller screen. When you only do one release each year it has to be near perfect or people will complain.

As for NFC, my prediction is that once Apple finally puts it into a phone all of the Apple fans will talk about how awesome it is. Until then they'll bash away at it as if it were the worst thing that could happen to a phone. Historically that's how people have acted on tech forums and blogs.

 

[Farish]

The way iBeacon works, it is quite possible a NFC killer. People should read about it. One of the big deals about it is that it has lower costs to implement on a storewide level versus NFC. That alone could attract businesses to buy into it.

 

[Haalcyon]

I've just given up on them because I don't see the magic anymore

I completely agree. I do want to see the magic, but there just isn't any. Is that Apple's fault? As much as I want the Note 3, I don't see the magic there either. What Apple has, that I want, is the quality of their apps and their app ecosystem. I want just as good or better on Android...and as far as I'm concerned its just not there. For instance, I was browsing in the Play store yesterday and I stumbled across an old favorite, an 80's game called Berzerk (I remember playing this for hours in the arcade). Of course I grabbed it only to find out it doesn't work...at all...on any of my devices: a Nexus 7, a Sony Xperia Tablet 7, a Samsung Note 8.0, or a Samsung S4. Wouldn't happen in the Apple App Store...if it didn't work it wouldn't be there. Same type of thing for another old classic...Monopoly. Got anything newer than Android 4.1.2 on screen bigger than 1280x800. Sorry. No play for you. Yet the iOS version is absolutely gorgeous and flawless in its execution (except the computer...she cheats like a b****).

Now, these are games, they're trivial...and that's exactly how they're treated by developers in the Play store. Are there great working apps in the Play store? Absolutely. Is there the same level of spit-polish and finish as in the Apple App store? Not in my opinion. Take a look at Pen Ultimate in the App store and show me what's just as good or better in the Play store. Why is this? ...but me still not going back to the fruit.

 

[DroidArmy]

I completely agree. I do want to see the magic, but there just isn't any. Is that Apple's fault? As much as I want the Note 3, I don't see the magic there either. What Apple has, that I want, is the quality of their apps and their app ecosystem. I want just as good or better on Android...and as far as I'm concerned its just not there. For instance, I was browsing in the Play store yesterday and I stumbled across an old favorite, an 80's game called Berzerk (I remember playing this for hours in the arcade). Of course I grabbed it only to find out it doesn't work...at all...on any of my devices: a Nexus 7, a Sony Xperia Tablet 7, a Samsung Note 8.0, or a Samsung S4. Wouldn't happen in the Apple App Store...if it didn't work it wouldn't be there. Same type of thing for another old classic...Monopoly. Got anything newer than Android 4.1.2 on screen bigger than 1280x800. Sorry. No play for you. Yet the iOS version is absolutely gorgeous and flawless in its execution (except the computer...she cheats like a b****).

Now, these are games, they're trivial...and that's exactly how they're treated by developers in the Play store. Are there great working apps in the Play store? Absolutely. Is there the same level of spit-polish and finish as in the Apple App store? Not in my opinion. Take a look at Pen Ultimate in the App store and show me what's just as good or better in the Play store. Why is this? ...but me still not going back to the fruit.

That's just not going to be possible on android unless a huge change is made. With Apple, there's a handful of devices to build apps for which makes it so easy. For android, there are so many devices that not every device will be supported. My advice is to stay on the popular phone path, that should give you a better chance of your device being supported. You're asking for something which is literally impossible at the moment. I hope that will change, I really do, but I don't see that happening.

 

[Haalcyon]

That's just not going to be possible on android unless a huge change is made. With Apple, there's a handful of devices to build apps for which makes it so easy. For android, there are so many devices that not every device will be supported. My advice is to stay on the popular phone path, that should give you a better chance of your device being supported. You're asking for something which is literally impossible at the moment. I hope that will change, I really do, but I don't see that happening.

I thought the S4 and Nexus 7 were popular though. I know it must be hard to code when you don't really know what you're coding for and it changes by the introduction of New hardware continuously.

Sent from my Sony Xperia Tablet Z "The Sleeper Dohickey?

 

[garublador]

Didn't they say the OS was ready to take advantage of it? And that apps will be able to from the get go also?

It depends on what you mean by "take advantage of it." Apps will be able to be programmed to use the 64-bit architecture, but unless the phone has more memory than can be addressed by 32-bits (very slim chance) or people run the types of apps where 64-bits is a significant improvement (math heavy type applications like encrypting or apps that take advantage of many hardware registers), they aren't really seeing any big advantages. Perhaps I'm wrong and more apps require more registers than I think, but most apps I tend to use are more communications based than processing based. When I look at my "Awake" bar on my battery graph I see mostly a bunch of little slivers, not big chunks where the processor is doing a lot, even when the screen is on.

I wouldn't say it's earlier than necessary.

Again, it depends on how you define "necessary." Adopting new architectures and formats are "chicken and the egg" type situations. Having 64-bit processors isn't useful unless you have 64-but applications and vice versa. Someone has to be first on one side (usually hardware) to get the ball rolling, but the real advantages won't be seen until you have both working together. So the advantages aren't for current users, but future users. It's a nice "feather in your cap" for doing it first, but I don't see it as a big advantage for current users.

It's the way Apple does things. They do a lot of things before anyone else. People just get laser focused on iOS not changing the fundamental way it operates and functions. Hardware, though, is a different story, and Apple is almost always at the head of the pack.

I'm no Apple fan, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that although they don't tout it, they make it a point to be at the forefront of performance.

They sort of have to be if they're only going to release one upgrade per year. They are forced to aim high to prevent their phones looking ancient in 8 months. I agree it's a good thing, and I think a lot of the improvements made in this phone are overlooked, I'm just saying that making a big deal out of 64-bit is selling the steak, not the sizzle. They just got put in the unfortunate position of having their sizzle stolen by Motorola. They have to make some big claim that they're super-awesome innovators because they only get one chance per year and really the M7 is the best improvement that isn't incremental or expected (everyone expects a faster processor and better camera). Because they couldn't claim that innovation as their own they had to fall back to the 64-bit thing, which is just an inevitable improvement everyone will eventually make regardless of when Apple does it. It would be like them claiming to be innovative by including a 128GB option. One one else has done it yet but it's not super innovative, they'd just be the first to implement it.

 

[qxr]

I am curious to see how they get the 64 bit to work/ be utiluzed with the low memory. That is going to be very interesting. Any theories on this floating around?

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

I am curious to see how they get the 64 bit to work/ be utiluzed with the low memory. That is going to be very interesting. Any theories on this floating around?

64-bit doesn't require higher amounts of memory, nor is the only benefit of 64-bit the ability to support larger amounts of memory.

The way Apple was talking was that it would be seamless of the user, as it should be, and that apps that can take advantage of 64-bit will, and the rest will continue to function just as they always have.

One thing that this MIGHT help/enable would be process intensive things like high-level photo editing. Maybe we'll start seeing some powerful photo editors that can do more than apply a simple filter. I'm sure there are more things that can benefit, but that one just popped in my head.

 

[Rule9]

P.S. If Apple can make such a great camera in their phones what's going on with Motorola? HTC? Samsung?

Their customers own DSLRs

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[DroidArmy]

I thought the S4 and Nexus 7 were popular though. I know it must be hard to code when you don't really know what you're coding for and it changes by the introduction of New hardware continuously.

Sent from my Sony Xperia Tablet Z "The Sleeper Dohickey?

They are popular devices. And you nailed that exactly, it's difficult. Apps need to take different dimensions, hardware, and processing power into consideration. It's a nightmare to get an app working decently on every device on Android

 

[LegalAmerican]

Same thing to YOU. Because you hate Apple products not because they are the same thing every year.

Posted via Android Central App

I have to laugh when people say: "I'm out!" and then they return to comment on every last post in the thread that disagrees with them.

You call people out for hating Apple no matter what, but how about you loving them no matter what? You display an objective opinion and so will I. Until then, don't act like all Android fans have to love or praise the iPhone when you only see a holy grail with zero flaws no matter what Apple releases.

 

[DroidArmy]

I have to laugh when people say: "I'm out!" and then they return to comment on every last post in the thread that disagrees with them.

You call people out for hating Apple no matter what, but how about you loving them no matter what? You display an objective opinion and so will I. Until then, don't act like all Android fans have to love or praise the iPhone when you only see a holy grail with zero flaws no matter what Apple releases.

I'm sure he would leave, but he just wanted to prove me wrong (which rarely happens). He knows his fight is a waste of time.

 

[LegalAmerican]

It is common to Apple followers such as me. Its been stated multiple times a couple of times in the Steve Jobs biography as well.

Posted via Android Central App

I read the biography cover to cover and have since thumbed through it a few times. I don't remember them ever saying much except that they discussed a few future products. I think the iPad Mini was proof that they have veered off whatever roadmap he might have established. He stated vehemently in the biography that they would never release a small screened iPad. There's no way he would have approved a plastic iPhone. Never. So when people say he would've been upset, I think it's pretty accurate.

The 5s is something to be proud of. I'm a huge fan of Android but i'd be tempted to grab that gold 5s if it had a decent sized screen. I think the fingerprint scanner is cool, the camera looks awesome, and I love the build quality of the iPhone. But that 5c is an abomination. It looks hideous and I would be ashamed of it if I was on the Apple board.

 

[LegalAmerican]

I'm sure he would leave, but he just wanted to prove me wrong (which rarely happens). He knows his fight is a waste of time.

That's just it though. Either stick around for the sake of the debate and don't say you're out, or if you say you're out, be out. I'm all for the debate. I think it's fun as long as both people keep an open mind and don't act like the other side of it is stupid or illogical just for having differing opinions.