It’s finally here and thousands of you are getting your hands on it today for the first time. But is Apple’s eagerly-awaited iPhone 5 any good? Metro pushes its one button to find out.
When I was 16, I queued up to buy tickets for an upcoming Oasis concert. It’s not something I’m proud of. The concert was terrible, of course – Liam Gallagher had a sore throat so didn’t bother turning up until five minutes before the end, and even then just to give two fingers to the crowd – but the thing that bugged me most was that I had got out of my bed at the crack of dawn to go get in a cold queue to buy the tickets in the first place (these were the days before the internet).
I only mention my queuing woes as thousands of people will have spent a good chunk of this week doing something similar to be among the first to get their mitts on the iPhone 5. And amid those queuing to promote their own company or charity, there should actually be some who just genuinely want to take a bite out of Apple’s latest bit of technology. But was their waiting in line worth it? Will they be looking back in anger or will they be crying their heart out at how good the new iPhone is?
Let’s wind the clocks back a year. The new iPhone came out. It was called the iPhone 4S. It did all the things previous iPhones did and more. But the clue was in its title. Although named after the voice recognition system, Siri, which it introduced, it also had the same big fat ‘4’ in its title as the, uh, iPhone 4. Users wanted the iPhone 5, and although the 4S took the device forward, the ‘S’ may as well have stood for, ‘So you’re going to have to wait another 12 months for what you really wanted’. If you forked out for the 4S, will you be as keen to move on to Numéro Cinq?
Baby, can I hold you tonight?
If you do think you’re content with your 4S, you might change your mind pretty quickly once you have the iPhone 5 in the palm of your hand. Holding the bloody thing is an experience in itself. You don’t even have to turn it on. It just feels… good. Like holding a fluffy kitten that purrs up at you with big eyes. My first reaction to grasping the iPhone 5 was a squeal of, ‘It’s SOOOO light!’ And yes, I am the first person to have uttered that when holding it. And I will be the last.
I wish I was a little bit taller…
Life can be hard when you’re an iPhone. Being an iPhone is a bit like being a Budget speech. Before you even try to unveil yourself, all of your key details have already been leaked. But so what if we already knew it would be thinner, lighter and taller than the 4S? Not being surprised can be a good thing. The iPhone 5’s height advantage – it offers four inches of display compared to its predecessors’ 3.5 – makes it look a remarkably sleeker object. It makes you want to ask it, ‘why the hell weren’t you always this tall?’ Wisely, the width of the phone is the same as always, meaning one good thumb swipe will still get you across the screen. It’s a move that says, ‘Yes, we know that Samsung and Nokia offer bigger phones with bigger screens, but we like people to be able to use our phones with one hand’. It’s a good move.
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