The key differences: the iPhone 5 is faster, 18% thinner, 20% lighter, has a (taller) 4-inch screen, has LTE<\/a> (\u201c4G\u201d) support and has a better camera. And it has a smaller 8-pin \u201cLightning\u201d dock connector. This alone is going to cause havoc with chargers, USB cables and in-car accessories. But it\u2019s necessary. The current 30-pin cable \u2013 despite being nearly ubiquitous \u2013 is a decade old! It\u2019s called progress. In 18 months time, we will hardly remember the current connector.<\/p>\n (As an aside, there are strong hints we may see a 7-inch iPad launched within the next month. Along with the new smaller device, Apple has to surely offer the tiniest of updates for the current 9.7-inch iPad to get the new dock connector integrated in time for the holiday shopping season?)<\/p>\n So, given the changes to the iPhone, you might find yourself asking: \u201cis that all\u201d?<\/p>\n Don’t underestimate the engineering feat it\u2019s taken to shrink this phone further. There\u2019s a smaller, faster chip, the smaller footprint for the dock connector (the main reason Apple\u2019s made this significant change), touch-sensors are now built into the display (as opposed to being a layer on top of it) and the glass back is replaced by brushed aluminium (no more cracked glass backs!). It’s only the last of these engineering changes that consumers will notice and care about. The rest are invisible.<\/p>\n Consumers are going to pick up the phone, try it, feel it and, no doubt, buy it. Plus, logic tells us it\u2019s no good getting a year-old device when there\u2019s a new one available\u2026 Just how correct this \u201clogic\u201d is, can be disputed. Humans want the latest phone, the latest car, the latest shoes \u2013 you don\u2019t want to be seen with last year\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n With the upgrade between the iPhone 4 and 4S, the difference wasn\u2019t visible to anyone who saw you using either device. Now though \u2013 gasp \u2013 people will know you\u2019ve still got last year\u2019s iPhone!<\/p>\n iPhone 5<\/p><\/div>\n But is this upgrade worth it?<\/p>\n The main reason Apple\u2019s given people to choose this phone (above the 4S), is LTE.<\/p>\n LTE (\u201c4G\u201d)-support is a big deal worldwide. Here in South Africa, as government\u2019s spectrum allocation chaos rumbles on, the availability of LTE on the new iPhone makes absolutely no difference.<\/p>\n Apple could\u2019ve added LTE-support last year, but the company seems to wait until the market is more mature before it adds any technology to the story it tells. Samsung<\/a>, with its earlier-in-the-year launch of its hero-device (the S III), knew it would have a window of a few months where its phone outclassed the iPhone (4S). It would make sense to bet the situation next year will be the same.<\/p>\n The big improvements are in the software. iOS<\/a> 6 is a big jump from version five, and it will make the iPhone 4 and 4S feel like new phones (that\u2019s Apple\u2019s plan after all!) But, the size (and strength) of the iOS ecosystem meant Apple couldn\u2019t make too many changes or too big an adjustment to the iPhone just yet.<\/p>\n It’s the differences between the iPhone 4 and 4S which you need to weigh up when considering whether to rush out and get your name on a waiting list. Siri? It\u2019s in the 4S. An eight megapixel camera? In the 4S.<\/p>\n Apple iPhone 5 white<\/p><\/div>\n Bottom line: If you have an iPhone 4 (or 3GS), its time to upgrade. Besides, your two-year contract cycle is up. (Don\u2019t think that Apple doesn\u2019t spend a lot of time considering these things.)<\/p>\n If you have an iPhone 4S, there\u2019s no real need to upgrade. After all, the next new iPhone is only a year away.<\/p>\n Given that I have a 4S, my brain tells me I can (and should) wait till the end of next year. I just don\u2019t need to get the iPhone 5 when it gets to SA in late November\/early December.<\/p>\n Wait, who am I kidding?<\/p>\n Techcrunch columnist MG Siegler sums it up: “Here’s how it will really go: you’ll go to an Apple Store. You’ll pick one up. And you’ll buy it 10 seconds later.”<\/p>\n Source: Moneyweb<\/a><\/p>\n Related articles<\/strong><\/p>\n iPhone 5 unveiled<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n iOS 6 launch date announced<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n New Apple iPod touch and iPod nano launched<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n![\"iPhone](\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/iPhone-51.jpg\" "\\"iPhone")
<\/a>![\"Apple](\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Apple-iPhone-5-white.jpg\" "\\"Apple")
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