Mostly just first impressions of the iPhone 5…
Saturday was my first day with the iPhone 5! I woke up earlier than I probably should have because I wanted to sync some of my music to my phone. Thankfully the iCloud back-up worked quite well and all my apps and photos and other settings carried over to the new phone quite nicely. THANK GOODNESS!
The husband has had the iPhone 5 since launch day so I already had a first impression of it– it’s light, easy to hold though a bit slippery. The longer display (but with the same width) allows for better viewing of webpages and emails (less scrolling is needed). It seemed like a reasonable upgrade from the iPhone 4S.
I wish I could say that I was ready to wait awhile for mine but truth be told I was impatient. I was very lucky that I got a good value for my 4S and that I had signed up for that upgrade special otherwise I would have had to wait to get this phone. But it all came together (except for the unavailability of the white version of the phone) and here we are.
I went most of Saturday without a case and survived! No mishaps at all but I was being a bit more careful than usual and by day’s end I had a decent case to protect the back. The next thing, of course, is a protective screen which I normally don’t like but I didn’t mind it on my previous phone, so why not?
My iPhone 5 is the 32 GB version, black. The phone is longer and thinner than the 4S but the same width, so gripping it is still the same. It’s also noticeably lighter which almost makes it seem cheap but of course, it’s not. (My Nexus S is light as well but the plasticky feel of the back doesn’t really lend to elegance to touch.) Although the husband finds the iPhone 5 slippery because of its lightness and lack of more grip in the back, I don’t really find it as such. Still, to save the phone from scuffs, I’m making myself happy with a case.
The phone is faster and although I didn’t really notice it at first, it soon became evident when using one of my favorite apps, Hipstamatic. Taking pictures was never an issue but the “developing process” always took a bit of time. On the iPhone 5, it’s now just a few seconds for a photo to “develop.” Fantastic!
Unfortunately, I cannot speak to the LTE aspect as we have Sprint and our area doesn’t not have LTE. Alas! Our 3G is even spotty in places (ah, the downfalls of living out this way). For the most part, the data and calling capabilities are the same as before, so that’s good. I’m sure I’ll be more impressed when we get LTE out here (whenever that might be!).
iOS 6. It’s a great update to the operating system except for the maps app, which has gotten a lot of bad press since the update. I know that the husband doesn’t really like it because it does not show traffic like the Google maps does. But I think we can’t complain too much about the navigation. We went to Monterey and used the turn-by-turn navigation and she didn’t steer us wrong. We got to Monterey easily enough and then back home.
Other than the maps app, I don’t think I have any negative impressions about iOS 6. I’m always about being up to date but if you update your device, remember to BACK UP your data! iCloud did a great job with my backup. I didn’t lose anything in the transition from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5 except my most recent texts.
So far I like the phone very much but I haven’t used it in my usual daily routine, so have no thoughts on battery life and such. I’ve begun to appreciate the fact that I got the black version. It’s neat when the screen is dark and the whole phone is just a black slab. Futuristic goodness.
I will say that I still appreciate my time with Android and I’m glad that my tablet is an Android tablet but I do not have tech envy for an Android phone (although the Galaxy SIII is smokin’ gorgeous). I’m not sure if this means I have embraced the shortcomings of the iPhone (and there are shortcomings, no matter what the freakier diehard iPhone fans say) or if Apple has just suckered me with their elegance and usability. Maybe it’s a bit of both. I just hope I am never lumped into the category of iSheep because then I’ll have to fight someone. 😉