Chelsea Ratterman, Editor-in-chief
Apple continues to raise the ante
Apple unveiled its new iPhone to the world Wednesday, Sept. 12.
CEO Tim Cook took the stage to introduce the product and laid to rest some of the rumors that have been swirling since the day after the iPhone 4S came out.
Many of the rumors have been about a larger screen, a new connector to replace the 30-pin that has been in use since 2003, and an upgrade to 4G-LTE.
It has arrived
The iPhone 5 was introduced at 12 p.m. central time, marking the first time founder Steve Jobs was not present. After pictures of prototypes circled the web for the last month, some knew what to expect.
The phone features a 4-inch screen, as compared to the 3.5-inch screen of the 4S model. Apple updated its software to accommodate a fifth row of apps with the larger screen size.
The iPhone 5 features a faster A6 chip, which improves the speed and battery life of the phone by up to 2 hours when browsing, and an additional 25 hours of standby. The A6 will supposedly double the speed and graphics power of the 4’s A5 chip.
The phone is 20 percent lighter and 18 percent thinner, measuring in at only 7.6 millimeters. It is made of aluminum and glass, which is more durable when compared to competitors’ phones housed in plastic.
All previous models have improved on the camera’s mega-pixels. The iPhone 5 is equipped with the new TKTK iSight camera. This camera allows panorama shots, up to 240 degrees. It features improvements such as 40 percent faster photo capture, better performance in low-light and improved noise reduction, making pictures clearer.
Operating system changes
The new iOS 6 comes installed and the update will be available Sept.19. The update will feature changes to Siri, giving her more versatility; new iMessage features allow you to receive messages if they’re sent to your phone number and even pick up conversations from Mountain Lion. Other updates include Apple’s own Maps feature instead of Google Maps and the new Passbook which stores credit card data, coupons and more that allows merchants to collect your payment info through a QR code or Bluetooth.
New connectors
Apple has been using its 30-pin connector since 2003, and it has become outdated as its size never changed and Apple started downsizing its products.
The new 8-pin connector is 80 percent smaller but presents difficulties to those with 30-pin cables. Apple has solved these with an adapter that allows the use of the 30-pin connector, with the 8-pin adapter stacked on it.
According to Wall Street analysts, Apple’s sales are expected to make records with the iPhone 5. The median market prediction has the 5 selling upwards of 45 million phones in three months. The iPhone 4S sold 37 million in the same time frame.
