Apple accessories are way overpriced, even considering their build quality. However, buying cheap shit from China is not really a winning proposition.
iPhone camera review: apparently like the rest of the phone, incrementally better but nothing earthshaking.
Yeah, but the improved low-light performance and the instantaneous response are tempting. The latter’s particularly useful when trying to shoot kids.
The first two sets of comparison shots here suddenly put the phone on my radar:
If you have ever owned a Dell laptop, you know they have been using those chips in the power supply cords for years. Ones without a chip sometimes will feed enough power to run the laptop while plugged in, but none will charge the battery.
It’s crazy how quickly you can repeatedly hit the button now, with frames just falling off the screen. Very quick for series’ of photos.
Finally got my iphone5 today and I’ve got to echo all the previous comments-- it is noticeably thinner and lighter, and holy crap, it is fast. I never had any real problems with speed on my old iphone4; it was fast enough for day to day use, unlike my previous iphone3g which was extremely pokey… but the iphone5 really is a huge speed difference.
I really like LTE too. 3G was always fast enough too-- you run a speedtest and get 300KB/sec or so, and that’s plenty to browse the web. But LTE isn’t laggy, it’s instant-on, just like my home wifi. It really is a dramatically superior experience.
Since my phone is on AT&T, it often ends up connecting (automatically) to an AT&T wifi point, which once upon a time used to be a bonus. Nowadays I notice this when the networking slows down markedly – then I go turn off wifi and just laugh at how much faster things are with it off.
They changed the connector? Really? For what flipping purpose other than to resell everyone adapters and docks?
Assholes.
I’ve had AT&T LTE in NYC for a few months and it is indeed awesome. It makes it so easy and convenient to bust through the new data caps.
Yeah, the US carriers’ move to simultaneously increase speed and decrease bandwidth maximums is just awful.
I grandfathered myself into Unlimited on Verizon and make a point of not using Wifi if my phone has any 4G signal whatsoever just to drain their towers as much as possible. Stick it to the man!
To make the phone better, asshole.
As much as I hate buying all new cables the new connector really is a lot more convenient. Plugging it in darkness is a snap and it does feel more sturdy and reliable.
The plug is much smaller than I expected from pictures. It really is tiny.
I have no problem with changing the plug, but selling the cables for $19 and putting a chip in so the chinese can’t duplicate it really is extortionary.
The chip has been identified as what allows the plug to be used without having a right side up. I agree it’s overpriced but the histrionics about Apple’s evil capitalist motives are too much.
Preorders for the cheap cables are up on ebay. Most say they ship mid Oct priced at around $12 shipped.
example (I haven’t placed any orders or know anything about these sellers. These are just a sample of what is out there):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Lightning-to-USB-Cable-/271065414817?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item3f1cc1fca1
$11 for the adapter:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lightning-to-30-pin-Adapter-for-iPhone-5-Ipod-5-iPod-nano-7th-generation-/320989808838?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item4abc7bc8c6
It’s a bit better but still not cheap enough. I figure as supply and demand balance out prices will come down. Either way I’ll wait until somebody else tries these clone cables before I jump.
$19 cables piss me off no matter who makes them. Pricing a cable at $19 is extortionary by definition. They should be five bucks at most.
That hasn’t been confirmed. In fact, most of the stuff I’ve seen say the reversability of the cable is handled by the phone itself, which would make more sense than embedding a key capability like that in a cable.
I was close to doing a 180 after trying the camera (a key feature for me, and the performance on the 5 is awesome). But the cable thing is still keeping me from upgrading. Can’t duplicate my existing functionality until I can get a cable that has an audio put to plug into my car’s Aux jack.
I think it makes a lot more sense to put it in the cable when you consider the array of other devices in the iOS ecosystem. Other hardware manufacturers can simply support the port without the extra pin switching. It’s a ‘smart’ cable. Likewise, Macs and PCs won’t need the extra chip.
No, you’re thinking of it backward. If the cable does the switching, then docks need to have the switching logic, too. If the phone does the switching, then docks and cables can be dumber. Either way, has nothing to do with PCs, because by the time it gets to the PC end, it’s USB.