iPhone 5

Instead of the ground-up redesign that some pundits were predicting, the iPhone 5 is just a rehash of the old iPhone 4. That's the easy verdict when viewing a picture of new iPhone 5. It presents itself as the familiar metal-banded slab. Only today, stretched and slimmed.

Because so many innovations have steadily trickled into one pocketable slab of damned usefulness, we eagerly await the annual update, expecting more and more again each year. Easy then to dismiss the iPhone 5 as the taller iPhone 4S with 4G that doesn't curretly work here. And a new dock port that obsoletes any other hardware expecting the classic version.

So the LTE modem doesn't do anything in the UK until one mobile operator, Orange and T-Mobile joint venture EE, switches on its network on some unannounced day that may be before Christmas 2012. 

iPhone 5 review: Features

The stand-out outward attribute of the iPhone 5 is its larger screen. Not a huge expanse of space in both directions as Google's hardware friends have uniformly decided is the way to sway tech-loving buyers – notably the Samsung Galaxy S3 with its extravagant 4.8in display. The iPhone 5 raises its screen estate by simply extending the screen's height by 14mm, keeping the width identical.

The new 640 x 1136-pixel display is still IPS, only even richer in colour saturation while still looking more natural than the slightly cloying OLED alternatives. And importantly the Apple iPhone 5's screen still has the pixel-hiding Retina resolution of 326ppi.

Operating the iPhone 5 with its longer screen is a doddle. Unlike the semi-tablet sized phones with 4.5in or larger screens, you really can reach the whole screen to operate it easily still with just one hand. Pick up an iPhone 5 though, and you'll notice a new featherweight quality. Down at 115g against the 4S' 141g, it feels wafer-like, almost too light in fact. Beautifully balanced, its mass is evenly distributed to offset any bias toward top or bottom.

The build quality has been described as jewel-like with reason. Swiss watch is another inescapable analogy, echoed from Apple's sound bite at the iPhone 5's launch.

The move to aluminium construction may be a step in the right direction though; and not just by helping to lose headline grams from the all-up weight. It provides a more handleable object for the fingertips. Hardened glass front and back didn't just lend the iPhone 4 chic obsidian bling – it could make the handset a slippery slab. The iPhone 5 is now built around an anodised aluminium backplate that allows a tad more purchase in the hand. Durability may suffer a little though. In the case of the black model especially, daily use is likely to create small nicks in the anodised coating, so to keep the iPhone 5 pristine a case is as useful as ever.

In white, the iPhone 5 looks less juvenile than the 4S blanc; diamond-polished bevelled edges and a satin aluminium back make it much more unisex now. In black, it's pure stealth bomber, mixing brushed metal slate-anodised back with mirror polished front bevels and gleaming black glass front.

This tech user is not so convinced by the drive for thin though. Given the still all-too short runtime of today's handsets – and that includes the iPhone, despite it out-lasting every average fizzling Android – we would rather keep with something like 9.5mm and 141g if it meant using the space and weight budget wisely, with a battery to comfortably last three rather than two days.

A phone as light as the iPhone 5 also seems to leave no sensation of its presence in the pocket. It's a a matter of taste whether you like this idea or prefer to have some subtle clue that the phone is still there... or not. The iPhone 5 carries the flag for the newly born iOS 6 operating system, and this gently tweaked system creates continuity from the user experience of previous iPhones. Alongside the metal-banded frame, the now-familar interface is a key point of reference for the mainstream audience, copied the world over with varying degrees of accuracy and resulting litigation.

iPhone 5 review: Video

Video: iPhone 5 review

iPhone 5 review: Cameras fore and aft

On the hardware side, the rear-facing camera is much the same as that in the iPhone 4S, able to shoot full-HD video at 30fps, with software image stabilisation. The change here is a new lens cover, now crafted from sapphire crystal for improved optical clarity and hopefully scratch resistance. The front-facing camera is now up to 1280 x 720-pixel resolution, which enables Apple's video chat service FaceTime in HD mode.

Attention to the human-device interface is found in various new audio systems, starting with an intriguing triple-mic assembly. This promises better fidelity through some kind of beamforming, a variation from earlier two-mic noise cancelling. As well as a new audio co-processor tucked inside, we're told there's support for Wideband audio, using more advanced data comms technology. It should expand the frequency range of the spoken voice to make conversation more life-like. Orange seems to be the only UK operator currently offering Wideband audio, and caller and callee both need compatible handsets.

The Wideband audio tech is not an Apple first, but given the handset's impeding uquity it should really encourage more networks to look into enabling the service.

iPhone 5 review: Lightning

Updating the standard 30-pin dock connector that's been so widely tapped into for nine years was always going to upset some people. Thankfully its replacement looks to be future-proofed to survive as long in this quick-changing tech world.

The supplied Lightning cable is USB 2.0 rather than USB 3.0, although since iCloud syncing came online there's less need to transfer files over cable now. It's possible that future iterations of the cable may introduce USB 3.0, to let the connection live up to its lightning name.

The Lightning plug itself is reversible, able to be inserted either way, and has pin contacts that can adapt to the needs of the device. In other words, it should adapt to the changing needs of users and their devices in the next few years to come.

iPhone 5 review: New SIM

As expected, the iPhone 5 is taking an even smaller SIM card than the already diminuitive micro-SIM.

The nano-SIM will be a minor inconvenient speed bump to quick'n'easy switching until you've traded in your current SIM. Cutting down a micro-SIM may just be possible but is not advised.

Apple has replaced the Google-supplied mapping data for the Maps app with its own new system. It now uses vector-based graphics and text, which all scale smoothly.

But popular features such as Street View are no longer available. More worrying is the misplacing of landscape features, or the complete absence of crucial details – like railway stations.

Satellite imagery is also of poorer quality than before, with some of the images we've seen of UK scenery looking quite dour.

iOS 6 review: Maps

The Flyover feature is an attractive way to see buildings in 3D relief, but this is only available in select larger cities. And not on the iPhone 4, for instance.

Flying around the Thames embankment is great eye candy though, using two fingers to circle around the London Eye, for example.

Apple has stated that its new Maps feature is a work in progress but that doesn’t help users who’ve upgraded and were expecting the same functionality they’ve become used to from the built-in mapping feature.

Until Apple fixes this crucial part of its mobile operating system, a stopgap can be found by making a Home screen shortcut for Google or Bing’s online maps.

That won't help in apps like Find My Friends, though, which are stuck with Apple's deficient mapping function. This app has now been updated for iOS 6, and can use geofencing to alert you when a friend arrives at or departs from a chosen location.

Impossible iPhone 5 concept we all want, ‘Rubberband Electronics’

"Rubberband Electronics" are this year's must-have (but undeniably impossible) dream feature of the upcoming iPhone.
In mere days, Apple will reveal the long-awaited iPhone 5 and put a stop to the endlessly entertaining guesswork leading up to its launch. So far we’ve had the obvious predictions like a bigger screen, longer battery life, and support for LTE. There’s also been talk of the iPhone losing its number system altogether. Similar to the new iPad, it would make sense for the next Apple smartphone to simply be named the new iPhone.
But this video by Aatma Studio shows us what the Cupertino company could do if it really wanted to push the limits of technology (and space and time). It imagines what would happen if Apple were able to thwart the basic rules of physics and uncover the hidden secrets of magic realism. The mock-up video (via AllThingsD) includes some admittedly awesome features that could potentially be built into the next iPhone like wireless charging (if Nokia can do it…), fingerprint scanning worthy of the CIA, and a Siri message center that would actually be useful. Around the minute mark, however, the video drops all pretence of being rooted in reality and teases us with a feature that would single handedly put Apple at the forefront of mobile devices forever. We won’t spoil it for you, but we will tell you it’s called “Rubberband Electronics” and it will never, ever happen. Never.
If you need to be comforted after seeing your dreams crushed, we’ve made a list that tackles some more realistic features Apple should introduce in the next iPhone to stay relevant and competitive in the marketplace. And, more importantly, to make the world want to spend some hard-eraned cash on it.

Facebook 'working on phone with HTC'

As Facebook prepares to announce its first financial results, sources have claimed the social network is working with manufacturer HTC to produce its own mobile phone

Facebook, which urgently needs to find a way to make money from its growing number of mobile phone visitors, has already hired former Apple employees who are believed to be working with HTC on the new project.The news comes as Facebook is due to announce its first financial results since its troubled flotation on the US stock market. Shares traded in the company on the German stock exchange fell €1.28 to €22.50 in anticipation today, as Facebook gaming firm Zynga announced disappointing results of its own. Facebook shares in New York are down by approximately a quarter compared to its May 17 flotation price.The social network is widely expected to announce it now has more than a billion users during its earnings call, but more than half of them access the site via mobile, and founder Mark Zuckerberg has identified the transition to mobile usage as his “greatest challenge”. None of the $3.15 billion in advertising sales last year came from advertising on phones.Building its own device could allow the site to collect revenue from its existing advertisers more effectively by making sure their commercial content was distributed throughout the phone’s different functions.HTC has already produced the first phones to feature a dedicated Facebook button, and is looking for a way to differentiate its products from those of rival manufacturer Samsung. Its flagship One X device has been dogged by bans on US sales following a patent dispute with Apple. Shares in HTC have dropped 43 per cent this year after it reported three consecutive quarters of profit decline.

Facebook already makes a series of applications for online chat and photography, and it recently purchased picture-enhancement app Instagram for $1 billion. Combining these apps with existing calendar functions mean the site already has the major components of a mobile phone operating system, and it could follow Amazon’s model and adapt Google’s Android OS.Facebook has also recently introduced the ‘App Centre’, which it could see as a rival to Apple’s App Store or Google Android’s Play marketplace. Last year, Facebook also bought Push Pop Press, a digital publishing software maker co-founded by Apple alumni Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris, two designers who helped build the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad software.In a statement Facebook said it did not comment on rumour and speculation, but added “Our mobile strategy is simple: We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social. We’re working across the entire mobile industry to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world.”