Since 2007, Apple has released a new design to the iPhone every year.
Clocking in at $499 for the 4GB version of the first generation of the iPhone devices, it was presumed to be one of the greatest—and not to mention most expensive—smartphones on the market. Evolving slowly each year, the team of inventors at Apple developed a faster and “smarter” phone.
After the release of the iPhone 3G, which became less expensive for larger storage containment on the devices and included a 2.0 megapixel camera, the iPhone 3G hit the market with the slogans, “The first phone to beat the iPhone,” and “Twice as fast for half the price.”
The following year came a new generation of phones and Apple had competition. To match up to Sony, LG, Samsung and Blackberry, Apple released the iPhone 3GS, which had a better camera and its usage had increased as it could be used as a video camera as well.
The following year, Apple followed with what they called “The best iPhone yet,” the iPhone 4, which came with a new sleek design which almost mimicked that of the Motorola Droid. The iPhone 4 packed a punch with the new A4 Apple-designed microchip that increased the speed and graphics of the new phone, this was the first generation of the iPhone to drastically change not only its shape but overall design.
With the iPhone 4S, it was basically as much of an upgrade as the iPhone 3GS was to the iPhone 3G, a better camera and included a better iOS or i-Operating System, but one change was made, inviting a new artificial intelligence to the insides of the iPhone, called SIRI. This new program installed inside the phone replaced the voice control that had been in its predecessors and was created as a personal assistant to use “natural language user interface” in order to answer questions, make recommendations and other such web related requests.
Unfortunately, after the release of the iPhone 4S, SIRI was not well liked by some.
“[It] is not something I like to use because it can’t understand you half of the time,” Eastern Michigan University freshman Danielle Bain said.
Now with the release of the new iPhone 5, users can see a definite upgrade from the iPhone 4S, released only just last year. The new iPhone 5 sits pretty with a four-inch screen with 1,136 by 640 resolution, along with the new Apple-designed A6 Chip that enhances the phone’s graphics and speed.
The outside design is different as well, made entirely of aluminum and glass that seemed to be similar to the first iPhone, copying the two-toned back as a new design for the iPhone 5. It is 14 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than its predecessor, coming in at 112 grams in weight and only 7.6 mm thick, the iPhone 5 is one of the thinnest smartphones in the world.
Unfortunately, the iPhone is still so similar to its predecessor that some cannot even tell the difference. According to a live poll conducted by Jimmy Kimmel, many of those who participated could not tell the difference. Handing the people an iPhone 4S and telling them it was an iPhone 5 made people actually comment on how different it was from the phone that they held in their hand.
Comments included speed, weight and feel to the phone, and though he was making fun of most iPhone lovers, Kimmel had confirmed that iPhones seem to remain the same device with just a little added extra to it.
EMU student Jeremy Schultz said, “Sometimes the phones seem so similar that you could confuse them with each other, like the iPhone 4 and 4S.”
Though there is some negativity towards the iPhone and its operating system, many still are in great anticipation for the new generation of the device. According to Apple, it is “The biggest thing to happen to iPhone, since iPhone.”
The phone has a release date of Sept. 21 and it is expected that many will still line up at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Apple stores all around the country just to buy the newest Apple device.
