IPhone 5

iPhone 5

Manufacturer	Apple Inc.
Type	Smartphone
Slogan	"The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone"
Series	iPhone
Availability by region	September 21, 2012 United States Canada United Kingdom France Germany Australia Japan Hong Kong Singapore
Predecessor	iPhone 4S
Related	Fifth-generation iPod Touch, Third-generation iPad
Compatible networks	GSM, CDMA, 3G, EVDO, HSPA+, 4G LTE
Form factor	Bar
Dimensions	123.8 mm (4.87 in) H 58.6 mm (2.31 in) W 7.6 mm (0.30 in) D
Weight	112 g (3.95 oz)
Operating system	iOS 6.0
System-on-chip	Apple A6
CPU	ARM Cortex-A15
Storage	16, 32 or 64 GB
Rear camera	8 MP back-side illuminated sensor, HD video (1080p)
Front camera	1.2 MP, HD video (720p)
Display	4-inch (100 mm) diagonal (nearly 16:9 aspect ratio), multi-touch display, 640 × 1,136 pixels at 326 ppi, 800:1 contrast ratio (typical), 500 cd/m2 max. brightness (typical), Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 GLONASS GSM model (GSM A1428, GSM A1429) quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (800 850 900 1,800 1,900 MHz) Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (800 850 900 1,900 2,100 MHz) 4G LTE Dual-band LTE (GSM A1428) (1700 2100 MHz) Tri-band LTE (GSM A1429) (850 1800 2100 MHz) CDMA model (CDMA 1429) 2G CDMA Quad-band (800 1700 1900 2100 MHz) 3G CDMA Dual-band CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A 4G LTE Penta-band CDMA LTE (700 850 1800 1900 2100 MHz)
Other	Talk Time: Up to 8 hours Standby Time: Up to approx. 9.4 days
Website	www.apple.com/iphone

iPhone 5 is a touchscreen-based smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the sixth and most recent generation of the iPhone. It was announced on September 12, 2012, and is scheduled to begin shipping on September 21. Unlike its predecessor, the new iPhone 5 has a bigger 4 inch screen rather than the traditional 3.5 inch screen and a smaller dock connector compared to its predecessor and is also lighter, thinner and faster. It is the first iPhone that supports 4G LTE and has a screen with an aspect ratio of nearly 16:9. Apple claims it is the thinnest smartphone in the world. The official slogan for the iPhone 5 was "The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone".

History

Speculations about the iPhone 5 and its specification arose shortly after the announcement of the iPhone 4S however detailed and substantial rumours and leaks did not emerge until June 2012. As early as July 30, 2012, rumors pinpointed the exact date of announcement and release of the phone along with the speculated features of the phone.

On September 4, 2012, Apple sent invitations to a media event scheduled for September 12 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. Many media sources speculated that the event would be related to the next iPhone due to a shadow of the numeral 5 that featured in the design of the invitations. Apple announced a number of new products at the event which included the iPhone 5, 7th generation iPod Nano and the 5th generation iPod Touch. The phone will be available for pre-order from September 14 and available in-store on September 21 in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Hardware

The Apple A6 is 22% smaller than the A5 and consumes less power.

There are actually three separate models of the phone available, depending on what mobile format and 4G (LTE) connectivity bands needed to be supported in the country/region the device is sold in.

Regardless of version, all versions of the iPhone 5 are 18% thinner, 20% lighter, and have 12% less overall volume than its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. The iPhone features an improved system on chip (SOC), dubbed the Apple A6, which Apple says will achieve twice the performance of the A5. The camera has improved low light performance, and is 40% faster than its predecessor's. The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery is rated at 225 hours of standby time and 8 hours of talk time. The display is 1,136 x 640 pixels with an aspect ratio of nearly 16:9.

Storage capacities remain at 16, 32 or 64 GB, as the 4S before it. The two color options are black (with black glass and slate-colored metal trim), and white (with white glass and silver-colored metal trim), again the same color options (though differently implemented) like its predecessor the 4GS had.

The SIM is a nano-SIM, which is smaller than the micro-SIM fitted to the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Connectivity

Whilst not included in Apple's press conference announcement on September 12, 2012, there are actually three separate models of the phone available: one supporting CDMA and two GSM versions that differ only by the LTE bands they support. This can have knock-on effects for which version of the device will actually work in which countries/regions.

For example, in the UK only carrier Everything Everywhere will be able to offer some 4G connectivity in certain cities to the 4G (LTE) capable iPhone 5. Even though the phone will be available from every network operator, two of those (O2 and Vodafone) will never be able to give the phone the current fastest possible mobile broadband; LTE. The UK model ("A1429") supports LTE in three different frequencies, but only one of those is likely to carry 4G signals in the foreseeable future, and only for two of the UK's operators, Everything Everywhere and Three, leaving everyone else with 3G dual-channel connectivity at best. The UK version supports LTE at 1800MHz, ideal for Everything Everywhere which owns the whole band, and for Three which is in the process of acquiring a chunk, but not good for Vodafone and O2 (aka Telefonica) as they are unlikely to ever get one. The iPhone 5 can also use LTE at 850MHz, but using a frequency pairing that fits well in Asia won't map to what's being auctioned-off next year as part of the UK's 4G auction, so it won't be usable in the UK. The third supported LTE band is 2.1GHz, in which all the UK operators have a stake, but that's full of 3G and unlikely to get cleared any time soon.

There are 42 officially recognised bands for LTE, but rollouts are coalescing around the more-popular bands by region, based on what historically has been made available. In Europe, that means 2.6GHz (the 3G-expansion band) and 800MHz (cleared of analogue TV), with 1800MHz popping up in some places including the UK. In the US, analogue TV has been cleared out of the 700MHz band, and never filled the 2.1GHz (3G) band, while in Asia the 850MHz was left largely empty. So effectively there are two models of GSM iPhone aimed at the US and Asia, with Europe picking up some remnants from the middle.

Half a dozen countries in Europe have already deployed LTE in the 2.6GHz band, which the iPhone 5 doesn't work with, meaning operators in Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and elsewhere won't be able to offer iPhone 5 LTE connectivity to their customers on their LTE networks.

This is not exclusively Apple's problem, as other phone manufacturers face exactly the same problem of having to cope with it in similar ways. Unfortunately, rather than mandated frequencies of 3G which ensured international compatibility, with 4G the problem stems from the market-driven approach to specifications and the flexibility of the LTE standard which works across the radio spectrum in slots of varying sizes, which is admirable flexibility in a standard, but difficult for those trying to make universal products.

Apple Lightning connector

The iPhone 5, fifth generation iPod Touch and seventh generation iPod Nano feature a new dock connector named Lightning, which replaces the 30-pin Apple Dock connector on older iDevices. The Apple Lightning connector has 8-pins and all signaling is digital. This new connector is smaller than the previous one allowing the iPhone 5 slimmer form factor. Apple Lightning cables have duplicate pins on two sides of each plug so it will insert in either direction. Various accessories will be available to convert the Apple Lightning connector to the older Apple Dock connector or USB, although not all old accessories will work, as not all signals are available.

Reception

Critical reception

During the announcement of the phone Phil Schiller claimed that the iPhone 5 is "the world's thinnest smartphone", however it was pointed out that there were already thinner smartphones available. The controversy appears to be related to how smartphone thickness is measured. While iPhone 5 is uniform in thickness, a few supposedly thinner phones actually have large hump that house the camera or other electronics that weren't included in the measurement and thus make the advertised thickness misleading. However, the Oppo Finder, which is 6.65 mm and 7.1 mm at its thickest point, is thinner than the iPhone 5's measurement of 7.6 mm.

JP Morgan’s chief economist, Michael Ferol claims that “sales of iPhone 5 could boost annualized US GDP growth by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate.” The subjective theory of value applies to this, as the iPhone 5 has a higher value than the iPhone 4S.

See also

• List of iOS devices
• Comparison of smartphones

External links

• Official website