When we got hands-on with Apple's new iPhone 5s, what stood out? Speed and picture taking, for starters.
Apple iOS 7: Visual Tour
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Apple began selling the iPhone 5s and 5c on Friday. Apple Stores were busy the world over with lines forming in the wee hours of the morning. The gold and white 5s sold out at many locations, leaving a lot of customers with slate as the only option. Despite the limited supply of some models at launch, it was a good day for Apple andInformationWeek managed to score
an iPhone 5s.
After spending some time with the iPhone 5s, there are a number of features that stand out. Here's what we like best.
Speed
Side-by-side comparisons with the iPhone 5 demonstrate that the 5s is much, much faster. The 64-bit processor inside the 5s has incredible computing power, and it delivers a profound effect on tasks such as loading photos and videos and processing iMovie and GarageBand files. It was also noticeable when loading content, such as music files and movies, onto the 5s via iTunes. The 5s is quick to perform every task.
Touch ID
Apple's fingerprint scanner might be the target of a hacking contest, but it's the most consumer-friendly piece of biometric technology that I've used.
The software that controls the scanner is very easy to set up and walks you through the process of creating a usable print. You can store a couple of prints, such as your thumb and forefinger. Once a print is stored, the reader is quick to recognize it no matter how you touch the scanner. There's no swiping, and it works the first time. Well done, Apple.
Hardware
The iPhone 5s might not have a big screen, but there's no denying that Apple knows how to make quality hardware. The aluminum design of the 5s still has plenty of appeal, even though it is practically identical to last year's iPhone 5. The 5s is thin, light and easy to hold and use. The Retina display, despite not having 720p or 1080p HD resolution, still looks very, very good. There are no visible pixels, and text looks razor sharp. The buttons and controls all have an excellent feel to them, and the simplistic industrial design is in a class all its own.
Camera
I took a few sample images with the 5s camera and came away impressed. The iOS 7 camera application itself might be oversimplified, but under the hood Apple knows what it is doing. The 5s is very good at determining the right settings automatically to get the best possible shot. Although it doesn't have a dedicated macro mode, some close-ups I took of flowers showed an impressive amount of detail. Further, the accuracy of variables such as white balance, ISO and aperture to get the correct exposure is beyond reproach. The iPhone doesn't offer all the fancy features that devices such as the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2 include, but the results make up for it.
Siri
Since its launch two years ago, Siri, Apple's voice-guided digital assistant, has been the butt of many jokes (and deservedly so). Apple made improvements to Siri in iOS 7, and they really shine on the iPhone 5s. In particular, Siri has a redesigned user interface that is cleaner and easier to decipher. Siri's voice has been improved and sounds more natural and less robotic. Siri is dramatically faster at answering questions and does so even though it's checking more sources (Bing, Twitter, Wikipedia) for information. Siri is better at understanding natural language requests, and can handle more actions (playing voicemail, controlling iTunes Radio, etc.). The improvements, coupled with the faster processor of the iPhone 5s, make for a more rewarding and less frustrating experience.
For those who like being exclusive, Apple iPhones are an excellent keep. Sending out waves of sophistication, exclusivity and high end technology, the iPhone models take the market by storm every time a new model is out for sale. If you have been following the company, You would certainly be aware of the difference between iPhones. If not, below is a brief comparison of all the iPhone variants. Let’s begin:
Powered by the iOS 5, this model is equipped with a screen resolution of 480×320. The phone was is available in both 16 and 32GB. Along with this, the screen size of the cell phone is 3.5 and the processor included is the 600 MHz Samsung ARM Cortex-A8. This is the last model to be equipped with this processor, all the newer variants are now designed with the Apple A5, A6 and A7 processors. Wi-Fi, UMTS/3G, GSM and Bluetooth are some of the other features that the iPhone 3GS is packed with. Furthermore, the camera included in the model is of 3 mega-pixels. The difference between iPhones is further discussed below.
iPhone 4
A successor to the iPhone 3GS, this model is also available in 16 and 32GB. In addition to this, the resolution improved to 960×640 and the processor was then upgraded to Apple A4. The differencebetween iPhones here is of several features like the CDMA and HSDPA/HSUPA. With the new modelcame the new operating system which is the iOS 7. The update to this was launched just recently which is why all the phones which have been launched after the iPhone 3GS are powered by iOS 7. The iPhone 4 was also the pioneer in dual camera technology with one being 5 mega-pixel while the second one being the VGA.
iPhone 4S
When talking about the iPhone 4 and 4S, the difference between iPhones is not much. The 4S version has a better camera than its predecessor, precisely it improved from 5 mega-pixels to 8 mega-pixels. In addition to this the video recording technology was also upgraded to be 1080p at 30 fps. Unlike the previous versions, this one is also designed to be compatible with the Siri.
iPhone 5
Available in 16, 32 and 64GB, this variant is equipped with a screen of 4 inches and a resolution of 1136×640. The processor used by this version is the Apple A6. The model is also compatible with 4G LTE and eliminates the use of VGA camera as in all of its predecessors. The iPhone 5 is equipped with the 720p HD and 8 mega-pixel camera which is a good improvement altogether. More models such as the 5C and 5S have been launched although the difference between iPhones is not as considerable.
iPhone 5S
Newest in the series, the iPhone 5S is the most advanced version brought out by Apple just recently. With the increased weight in the previous model, this one weighs less at 3.96 ounces so if the previous one was too heavy for you to carry, this one can be the new replacement.
iPhone 5C
One of the advanced models brought out by Apple, this one is available in 16, 32 and 64 GB. The specifications of this one with the previous one is not much, however one prominent difference that is visible is its weight which has increased to 4.65 ounces from the previous model. In addition to this, the iPhone 5C is available in space grey, gold and white unlike its predecessors.
Follow the differences between iPhones above and pick the one that suits you best!
