On Friday, Sept. 21, the long-awaited iPhone 5 was finally released. The newest member of the Apple family has people hurrying to the closest store in droves. However, according to the Huffington Post, most stores were sold out of the device by Sunday morning. Many people have even tried ordering online, but Apple reportedly said that shipments could take up to four weeks.
Although this frenzy has happened with nearly all Apple releases in the past, the iPhone 5 might be the fastest seller yet. Experts are projecting over 6 million sold in the first weekend, which beats the most recent Apple release, the iPhone 4S, by about 2 million.
The newest iPhone model comes with several changes. The change generating the most buzz is the new dock connector. Apple has used the same connector for the last nine years in every product made, so the change to a smaller connector, about the size of a micro-USB plug, is generating a lot of talk.
“I’ve been using Apple products for the last three years,” said West Chester student Shannon Nolan, “and I’m really disappointed that I’ll need a new dock and a new charger. It was nice to have one connector that worked on everything.”
Apple has also made it a personal mission to make each model of iPhone thinner than the last, and the iPhone 5 is no exception. The phone measures a mere 7.6 millimeters and 112 grams in weight.
Apple is also on a mission to continue improving the iPhone software, and the newest iPhone is also reportedly the fastest yet, complete with advanced technology including 4G LTE. The advanced technology also extends to the processing power. The phone comes equipped with an A6 processor chip, which is twice as fast in graphics processing as the A5 chip in the previous iPhone model.
Lastly, Apple has improved the camera and microphone included in the phone by improving the camera capabilities and adding two extra microphones for improved sound pickup. Apple also made improvements to Facetime, the Safari web browser, and SIRI voice recognition. There is an entirely new feature that has been introduced as well: Passbook, an app that allows users to store concert tickets, movie passes, coupons, and membership cards all in the same place.
With so many improvements, the latest Apple iPhone model promises to be nothing less than an absolute success.
Clare Haggerty is a second-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at CH757342@wcupa.edu.