Why you should (or should not) buy iPhone 5
Javed Anwer
15 November 2012, 06:04 PM IST
15 November 2012, 06:04 PM IST
iPhone 5 is here. It was launched in
India in the first week of November. Most of you who are interested in gadgets
have already read reviews on global websites. In a few days, you will start
reading what Indian tech writers have to say about it. We will also have a
review. But in the meantime, I wanted to do a quick piece on ‘case for and
against iPhone 5’ based on the market realities.
These market conditions are peculiar to India and are
not covered by global tech blogs. For example, in the US, iPhone 5 (as well as
other high-end phones) costs $199 on contract. There is no price disparity
there. Similarly, some phones, including iPhone, cannot be used with other
carriers. In India, we don’t have these issues.
Keeping this in mind, let’s see why you should buy
iPhone 5.
1- If you want a stylish and gorgeous-looking device, iPhone 5
fits the bill. The build quality, with all the aluminum, glass and diamond-cut
edges, is fantastic. The only other phone that comes close in the style
department is HTC One X. But even that doesn’t give the expensive and
premium-feel that iPhone 5 does.
2-
The quality of apps that iOS, which powers iPhone, remains unmatched. Yes, the
app scene on Android has improved a lot. But iPhone still has access to most
polished apps, even if most of them cost a dollar or two.
3-
Whenever Apple publishes an update to the phone software, people who use the
latest iPhone get it ASAP. This means your phone is always running the best
possible software available from Apple.
4-
Apple’s after-sales service is the best you can get in India from any company
that sells a gadget. If something goes wrong with your phone, you can count on
an Apple service centre to either fix it without much fuss or replace it
without asking thousands of questions. I can’t say the same for the service
centres run by other phone companies. But at the same time, if your phone is
out of warranty, Apple service centre may charge a fortune to fix it.
5-
iPhone 5 is also a very good phone. Yes, phone and not only a smartphone. The
reason why I say this is because it has superb call quality and its size is
just right if you are someone who talks a lot on phone.
6-
The camera on iPhone 5 is fantastic. It is not as good as the one in Nokia
Pureview 808 but for all practical purposes it is one of the best cameras ever
put into a phone.
7-
It has a very good battery life.
But wait a while before you whip out your wallet and
say, “take my money”. There are some equally valid reasons why you shouldn’t
buy the iPhone 5 in India.
1-
It has a tiny screen. OK, tiny is too strong a word here. But for all practical
purposes, the screen on iPhone 5 doesn’t match the screens on phones like
Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X. Last year, I criticized iPhone for having a
3.5-inch screen and I was slammed by Apple fanboys who (falsely) believed that
no phone screen could match the “retina display” on iPhone. This is when
“retina display” is nothing but a marketing buzzword.
Apple
realized that iPhone screen is too small. In iPhone 5 it has increased the size
to 4 inches. But don’t get fooled by the 4-inch moniker. It’s too late, too
little. The screen is still small. Compared to previous iPhone only the length
of the screen has gone up. The width remains the same. In fact, in real-life
usage you hardly feel any difference. The result is that phones like S3 and One
X that have bigger screens and higher resolution are better devices for web
browsing, watching videos, going through Facebook feeds and reading stuff.
The small
screen of iPhone (especially in terms of width) is the primary reason why I
will advice against buying it.
2-
There was a time when iOS was the gold standard for the mobile operating
system. Not anymore. Android was always better in terms overall functionality
but after the Ice Cream Sandwich version it is also better looking and polished
compared to iOS 6. iOS 6 looks bloated and superfluous. More importantly it
lacks functionality. It lacks the multi-functional notification that Android
has. It lacks the easy way in which Android apps can communicate with each
other and share stuff. It lacks the ease of multitasking on Android.
3-
If you use Google services a lot, you should stay away from iPhone. Services
like Gmail, GTalk and Google+ offer the best experience on Android.
4-
Apple Maps bundled with iOS 6 is terrible. Yes, it is bad even in the US but in
India it is useless. There is virtually no local and India-specific data in
Apple’s Maps. In comparison, maps available on Google or Nokia phones are very
rich. Unlike the maps app in iOS, the location apps by Google or Nokia also
offer navigation and live-traffic feature in India. If you rely on your phone
to find routes and places during travel, you should stay away from iPhone 5.
5-
Google Now, the virtual assistant that is part of Jelly Bean version of Android
(but not Ice Cream Sandwich or older versions), is superior and more useful
compared to Siri on iPhone 5, especially in India.
6-
iPhone 5 uses nano SIM card. Currently it’s the only phone to use it. There are
moments when you may have to swap phones. But you can’t take out SIM from
iPhone 5 and use it in other phones. It’s not a very big issue but keep this in
mind.
7-
Using an iPhone 5 also means dealing with Apple’s ecosystem. And depending on
how much you care for doing things your own way, Apple’s ecosystem can either
feel liberating or suffocating. The bottom line with Apple is that technology
should not get in the way of users. This means, Apple takes care of everything.
But this also means that you can only install apps from iOS Store, you can only
use the video formats that Apple wants you to use, you can only sync your
iPhone with a computer through iTunes; you cannot change your keyboard on the
iPhone, you cannot transfer files between iPhone and iPad using Bluetooth, you
cannot charge your iPhone using just any other microUSB cable the way you can
with other smartphones, and you can get only those apps that have been approved
by Apple.
In sum, if you like tinkering with your phone, stay
away from iPhone 5.
8-
iPhone 5 is very expensive for what it does. It costs Rs 45,500. In comparison,
comparable phones like Galaxy S3 and One X cost less than Rs 35,000.
Well, broadly this is it. Depending on what you expect
from your smartphone, iPhone 5 can be a very good choice or very bad. Just
don’t buy into the hype around iPhone. Think before you take out your wallet
and select a device that fits your usage pattern.
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