The iPhone5 phenomenon

Everybody seems to want a byte of Apple’s iPhone5

September 20, 2012 09:11 pm | Updated 09:11 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram:

The latest version of Apple’s much-awaited smartphone, the iPhone5, which goes on sale in the United States and six other countries today (it’s expected to be released in India in November), has taken the techno world by storm since it’s launch in San Francisco last week. In the city too, it’s a trending topic of discussion, especially among the techie fraternity, who seem to be having a field day posting their opinions of the iPhone5 on blogs, forums, e-groups, tweets, Facebook updates, and so on, almost relishing in the latest opportunity to contribute their two cents worth to the never-ending iPhone vs. Android debate.

Some like 22-year-old fresher Rahul Rajesh appear to be a tad too over enthusiastic about the iPhone. “Check out the iPhone5! All you Android users… in your face baby, in your face!” crows Rahul, a self-proclaimed ‘Apple fanboy’ and “proud” owner of an iPhone 4S, on one of his numerous wall posts on Facebook. Of course, it set off a debate within Rahul’s friends’ network with arguments and counter-arguments coming in thick and fast; 24 on last count.

What’s the deal with all the hype anyways? “Because it’s an Apple, an iPhone!” says Rahul, almost aghast, effectively summing up the power of the brand. “I believe that there are two kinds of smartphone buffs in the world – iPhone lovers and Android lovers. iPhones are so user-friendly that you can never again think of using another type of smartphone. I’ve been closely tracking information related to the iPhone5.By the looks of it, the iPhone5 is phenomenal. Not only is it faster than the previous versions because of its A6 processor and it is capable of 4G LTE data speeds, it’s but also bigger with its larger screen, and is slimmer too. It’s purportedly got better sound quality, a better camera and a super retina display,” adds Rahul.

Techie K.T. Thomas, who works for an MNC at Technopark, is also a fan of the iPhone, albeit not too overly enthusiastic about it. He’s been using one for the past two years now. “It’s touch screen quality is amazing. Android makers are always only ever playing catch up to Apple! The one-touch apps are fantastic too, especially the voice-enabled Siri app, which is sort of like a personal assistant (that lets you use your voice to send messages, make calls, set reminders, and more).” Administration executive Bhavana R. Nair, who works at IBS is an “iPhone convert” after she was issued a corporate connection more than two years ago. “I’m a technophobe so I don’t know too much about its technicalities. I’d been using the iPod before so I was familiar with the working of Apple product. Now that I have an iPhone I’ve synced all my music into my phone, so I don’t need to carry around two devices. It’s got some cool free apps too – like the calorie burner, which I often look at with a sigh! Recently, I’ve discovered a free dog whistle app. My labrador, Buddy, has this habit of barking at around 10 p.m. just when I’m getting ready to watch my favourite soaps. One press of the app and he shuts up!”

Of course, Android fans won’t give up on the debate too easily too, especially when it comes to using iPhones in the Indian scenario. “It’s much more expensive than Android phones, which have more or less the same features,” says techie T.H. Manu, who uses an Android phone. Adds techie Naadam R. Bhadran: “iPhone5, they say, is capable of 4G-LTE data speeds. And that’s only available in certain metros in India right now. The iPhone doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity, which makes sharing data from it to another phone rather difficult. For example, if you want to send a business card or share a song from your playlist, you can send them only as an email. Ultimately, it’s these small things that matter when you call a smartphone ‘handy’. I’d choose an Android phone over the iPhone any day.”

The debate continues…

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.