iPhone 5

[Paul.]

but the problem is that in case of Apple if you want to have your phone to be synced with your iMAc it's either iPhone or nothing. I've always hated this locking away product policy of Apple, that they are only compatible with themselves and nothing else.

Sorry, do you think you can't use Samsung or any other brand phone with a Mac? Or have I missed your point? I use a Galaxy tab 2 7.0 with my Mac, drivers are provided by Samsung. Just like Microsoft expect Samsung to provide drivers. You can use any phone with a Mac as long as the Mobile vendor can be arsed to write the drivers.

 

[professorhat]

but the problem is that in case of Apple if you want to have your phone to be synced with your iMAc it's either iPhone or nothing. I've always hated this locking away product policy of Apple, that they are only compatible with themselves and nothing else.

Not true at all - clicky.

Apple make their devices simple to sync with each other, but it would be pretty stupid practice not to do that. But if you want to use other devices with a Mac, it's hardly rocket science to do so.

 

[Ryan92]

apple very rarely invent anything. (since wozniak left anyways)

They haven't invented ANYTHING.

.

Everything Apple has ever done is smarten up (sometimes) an existing product.

The jury in the US were mericans backing a merican company, nothing more. The judge in the UK had it right.

Some of the things Samsung have been punished for should not be patentable at all... bounce back!

They are doing exactly what Microsoft did way back when, who rightly got smacked down for bullying and anti-competive behaviour. It's high time Apple got what they deserve. I'd sooner give my money to the Tory party!

I'm sorry, but that's an outrageous quote. Apple have contributed an awful lot to the world of technology, even if it's not quite as much as they'd like to think.

They may not have invented the tablet, but I don't think android tablets would be anything like as popular as they are without the iPad to popularise the tablet platform. sSame goes for smartphones. And it's all very well and good saying someone came up with the idea first, but the idea is only half of the business plan. Microsoft had tablets ages ago, anyone remember them? No.

Also, it has taken android a good while to catch up, earlier attempts at android phones were pretty awful. A friend of mine still has a 3GS and granted, it's not as quick as the latest phones, but still as useable as ever. The same cannot be said for my old HTC hero, however.

They invented the mouse, they played a huge part in the capacitive touch screen. Multi-touch gesture control, as well as the computing contrivutions they made in the early days.

Whilst I too believe they are being a little rash with the law suits, to say they haven't invented anything is a little harsh.

 

[Paul.]

They popularised the mouse, but they didn't invent it. They made it viable however, as they were the first to make it useable and affordable. Noticing a pattern here...

 

[bigboss]

They don't just reproduce what others have done, they add to it, reproduce it in their own style.

Not always; notification bar & OTA updates are just 2 examples. Agreed that Apple has revolutionised the market & should be credited for it as well. Mobile phones were stagnating until then (I blame Nokia for it, who had the capability to make significantly better phones, but was content to make only slightly better phones with each product refresh).

 

[Paul.]

Hmm, now if you could build an iPhone with the strength of a Nokia 3210, that would be something...

 

[gregvet]

(I blame Nokia for it, who had the capability to make significantly better phones, but was content to make only slightly better phones with each product refresh).

Ironically, it feels a little like this with apple and the iPhone now. It's so succesful they daren't come up with anything ground breaking and new.

I say that as someone who has had iPhones since the iPhone 2, and can't see myself having anything else in the near future. I see the mockups etc for the iPhone 5, and just think 'meh'.

 

[Paul.]

Yeah! They revolutionised the WORLD 5 years ago but what have they done for me lately?!!!

Seriously though, big shifts like this don't happen often. It will be incremental stuff for another few years. What has anyone else done other than bigger numbers and specs? The next big shift will be someone making NFC actually useable, but the phone will look the same. I look forward to it, I dislike wallets.

 

[cheeseboy]

Whilst I too believe they are being a little rash with the law suits, to say they haven't invented anything is a little harsh.

actually, no, it's not harsh I'm afraid. If you look at Apple since Steve Wozniak left (Steve Wozniak was a genius) then apple have invented not much. Only thing I can possibly think of is maybe the unibody style laptop body....

seriously, have a look and all those things people think apple invented, I think you may be surprised to find out they didn't!

 

[Ryan92]

Well, they invented the iPhone? Which was the most revolutionary phone of it's time and probably had all other manufacturers going "right, best pull our fingers out".

They may not have been the first to make a touch screen phone, or "apps" or MP3 players, or portable internet surfing devices. But they were certainly the first to put them all into an easy to use, desirable phone. If it had all been invented before, why didn't nokia or the others do it? Because either they thought they had a chance to drag their feet as the market came to a standstill, or because they simply didn't think of it. Apple, to me, have been the most revolutionary company in portable media in the last decade. Whether you class revolutionary as a physical component on a product that you must invent, or just the invention of a product, which is after all what we buy. There's a reason iThings are so successful, and it's because they are very good at what they do.

It's sort of like saying a chef didn't invent his signiture dish because he didn't also create every ingredient in it.

As for the unibody thing, fair point, can't actually think of something that didn't exist in one guise or another previously. But apparently nobody else looked at these things and thought "yeah I'll use that". It was all free and open information (then).

Perhaps what we can say apple "invented" is some brilliant products, customer service (in my experience). In my opinion the best operating system around (yes it's based on unix but I think they've done enough to it to call it their own).

 

[cheeseboy]

edited from original comment to expand stuff

Well, they invented the iPhone? Which was the most revolutionary phone of it's time and probably had all other manufacturers going "right, best pull our fingers out".

They created the iphone, not invented it. They didn't even invent the name as it was previously in use and had to pay monies to get it, also with the operating system name ios.

Agreed it was a wake up call to other handset manufacturers, but defintely not in the realm of invented as much as naims new amps are "invented". It's an improvement on a design and components that are already out there.

They may not have been the first to make a touch screen phone, or "apps" or MP3 players, or portable internet surfing devices. But they were certainly the first to put them all into an easy to use, desirable phone. If it had all been invented before, why didn't nokia or the others do it?

Other manufacturers were doing it though. It was the marketing that made it desirable...

Because either they thought they had a chance to drag their feet as the market came to a standstill, or because they simply didn't think of it.

again, like I say, it had already been done.

Apple, to me, have been the most revolutionary company in portable media in the last decade.

actually, I'd argue that ARM the chipmaker take that honor given most of the portable stuff uses their chipsets.

Whether you class revolutionary as a physical component on a product that you must invent, or just the invention of a product, which is after all what we buy.

Too many uses of the word invent there and crossed meanings.

There's a reason iThings are so successful, and it's because they are very good at what they do.

some are, some aren't. It depends what you want to use them for. One example is my gran can use my ipad, but I can't just plug it in and copy over my mp3's. One the one hand good, on the other bad. It's all subjective.

It's sort of like saying a chef didn't invent his signiture dish because he didn't also create every ingredient in it.

not really. That's a chef, we are talking about technology. I don't often see silicon chips growing on trees. Sorry, I tend to not use analogies as I find people only tend to use them when trying to prove their point. Stick with the medium we are dealing in, makes it easier.

As for the unibody thing, fair point, can't actually think of something that didn't exist in one guise or another previously. But apparently nobody else looked at these things and thought "yeah I'll use that". It was all free and open information (then).

It wasn't free and open. See my point above about Apple using pre-registered names and technologies.

Perhaps what we can say apple "invented" is some brilliant products, customer service (in my experience). In my opinion the best operating system around (yes it's based on unix but I think they've done enough to it to call it their own).

Again subjective. And as you just said, based on Unix. Did you ever try Mac os10, the last os they invented?? It was crap. But no, they haven't done enough to call it their own. It's based on freebsd. Apple have created some brilliant products, true, but what they excel in is marketing and design, and that's what feeds peoples desires. It still saddens me that a lot of people think apple invented the mp3 player

 

[chebby]

look at it how you want, Apple very rarely invent anything. They rely on the technologies of others, put them in a shiny metal box then hand it over to the marketing department.

Precisely what almost the entire hi-fi industry has been doing since stereo (1931 Alan Blumlein/EMI), the LP (Columbia Records 1948) and the CD (Sony/Philips 1974 - 1982).

There were a few other inventions along the way (transistors & thermionic valves for instance) but they weren't necessarily for hi-fi originally or invented by hi-fi companies. (A lot of it was for the Cinema or telecommunications, or spin-offs from Radar and radio transmission or from GPO engineers helping WW2 codebreakers by inventing the electronic computer, or lots of other examples where someone relied 'on the technologies of others, put them in a shiny metal box' etc.)

You limit yourself a wee bit if you insist on products only from companies who invented them. (You could only have a Mercedes Benz if you wanted a new car and - if you wanted a new computer - you'd be screwed because BT don't make them.)

 

[cheeseboy]

Precisely what almost the entire hi-fi industry has been doing since stereo (1931 Alan Blumlein/EMI), the LP (Columbia Records 1948) and the CD (Sony/Philips 1974 - 1982).

I agree. But we wouldn't say that rega invented the cd player because they happen to bring out an awesome one with flashing lights would we?

There were a few other inventions along the way (transistors & thermionic valves for instance) but they weren't necessarily for hi-fi originally or invented by hi-fi companies. (A lot of it was for the Cinema or telecommunications, or spin-offs from Radar and radio transmission or from GPO engineers helping WW2 codebreakers by inventing the electronic computer, or lots of other examples where someone relied 'on the technologies of others, put them in a shiny metal box' etc.)

Again, I agree, and you can see it happening now with HiFi comanpies doing the same with computer equipment.

You limit yourself a wee bit if you insist on products only from companies who invented them.

Not really sure what that means as I've never said anything about insisting on products from companies who invented them. Am just bored of the apple invented (insert previously available product here) rhetoric.

 

[bigboss]

There is no doubt that Apple has led the biggest revolution in the last decade.

1) MP3 players were made before the iPod, but it was the iPod which ignited the market exponentially.

2) Touch screen phones were made before the iPhone, but again, it was the iPhone which ignited the market exponentially.

3) Tablets were attempted by many manufacturers which were all rubbish. Yet again, it was the iPad which ignited the market exponentially. Microsoft had a great chance to lead this sector, but it blew it.

Apple is singlehandedly responsible for manufacturers the world over to pull their socks up & make high quality products, or die out. Even ARM chips that you argue wouldn't have existed if it were not for Apple. Eventually we may have got there, but not so quickly. The iPhone was leagues ahead of the rest when it was launched which forced others to revamp their entire product line up.

Invention isn't the single most important thing; its implementation is equally important.

That doesn't deviate from the fact that Apple has become a bully.

 

[Paul.]

Apple, to me, have been the most revolutionary company in portable media in the last decade.

actually, I'd argue that ARM the chipmaker take that honor given most of the portable stuff uses their chipsets.

ARM was a joint venture between Acorn, Apple and VLSI. So you're both right!

 

[cheeseboy]

There is no doubt that Apple has led the biggest revolution in the last decade.

1) MP3 players were made before the iPod, but it was the iPod which ignited the market exponentially.

2) Touch screen phones were made before the iPhone, but again, it was the iPhone which ignited the market exponentially.

3) Tablets were attempted by many manufacturers which were all rubbish. Yet again, it was the iPad which ignited the market exponentially. Microsoft had a great chance to lead this sector, but it blew it.

Apple is singlehandedly responsible for manufacturers the world over to pull their socks up & make high quality products, or die out. Even ARM chips that you argue wouldn't have existed if it were not for Apple. Eventually we may have got there, but not so quickly. The iPhone was leagues ahead of the rest when it was launched which forced others to revamp their entire product line up.

Invention isn't the single most important thing; its implementation is equally important.

That doesn't deviate from the fact that Apple has become a bully.

y'see now that I would agree with And I do agree that implementation is very important too, just so long as people can recognise it as that, and not as invention. Hell, to quote Steve jobs himself... "".. Picasso had a saying 'Good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas."

 

[cheeseboy]

Apple, to me, have been the most revolutionary company in portable media in the last decade.

actually, I'd argue that ARM the chipmaker take that honor given most of the portable stuff uses their chipsets.

ARM was a joint venture between Acorn, Apple and VLSI. So you're both right!

of course, my bad. Yey, we both right :dance:

 

[AlmaataKZ]

What the new iphone needs is double or triple battery life!

Match the Blackberry, Apple?

 

[BenLaw]

Apple, to me, have been the most revolutionary company in portable media in the last decade.

actually, I'd argue that ARM the chipmaker take that honor given most of the portable stuff uses their chipsets.

ARM was a joint venture between Acorn, Apple and VLSI. So you're both right!

Apple came in later: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture#Acorn_RISC_Machine:_ARM2

 

[Joe Cox]

And so it begins! Come and join in, you know you want to.

We'll post the best comments on the news story in to the live blog, so please do get involved. Positive and negative

The action proper starts at 6pm...

http://www.whathifi.com/news/iphone-5-launch-live

 

[mykspence]

The action proper starts at 6pm...

http://www.whathifi.com/news/iphone-5-launch-live

Some sites are saying 6pm GMT, can you confirm that it's BST?

 

[chebby]

Apple UK store is down.

(PITA as I wanted to get some iPad specs info just now.)

 

[Deleted member 2457]

£529 - ouch! And £450 for the 4s now.

 

[carter]

Think I might order one,haven't spent any money on treats this year and the black one looks kinda nice....

 

[Joe Cox]

Details and pics for those who missed it...

New iPhone 5

New iPod touch and nano