Waiting and speculating Is what we all do when the rumors of a new iPhone emerge. We are all dying to see what Apple will do. In the meantime, sales of smartphones slow as everyone holds off to see if they want the latest iPhone. The rumor is for a September 12th announcement. Not sure if the phones will be available at the same time. If so, it is time to get in line.
I am curious about this new model as I may get one. I have had my phone 3GS since 2009, an eon in smartphone lifetime. I didn’t think it worth the cost to upgrade to the 4 or 4S. The 3GS still does all the basics very well and I haven’t felt the need for LTE speed, high res screens, higher pixel cameras and the like. The 3GS is fast enough. My wife also selected the 3GS earlier this year as she finally got rid of her battered decade old Nokia. It was only $49 at the AT&T store. A good deal. I suppose Apple will finally phase out the 3GS with the new model.
I am trying to decide what feature or benefit of the iPhone 5 will be great enough to make me switch. We all assume the new model will have LTE, a bigger screen, and maybe even NFC. I am not sure I need the speed of LTE despite the excellent LTE coverage from AT&T and Verizon in my area. The 3G WCDMA/HSPA I have now is fast enough for my texts and emails and limited web browsing.
The bigger screen is certainly an attraction. My biggest gripe about smartphones is the small screen size. That puts me off. It makes me want a tablet instead. Maybe an iPad is a better use for my money.
As for NFC, I am not going to use it for e-commerce or otherwise so it is not a lusted after feature. I’m probably not the only one with this feeling about NFC.
Maybe Apple has some really big new feature like Siri was on the 4S. What could it be?
Then it dawns on me that there are other new smartphone choices. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is a huge hit. Samsung also just announced their new Ativ S phone with a 4.8 inch screen and Microsoft’s Phone 8 OS. And Nokia is expected to launch their new Microsoft Windows 8 phone before the Apple announcement. I loved the Nokia Lumina 900 with Windows Mobile 7 OS when it came out a while back. The new version should be even better.
Other potential new phones are in the works. I heard Motorola Mobility now owned by Google is going to announce a new phone soon. And there are even rumors of an Amazon smartphone. Maybe it is time for me to try something new. The Apple iOS is so yesterday. But then I am not sure I won’t succumb to Apple’s usual appeal, magic, and cachet.