iPhone 5 To Upgrade Or Not To Upgrade

Hello World! Joel from Skynet Solutions here. This is my first ever blog post, so I thought I’d use the opportunity and discuss my thoughts on purchasing the newly released iPhone 5. Unless you spend most of your time in the unexplored regions of the rainforest, you already know about the release of Apple’s new iPhone 5. And just like me, there are probably a lot of iPhone fans wondering if they should go for it and upgrade now.

My current phone is an iPhone 4, which doesn’t have some of the features of the “4S” like iCloud integration or being able to ask Siri the meaning of life. But my “4” is a great product that continues to serve me well, and since I seem to be immune to hype, I didn’t upgrade when the “4S” came out.

Now, I love playing with new gadgets, but I am also very aware of the realities of new product launches. I haven’t installed iOS 6 on my current phone yet for the same reason that when buying a car (new or used), I never buy the first model year after a fresh redesign. There are ALWAYS bugs to work out of a new product. This is especially true in the world of mobile phones where the pressure to be first with the latest innovations is tremendous. So when a new iOS comes out, I always wait a while before updating.

Exhibit “A”: Steve Jobs’ replacement Tim Cook just put out an apology for the problems with the new Maps app. As you’ve probably already heard, the Google-based Maps has been replaced by a homegrown app developed by Apple. There have been complaints about numerous mapping mistakes and misinformation about locations (much like when Google began their map project a few years ago). Apple is playing catch up, so it will take time to perfect it. If they can deal with the problems, this new version provides turn-by-turn directions with big, easy-to-read onscreen graphics, it re-directs you to alternate routes based on traffic, works when the screen is locked, and supports Siri, so it should be a real asset in your car.

About the problems, Cook also surprisingly said: “While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.” I bet that was a tough pill to swallow for a guy attempting to follow a predecessor like Steve Jobs. The new Maps app was obviously released too soon. Strike one. According to Cook, they are already working “non-stop” to fix the issues. And I’m sure they will. They can’t afford to squander their biggest asset, the loyal hoards of Apple fans.

Does this mean the iPhone 5 is no longer a consideration for me? Of course not. There have been similar iPhone problems in the past, such as dropping calls if you touch the wrong spot on an iPhone 4. Oh wait, isn’t that the phone I have now that I like so much?! In other words, this Maps problem too shall pass.

So for now, I am going to postpone the decision to buy. And in the meantime, I will look in-depth at some of the new features. But that’s a blog for another day.

Mobile Apps Development Department

Source: Skynet Solutions

By: Joel Eads