… or to be more precise, my iPhone 4s is actually the 5th iPhone. Yes OK, today this is just a bit of tongue in cheek, nothing more, so take with a large grain of salt please.
So what am I on about? Well basically the new iPhone 5 (announced yesterday) is actually the 6th iPhone, not the 5th.
Really!! … yep, here is how it plays out.
| Model | iPhone | iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS | iPhone 4 | iPhone 4S | iPhone 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ||||||
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Available | Available | Announced |
| New features | USB 2.0/dock connector | assisted GPS, includes earphones with mic | voice control, digital compass (magnetometer), Nike+, camera tap to focus (iOS 4.0+) includes earphones with remote and microphone (This model is now in the process of being discontinued) | 3-axis gyroscope, Dual-microphone noise suppression, microSIM, rear camera LED flash | Siri (beta) voice assistant and GLONASS support | Lightning connector, Nano-SIM, and Apple Earpods |
| Announced | January 9, 2007 | June 9, 2008 | June 8, 2009 | June 7, 2010 | October 4, 2011 | September 12, 2012 |
| Released | 4 and 8 GB: June 29, 2007 16 GB: February 5, 2008 | July 11, 2008 | 16 and 32 GB: June 19, 2009 Black 8 GB: June 24, 2010 | GSM (Black): June 24, 2010 CDMA (Black): February 10, 2011 White: April 28, 2011 8 GB: October 4, 2011 (Available from Oct 14, 2011) | October 14, 2011 | September 21, 2012 |
OK, so some might argue that the 4S is just an Upgrade for the 4 … ah but wait, if that is true, then the 3GS would be an upgrade for the 3G and so that would then make the latest the first iPhone 4.
Bottom line – no matter how you slice or dice this, while Apple can indeed construct some really cool toys, they don’t appear to be able to count.
If you want details of the latest incarnation, then you can check it out here …
Quick Summary
- It looks like the iPhone 4S
- It’s thinner, by 18 per cent, and lighter, by 20 per cent
- The screen is taller too, at 4-inches corner to corner
- Has the newer (faster) A6 chips (last one had A5) … they claim “twice as fast”
- Same camera … but better low-light performance and a new panorama mode.
- The Micro SIM is now an even smaller nano-SIM … so you will need a new SIM if you buy one.
- Dock connector gone, and has a smaller “lightening” connector … which means that everything you plug into does not work with this new phone. (But for £25 Apple will sell you an adapter … yes … £25 for one little adepter)
- Cost? – Unlocked, the phone will cost £529 (16GB), £599 (32GB) and £699 (64GB). [That is UK prices of course] As for contract offerings, no news yet.