iPhone 5: A Barely Improved Camera

It’s often ignored, but the iPhone’s camera is perhaps one of its most important features. There’s just one problem: according to reviewers, the iPhone 5’s rear camera is about the same option found in the iPhone 4S. That’s unacceptable, especially when the 41-megapixel PureView camera from Nokia is on the market.

Apple’s Maps application has been getting all kinds of attention for its many errors and omissions. The application in some cases has incorrect location information, lacks much of the detail found in Google Maps and has odd glitches that have annoyed users. It’s in desperate need of rapid improvement.

Apple claims that its new Lightning connector, which replaced the 30-pin connector, will be better for users. So far, however, it’s proven only to be a pain. The connector won’t work with accessories without an adapter. What’s worse, that adapter costs $29. For now, Lightning is little more than a headache.

Apple’s iOS 6 was supposed to deliver significant improvements to the Siri personal assistant. Although some of the additions to Siri are welcome, for the most part, the voice response application is still as lame as it was last year. It’s about time Apple gets serious about improving Siri.

Apple has a penchant for delivering only the features it believes customers really need and not necessarily what they really want. So the iPhone 5 is lacking a near-field communication (NFC) chip, and Apple’s decision to once again ignore T-Mobile in the U.S. is an odd choice. The iPhone 5 is a nice improvement over the iPhone 4S, but it’s by no means the product with all the bells and whistles. Right now, the Samsung Galaxy S III has reached that level.

Old-time iOS users will feel right at home with the latest version’s lock-in mentality. Unfortunately, users are still forced to play nice only with Apple’s multimedia services, such as iTunes, and the only way to get applications is through its App Store. Such control over the platform supposedly increases security, but it’s also proving annoying for power users who want to do more.

Apple’s new iPhone 5 display measures 4 inches, making it slightly larger than the 3.5-inch option available in previous models. It’s nice to see Apple increase its display size, but with so many devices offering 4.3-inch screens, wouldn’t it have made sense to increase its display to that size? Furthermore, why didn’t Apple match the 4.8-inch screen in the Galaxy S III? A bigger screen would have been nice.

Although it’ll be a temporary problem, Apple’s iOS 6 currently has few applications available that can actually accommodate the iPhone 5’s larger screen. Currently, apps that don’t support the display will show sidebars. It’s a bummer.

The iPhone 5 is undoubtedly a nice-looking device. But in order to deliver that aesthetic appeal, Apple had to forgo ergonomics. The iPhone 5 is by no means easy to hold. The device is a simple, extended rectangle that’s both skinny and somewhat slippery, due to its aluminum back plate. There are no curves that help users hold the device or edges that hug the hands. Ergonomics just doesn’t matter to Apple, unfortunately.

Aside from removing Google Maps in iOS 6, Apple decided to nix the native YouTube app. The reason? Apple can’t stand Google. The last thing the iPhone maker wants is to allow a mobile and application competitor to have a prominent place within Apple’s operating platform. Although that might be understandable, the move inconveniences iOS 6 users. Too bad Apple seemingly doesn’t care about that.