Here’s What You Want in iPhone 5

Here-s-what-you-want-in-iphone-5-d20bbfc3ac

We asked Mashable readers yesterday what they want to see in the iPhone 5, which Apple is just a few hours away from unveiling. We got more than 100 responses on our post and on Facebook, and we can definitely say expectations are high, not to mention plentiful! Here are the main trends.

Better Battery: Far and away the most common request was for more battery life. It’s understandable — if you use your iPhone 4S often during the day, you probably find that it’s running on empty before dinner hour (I know I do). Anything Apple can do to extend the iPhone’s battery is welcome, obviously, but it’s going to be a challenge if it wants to include power-hungry features like LTE connectivity (another top-demanded feature) while shrinking the casing. We’ll see.

Bigger Screen: There was lots of discussion about a larger screen. Android phones have made big-screen cellphones (such as the Samsung Galaxy S III) the norm, and Apple is rumored to catch up with the iPhone 5. But will it be enough to satisfy? Reports and leaks point to a 4-inch screen, which is a jump from the current 3.5-inch iPhone display, but still below average for smartphones today.

NFC: It’s a tad surprising to see so many commenters clamoring for near-field communication (NFC), the short-range wireless tech that enables mobile payments and effortless “one tap” pairing of other devices. We didn’t realize so many people use (or want to use) NFC, and since Apple is rumored to be skipping it this time around, there may be some disappointment.

Commenter Patrick Farrell had a thoughtful and detailed list of features he’d like to see. Among them: infrared and radio-frequency abilities so the iPhone can act as a universal TV remote, wireless charging and the ability to use AirPlay between iOS devices. We like his ideas, particularly the suggestion of adding improved Wi-Fi so the iPhone can use the 5.0GHz band (part of the 802.11n standard), as Amazon has done with it’s Kindle Fires — that would improve overall data speed over Wi-Fi. We can hope.

A few commenters focused on the camera, though the requests were typically general improvements with more megapixels and less blur in low light. Perhaps Apple will take a cue from Nokia, who touted the camera abilities in its recently unveiled Lumia 920, although the company subsequently got into trouble over faking the pics. Apple tends to be a little behind in cameraphone tech, but perhaps the iPhone 5 will see it catch up again.

Rounding out the many requests: Siri integration in the U.K., improved Bluetooth pairing, a quad-core processor, a BlackBerry-like LED to let users know there’s a message waiting (unlikely), a more durable screen and better inter-app communication in iOS 6.

Finally, there are the super-unrealistic or just-for-laughs features, such as:

  • Solar panel

  • 24-inch virtual screen, and a full-size virtual keyboard

  • Wall projector

  • Alien technology

  • Self-destruct ability

  • A device for Samsung to copy in coming months

  • Must run Crysis

  • Less narcissism

We’ll let commenter Ryan Duwe have the last word: “What do I want to see in the iPhone 5? The iPhone 6.”

More News About the Apple Event

Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/12/iphone-5-demands/

Liked Liked
No Comments