posted by Nick Wisniewski

The launch of Apple’s latest device has arguably been the most anticipated
new gadget of 2012. Even with the leaked pictures that have made their way on to
the internet over the past few weeks, consumers and techies alike were still
anxiously anticipating the official announcement of the new iPhone. Today was the
day- the iPhone 5 is finally here and with it, a huge bag of disappointment for all
parties involved.

Apple revolutionized the cell phone industry with the launch of the
iPhone 4 on June 24, 2010. An exhaustive redesign from previous versions, the 4
was a stunning piece of technology. It was fast, the camera was amazing, the screen
resolution was something we had never seen before, and they revamped the entire
operating system. Most of all? It was pretty. That phone could have been considered a
work of art with its smooth edges, glass back and aluminum edges; it was cool to
own an iPhone and everybody wanted it. The device flew off shelves faster than any
phone had previously. It was new, it was cutting edge, and it put Apple on the top of
the smartphone world.

To remain there, Apple had to follow up their most popular device with
something even better. There was some speculation as to whether the follow up
device would be a refresh on the current model or a complete design change from
the 4. With much hype, Apple announced a keynote event scheduled for October last
year. And to much disappointment, they unveiled the iPhone 4S: a copy of the
previous model with upgraded guts and a voice recognition program that still
doesn’t work correctly. Snore.

But that’s ok, we didn’t really expect the iPhone 5 that early anyway- Apple
wasn’t done milking the cash cow. Sure, Android was doing some pretty amazing
things and gobbling up the worldwide smartphone market share, but the 4S still
sold well. Really well actually. But the numbers have dwindled with the anticipation
of the aforementioned iPhone 5.

Finally, after more than two years of waiting, Apple announced a wireless
event for the official unveiling of their newest gadget. That event was today. Apple
CEO Tim Cook walked out onto the stage and finally gave us a look at the iPhone 5.
And then collective blood pressure of everyone in the audience started to spike. All I
was hoping for was to not be completely disappointed…and I was COMPLETELY
DISAPPOINTED.

The iPhone 5 added a measly half an inch of screen size to an already tiny screen, while keeping the design of the rest of the phone almost exactly the same. They changed the pin connector for no apparent reason, and ignored almost every feature that has made Android number one. Sure, they upgraded the internals of the phone: it’s slightly faster and the camera functions are improved, but nothing that isn’t expected in any new device. I’m still not sure that this new phone isn’t a joke and the real phone will be announced tomorrow…

The most disappointing part of this new device is that there isn’t anything
innovative, which is what Apple has built its empire on. New cutting edge technology
that leaves its competitors scrambling to catch up. They spent two years of research
and development creating a new phone that is already behind its competitors. Apple was the company that everyone else was trying to copy, and now they’re the one being left in the dust. The irony here, of course, is that Apple just won a one billion dollar lawsuit against Samsung for patent infringement. They need to invest some of that money into smelling salts because, today, Apple put a lot of us to sleep.

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