After doing a lot of reading on the iPhone 5s, this device
seems to be pretty good on paper. It's one of those things that I hate to admit (because I'm not typically a fan of Apple) but I believe in being fair.
For the past few days I have been yearning to do some research
on the iPhone 5s and how its changed; I am particularly interested in
the details of the fingerprint scanner, but other ventures have sucked away my
time. So at long last I have finally been able to take a look into the yet-to-be-released phone.
The changes of the new iPhone can be summed up into two categories: technical changes in the phone, and other changes, which I will hence be dubbing "iFluff" - things that have been added just because they're easy to market as "cool". The major iFluff upgrade? The fingerprint scanner.
Yes, Apple has added the much-talked-about fingerprint scanner to it's new phone, but to be honest it's probably the least interesting upgrade on the list. However, I will be going into great detail about it. I really wasn’t interested in looking into the fingerprint scanner because I thought it was cool, though; more realistically I wanted to bash it (because I think it’s nothing more than a novelty) and bash it I will.
At the end of the day, the rest of the iPhone 5s has very little to be negative about though, and all-in-all despite the fact that the advertising over-glorifies it to the point of puking rainbows, I would give the device a healthy 9/10 in terms of it’s features and hardware.
The changes of the new iPhone can be summed up into two categories: technical changes in the phone, and other changes, which I will hence be dubbing "iFluff" - things that have been added just because they're easy to market as "cool". The major iFluff upgrade? The fingerprint scanner.
Yes, Apple has added the much-talked-about fingerprint scanner to it's new phone, but to be honest it's probably the least interesting upgrade on the list. However, I will be going into great detail about it. I really wasn’t interested in looking into the fingerprint scanner because I thought it was cool, though; more realistically I wanted to bash it (because I think it’s nothing more than a novelty) and bash it I will.
At the end of the day, the rest of the iPhone 5s has very little to be negative about though, and all-in-all despite the fact that the advertising over-glorifies it to the point of puking rainbows, I would give the device a healthy 9/10 in terms of it’s features and hardware.
That means a lot coming from me. I don’t really like Apple, but fair is fair. It’s a good phone and for the rest of this blog I'll be breaking down what makes it something to talk about.
First: This phone is the first device - ever - to run on a 64
bit processor and operating system.
This doesn’t mean much to people who are non-technical, so
let me break this one down real quick. In terms of computer processors, there
are two types: 32-bit and 64-bit. Saving all of the technical mumbo-jumbo, what
you should walk away with from this paragraph is that 64-bit systems are the newer, faster ones. You should also know that regular computers have been off of 32-bit for about five years now.
So why hasn't this technology moved to smartphones yet? It has been difficult to get that technology down to smartphone-size
and I definitely give Apple kudos for doing it first.
To the consumer, the whole "32-bit vs. 64-bit" thing doesn’t mean much – right now. The problem is that 64-bit systems don't really work faster unless the programs on that system are optimized for it.
What does that mean? Well, it means that there is an inherent problem with the initial transition to 64-bit: the software now has to come up to meet the hardware, meaning that most apps won’t even take advantage of it yet. In other words, we probably won’t even feel the difference of 64-bit until the iPhone 6 is on the horizon. However, Apple is setting themselves up to continue to be a smartphone player in the future by making the switch now. IN the end, it will mean that Apple will be the first to optimize, the first to get faster and this will mean that Apple stays in the lead when it comes to the speed and fluidity of their devices. It seems that while everyone else was revolutionizing the accessory market with smartwatches, Apple was working on a 64-bit phone. Well done. I still think Apple needs a new toy to prove they can continue to innovate in the overcrowded smartphone market, but that’s a point I’ve already made.
What does that mean? Well, it means that there is an inherent problem with the initial transition to 64-bit: the software now has to come up to meet the hardware, meaning that most apps won’t even take advantage of it yet. In other words, we probably won’t even feel the difference of 64-bit until the iPhone 6 is on the horizon. However, Apple is setting themselves up to continue to be a smartphone player in the future by making the switch now. IN the end, it will mean that Apple will be the first to optimize, the first to get faster and this will mean that Apple stays in the lead when it comes to the speed and fluidity of their devices. It seems that while everyone else was revolutionizing the accessory market with smartwatches, Apple was working on a 64-bit phone. Well done. I still think Apple needs a new toy to prove they can continue to innovate in the overcrowded smartphone market, but that’s a point I’ve already made.
Second: iOS7 is really very nice.
Even though this isn’t really an iPhone 5s-specific thing, I
have to give it mention. I am very, very pleased with the iOS7 system. It’s
brighter colors, flatter look and more robust set of features bring it
(finally) up to par with the android systems in terms of “cool-things-my-phone-can-do”
stuff, and these little gadgets suck in new users better than any marketing
method. Case and point: the main selling point of the Galaxy S4 is its ability
to track your eyes. It’s a novelty, but its just one more cool thing it can do
to allow its owner to say “my phone is cooler than yours”
iOS7 is finally supporting lock screen notifications (those
things that tell you when you have messages, voicemails, etc. that you see when
you first turn on your phone), a radio service similar to Google Play or
Spotify, and quick-switches for phone features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These
are things that android has had for years now, so it’s about time Apple jumped
on the band wagon.
Third: The Camera got a much-needed update
For those who aren’t familiar with the issue, the iPhone 5
has a major camera problem when in sunlight. Apple opted to use a sapphire lens
on its camera on the iPhone 5; sapphire is a good choice because of its
thinness and durability. However, the small size of the camera on the iPhone 5
caused the sapphire lens to make photos, well….sapphire-colored, when in
direct light. Therefore, the iPhone 5s received a wider lens. This should
correct that issue.
All in all, this whole group of things stacks up well. New
features, a new chipset running on a 64bit architecture and a fixed camera mean
the only thing consumers will be worrying about is the durability of the phone,
which still lacks. Oh, right, and the fact that the phone keeps a record of
your fingerprint.
So, let’s move on to that fingerprint reader.
This so called “revolutionary security device” gave me a
good laugh today while I was catching up on the details of its function. I’m disappointed that Apple centered its focus
of changes around it when so many other, more significant things changed in the
iPhone 5s.
First off, let me start by saying that Apple’s fingerprint
scanner is by no means revolutionary. The Motorola Atrix HD had a fingerprint
reader back in 2011, and there are even a handful of other devices that have
had it since then. Heck, even computers running windows 7 have had fingerprint
readers for years. Fingerprint authentication isn’t anything new and if you’re
attentive you’ll note that you really don’t see them on anything nowadays,
simply because they were expensive to produce and didn’t really change
anything.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on to
Apple’s device, which is apparently “revolutionary” now that it’s in an iPhone
and not in the hundreds of other devices they’re already in. The fingerprint
scanner itself is known as “Touch ID” and saves your “fingerprint data” in an
encrypted section of the processor. Apple is doing this because they are ensuring
us that reading a fingerprint is more secure than typing in a passcode.
Except, Apple doesn’t believe it’s more secure than a
passcode. As it turns out, if you reboot the phone or wait longer than 48 hours
between successful unlocks, the phone reverts to a “backup passcode” that you
have to use to unlock the phone.
Apple’s reasoning for this “feature”: To prevent phone-thieves from “stalling for
time while they figured out a way to circumvent the fingerprint reader”.
What?
So, Apple, what you’re saying is “Fingerprint reading is
less secure, but it’s cool so we’re going to put it in. However, to keep your
phone secure, we’re going to make it so that you have to get into the phone the
old fashioned way if it gets hijacked”.
Now, that’s just funny to me. Also, the Touch ID is already being
reported to have spotty functionality at best when hands are “sweaty, wet or
dirty” and you essentially have to poke the home screen dead-on for the phone
to work, so forget one-handed unlocking.
So, what is the verdict on the Touch ID system? Fail. Also,
I’m not happy with Apple claiming to keep my fingerprint data in the wake of
all the news about the NSA hacking into everything. For all I know, they’ve
hacked into my cat by now. The last thing I want them getting is my
fingerprints – not cool. Now before everyone tells me I’m overreacting, I
should note that I fully understand how the Touch Id system works: I understand
that it’s kept on an encrypted part of the chip, and never gets transferred
over the internet, etc. etc. But, if the NSA can get into a Blackberry – which is
certified in security far beyond any Apple product - I trust nothing.
At the end of the day, the iPhone 5s is a solid device
wrapped in a package of fluffy iSheep wool. Despite this, I would still
recommend the device to a consumer, especially if you’re already an Apple user – this one
really would be worth your money if you're looking to upgrade. If I were you, though, the first thing I would do once I
unboxed it would be to turn off Touch ID. It’s useless. As for the second thing? Put an OtterBox on it. The iPhone 5s still retains classic Apple fragility, and besides - TouchID doesn't even work with an OtterBox. How could it, when the OtterBox cases cover the button?
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