Robb Mann wrote:
New 5s is definately evolutionary. I like how apple held at 8mp, but webt with a larger sensor and bigger lens. Fingerprint reader is cool, especially if it works.

I dunno about the fingerprint sensor.  I guess time will tell to see how easily it's circumvented. There was a great mythbusters episode dedicated to fingerprint sensors.  The outcome was.. bleak.

I wouldn't mind the ability to require *both* a fingerprint *and* a code I guess.  But for me the code is sufficient (i've changed my to have a longer code than the default 4 digits for added security).

I do like the idea of being able to authenticate for app store purchases with a fingerprint, however.  My Apple ID password is 16 digits long.. it's a bit of a pain to type it in.  Maybe this will fix some of the problems of children racking up in app purchases.  All depends on the implementation.

The new phone seems nice for what it is.  I do like the 120fps camera as well as the burst mode.  The new 64 bit architecture is cool -- not terribly useful in a phone I guess but it bodes well for future iPad-like devices.  I still don't like the bigger screen.  I upgraded to a 5 out of necessity last year but I would really prefer to have a phone with the screen size of a 4 but the general engineering and tech of the 5.  The new motion sensing stuff is really cool for those people who like things like the fitbit, et al.  Now app writers can use the phone for that rather than the user needing a second device.

The 5S isn't for me since I've still got quite a bit of life left in my 5 before I pass it down to one of my parents -- I'll probably have the 6 or 6S.  I think it will sell quite well.

the 5C is interesting.  It's just a 5 with a plastic case.  They're just continuing the tradition of the old model being the mid-range offering and the really old model being the budget offering.  People will like the colours options I'm sure. The new case is apple's way of keeping margins up.  By all accounts it has a nice, rigid feel while not being slippery or "cheap" feeling.

Overall it's typical for an "S" launch.  Maybe a little bit more than usual with the fingerprint sensor.

As for iOS 7.. I'm still under NDA as a developer so I can't/won't comment until the 18th

Wye wrote:

I dunno about the fingerprint sensor.  I guess time will tell to see how easily it's circumvented. There was a great mythbusters episode dedicated to fingerprint sensors.  The outcome was.. bleak.

I wouldn't mind the ability to require *both* a fingerprint *and* a code I guess.  But for me the code is sufficient (i've changed my to have a longer code than the default 4 digits for added security).

I do like the idea of being able to authenticate for app store purchases with a fingerprint, however.  My Apple ID password is 16 digits long.. it's a bit of a pain to type it in.  Maybe this will fix some of the problems of children racking up in app purchases.  All depends on the implementation.

The new phone seems nice for what it is.  I do like the 120fps camera as well as the burst mode.  The new 64 bit architecture is cool -- not terribly useful in a phone I guess but it bodes well for future iPad-like devices.  I still don't like the bigger screen.  I upgraded to a 5 out of necessity last year but I would really prefer to have a phone with the screen size of a 4 but the general engineering and tech of the 5.  The new motion sensing stuff is really cool for those people who like things like the fitbit, et al.  Now app writers can use the phone for that rather than the user needing a second device.

The 5S isn't for me since I've still got quite a bit of life left in my 5 before I pass it down to one of my parents -- I'll probably have the 6 or 6S.  I think it will sell quite well.

the 5C is interesting.  It's just a 5 with a plastic case.  They're just continuing the tradition of the old model being the mid-range offering and the really old model being the budget offering.  People will like the colours options I'm sure.

Overall it's typical for an "S" launch.  Maybe a little bit more than usual with the fingerprint sensor.

As for iOS 7.. I'm still under NDA as a developer so I can't/won't comment until the 18th

I kinda wonder how well the fingerprint sensor will work for those of us who use an Otterbox case. 

Personally, I'm waiting for an iPad announcement

DougBPhoto wrote:

I kinda wonder how well the fingerprint sensor will work for those of us who use an Otterbox case. 

I suspect there will be an updated case for the 5S with a clear plastic window for the home button (similar to what covers the screen) rather than the thick plastic cover in the current versions.  Time will tell.

Robb Mann wrote:
New 5s is definately evolutionary. I like how apple held at 8mp, but webt with a larger sensor and bigger lens. Fingerprint reader is cool, especially if it works.

your definition of evolutionary is, to put it bluntly; evolutionary.

my atrix 4g had a fingerprint reader three years ago. it was stupid then, just as it still is now.

i don't know how or why people buy these things. they are so far behind the curve that it's almost embarrassing. the appeal to the chinese market (with the budget model) is especially comical.

DOUGLASFOTOS wrote:
Iphone 5s  does the s mean...suckers, or same.

i think the s means sino

GK photo wrote:
the appeal to the chinese market (with the budget model) is especially comical.

What budget model?  There has been essentially no change in the pricing tiers for the iPhones.  All that has changed is which phones fit in which tier.

Prior to today it was:

iPhone 4 - $450
iPhone 4S - $599
iPhone 5 - $699


Now it is:
iPhone 4S - $450
iPhone 5C - $599
iPhone 5S - $719


(all prices above are Canadian dollars, unlocked, no contract)

There's no budget model now anymore than there was before.  If someone wants a "low cost" iPhone they can have the 4S ($450 or $0 with a carrier contract). This has always been their business model.  What's new this year is that they have discontinued the 5 in favor of the 5C -- essentially the same guts but (presumably) easier and cheaper to manufacture.

GK photo wrote:

your definition of evolutionary is, to put it bluntly; evolutionary.

my atrix 4g had a fingerprint reader three years ago. it was stupid then, just as it still is now.

i don't know how or why people buy these things. they are so far behind the curve that it's almost embarrassing. the appeal to the chinese market (with the budget model) is especially comical.

No one is saying that Apple invented anything.

Of course fingerprint scanners aren't new.  Laptops have had them for a long time.  As have some phones as you have explained.

It's the implementation of it and the transparency that is the interesting thing here.  It's not a tiny obtrusive bar that you have to run your finger over.  It's invisible to the user.  It's part of the button on the phone that you often use anyway. 

The Galaxy S4 has the ability to collect motion data, just like the M7 chip will, but what has Samsung done with that ability?  I'm asking because I literally don't know.

I just watched the S4 launch event, and after I cleaned up all the cheese that oozed out of my television, I decided that Samsung had some pretty good ideas, but I just wonder how many of them are useful.  Like multi-audio play on up to 8 phones from one phone.  I suppose that would be cool in some very unique situations, but do people do this just to experience it once, and then never do it again, or is there some kind of useful situation where this is nice to have?

During the Apple event today, Jony stated (I'm paraphrasing) that that put only technology into the 5S that was determined to be useful.  So perhaps Apple does just pay attention to what everyone else has done and then redoes it in a better way, pretending that they invented it.  So what.  I think the point here is that they figure out a way to make seemingly useless tech useful.

A compass is a pretty stupid thing to have in a phone.  Unless it's used in conjunction with GPS and a learning function that anticipates what you're supposed to be doing at that moment and can alert you that you're not going where you're supposed to be going. 

a 64 bit operating system for a phone that probably doesn't have more than 2GB of addressable memory seems like overkill too.  But who knows what coding and registers are being called upon with the new software.  If it's a more efficient processor that can perform operations faster, then the design is worth it.

I'm not really an Apple zealot.  I can see through the marketing hype.  But I can't deny that the iPhone 5, and by default, the iPhone 5S is a beautiful phone.  Call me weird, but the aesthetics of the device is important to me.  It's the most handled and used device I own.  It SHOULD be something I find pleasing to look at and touch and hold.

The S3 and S4 are both giant plastic-y feeling things that I'm sure I'd love if I chose to "get used to".  But if I'm happy with Apple's devices year after year, cycle after cycle, why should I bother switching?

Literally, the only thing that Apple could do to their phones to make me happier is to give it up and put a damn microSD slot in them.  But then, that would obviously seriously cut into their profit margins for the higher capacity iPhones. 

I'll very likely upgrade to the 5S (I'm due for an upgrade in my plan) unless there are some very serious flaws discovered with the new hardware.

Good Egg Productions wrote:
A compass is a pretty stupid thing to have in a phone.  Unless it's used in conjunction with GPS and a learning function that anticipates what you're supposed to be doing at that moment and can alert you that you're not going where you're supposed to be going.

it's a very useful function, even without gps. it's actually one of the most overlooked aspects of modern phones. any compass is a vital tool.

GK photo wrote:

it's a very useful function, even without gps. it's actually one of the most overlooked aspects of modern phones. any compass is a vital tool.

i agree. I use mine all the time -- mainly on set when trying to figure out where the sun will be in the sky on a particular day and time.

Wye wrote:

i agree. I use mine all the time -- mainly on set when trying to figure out where the sun will be in the sky on a particular day and time.

that's a perfect example. imagine being underground in a symmetrical office building looking at plans and trying to figure which elevation you're looking at.

if cell phones came with mirrors, a knife and a toothpick, they'd be indispensable.

GK photo wrote:

that's a perfect example. imagine being underground in a symmetrical office building looking at plans and trying to figure which elevation you're looking at.

if cell phones came with mirrors, a knife and a toothpick, they'd be indispensable.

http://www.thetasklab.com/task-one-multi-tool-case

no mirror or toothpick sadly.

London Fog wrote:
I'll stay with my 4s until they release the 6 or 6s, or even 7!

if anyone wants a mint 4s, the prices are dropping like flies on cl today. the cult is squirming.

Wye wrote:
i agree. I use mine all the time -- mainly on set when trying to figure out where the sun will be in the sky on a particular day and time.

You shoot in unfamiliar areas often or?

GK photo wrote:

if anyone wants a mint 4s, the prices are dropping like flies on cl today. the cult is squirming.

Typical GK

GK photo wrote:
your definition of evolutionary is, to put it bluntly; evolutionary.

Not at all. His use of evolutionary is pretty traditional; there's no evolution in the way he used the word.

GK photo wrote:
i don't know how or why people buy these things.

We know you don't. You make a point of saying so pretty much every time something from Apple is mentioned.

It's a phone. It has some new (to it) features/enhancements. Are they useful? Is the new unit cost-effective? Are they a better choice than the alternatives? Those are useful questions.

Pointing out that you're still as incapable of understanding as you admitted to earlier isn't really useful.

You might want to have that patellar reflex looked into.

GK photo wrote:
it's a very useful function, even without gps. it's actually one of the most overlooked aspects of modern phones. any compass is a vital tool.

Wye wrote:
i agree. I use mine all the time -- mainly on set when trying to figure out where the sun will be in the sky on a particular day and time.

I use mine all the time, too - mostly to reorient myself as to which direction the storm is coming from at night.

j3_photo wrote:

You shoot in unfamiliar areas often or?

It's not generally the location that's unfamiliar (though that can definitely be an issue).. its about everything coming together (location, set pieces, set elements and sun/shadows).

I'll give you an example:

We had set up a scene with a car being held by a crane for a stunt (car was dropping with stunt performers inside).  Due to a variety of issues there was only one place we could put the crane.  In that place and at that time, the crane cast a shadow directly over the car.  Not good. So we needed to know when the sun will have moved far enough that the shadow would clear the car and also when the sun could cast other shadows (neighbouring buildings) onto the car.


So.. I grabbed my handy dandy app (Sun Surveyor is my app of choice) and put it into VR mode.  That allows me to point the phone's camera at the sky and it will overlay a virtual sun as I change the time of day.  I can "look around" and see where the sun will be at time X.  This gives me the window of opportunity for shooting with a clear scene.  So I could tell the director: "The car will be clear at 10:30 and it will stay clear until 12:30.  We can go shoot something else for a couple hours and we can come back and get this stunt later".  Saves bundles of money rather than having the crew stand around.

In ye olde movie making times (you know.. the 90s) the Director of Photography would pull out some charts and an actual compass to make similar calculations.  Worked quite well but was definitely not as interactive or quick.

It also helps when, for example, we need to put up a big green screen and we need to know if it's going to end up casting a huge shadow over the set, etc.

FlirtynFun Photography wrote:
my IPhone 5 rings when someone calls, I can get texts, take photos of receipts or my dog doing something crazy and I can email and use apps....I see no need to upgrade every time someone comes out with a new phone.

Most people don't.  I generally upgrade every other phone (ie. once every 2 years or so).  I give my still fully functional phone to one of my parents who in turn use it for another 2 years until I'm ready to upgrade again.  I think they even hand it down one further time... I'm pretty sure one of my mom's friends still has my 3G.

I skipped the 3GS and the 4S.  Unless I break my 5 irreparably I don't see needing/wanting a new one until at least the 6 and possibly even the 6S.  Maybe apple will come to their senses by then and start offering the old 3.5" screen as an option

Art Silva Photography wrote:
iOS7 is powered with a 64bit A7 chip with a separate M7 motion chip... That is crazy for production and gaming.

That and the camera sensor and 2.2 aperture, and the multi level Touch ID/home button is a welcome improvement.

I had jumped to Android a year ago and it crashes and lags compared to my old iPhones. I may have to reconsider after todays announcements.

I would actually like to see the next iPad mini with these specs cuz that'll save me money on data plans as I'd rather have a separate cheaper dedicated device for phone/text and another for everything else with a larger screen.
I don't like mixing the two but that's just me 

I fail to understand why you have problems with Android and I don't.   

Robb Mann wrote:
Cant believe there are no iphone threads in OT. Unless they've been locked already...

New 5s is definately evolutionary. I like how apple held at 8mp, but webt with a larger sensor and bigger lens. Fingerprint reader is cool, especially if it works.

I'll probably upgrade, but only because apple refuses to replace the battery in my 4s, which now gets 3 1/2 hours of use between charges.

You're not paying attention.

https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=903175

Robb Mann wrote:
New 5s is definitely evolutionary.

?????????????? A fingerprint scanner makes it evolutionary? other than that, it doesn't really have anything that other phones haven't had for awhile now, and even then, the screen is still smaller and lower-resolution than others.

Robb Mann wrote:
I'll probably upgrade, but only because apple refuses to replace the battery in my 4s, which now gets 3 1/2 hours of use between charges.

Why would they refuse to replace the battery?  I've never tried to have one replaced...but it seems odd they'd refuse to do service on their device.

Wye wrote:
As for iOS 7.. I'm still under NDA as a developer so I can't/won't comment until the 18th

Can you or and we'll take it from there?

DougBPhoto wrote:

I kinda wonder how well the fingerprint sensor will work for those of us who use an Otterbox case. 

Personally, I'm waiting for an iPad announcement

I'm guessing the fingerprint reader will NOT be required.  It'll be allowed to have it disabled and then you can opt for the passcode or no security at all.

Christopher Hartman wrote:

I'm guessing the fingerprint reader will NOT be required.  It'll be allowed to have it disabled and then you can opt for the passcode or no security at all.

Quite right.  You can toggle on/off the finger print sensor for both the lock screen and the itunes store independently.  If I were to have such a device I would turn off the former and turn on the latter.  I prefer being able to conveniently "forget" the code to my phone if necessary

Jerry Nemeth wrote:

I fail to understand why you have problems with Android and I don't.   

And I don't understand why people have problems with iPhones and I don't...actually, I do understand.

I have a belief that people can be compatible/incompatible with certain devices or brands.

This is why you'll have people that buy a GM car, have nothing but problems, buy a Ford and everything is right in the world.  And vise versa.

Windows vs Mac

Coke vs Pepsi

Epson vs Canon

Canon vs Nikon

Playstation vs Xbox

iPhone vs Androids

Some people, no matter how how they try, sometimes just do not understand how to be effective with some brands or devices.  So the brand/device is blamed for the failure because when they use something else, it works fine for them.

Wye wrote:
Quite right.  You can toggle on/off the finger print sensor for both the lock screen and the itunes store independently.  If I were to have such a device I would turn off the former and turn on the latter.  I prefer being able to conveniently "forget" the code to my phone if necessary

I just thought of a good reason to have it on from the lock screen.

if you're in an accident, the first responders won't need your passcode, they can just press your finger to the phone and start calling your family. And then buy apps they think you should have on your phone so you don't have accidents again.

Sleepy Weasel wrote:

?????????????? A fingerprint scanner makes it evolutionary? other than that, it doesn't really have anything that other phones haven't had for awhile now, and even then, the screen is still smaller and lower-resolution than others.

Maybe you don't understand the argument of evolutionary vs. revolutionary when it comes to tech products.

The 5s is an evolutionary because it doesn't change anything. It only has a few new upgrades and faster processor.
The iPad was revolutionary. It was a new product in a new sector and has literally changed both the market and how we consume media and information.

The original iPhone was revolutionary. As was the introduction of the App Store.  But it's been a long time since a phone could be considered revolutionary.

Christopher Hartman wrote:
I just thought of a good reason to have it on from the lock screen.

Or you can just set your lock screen wallpaper to a Google Voice "burner" phone number that simultaneously rings your emergency contacts.

Good Egg Productions wrote:

Maybe you don't understand the argument of evolutionary vs. revolutionary when it comes to tech products.

The 5s is an evolutionary because it doesn't change anything. It only has a few new upgrades and faster processor.
The iPad was revolutionary. It was a new product in a new sector and has literally changed both the market and how we consume media and information.

The original iPhone was revolutionary. As was the introduction of the App Store.  But it's been a long time since a phone could be considered revolutionary.

OK, if you think adding a simple feature to a device makes it evolutionary, then by your definition, I guess I don't understand what that means--or else EVERY sequel device that comes out from anyone is evolutionary, making the comment that it's evolutionary meaningless.