Everyone knows that the iPhone 4 is going to be making its debut on Verizon Wireless within the next week, and many people are excited about it. What some people might not be aware of, however, is that the iPhone 5 could be but a few months away from being released. Should you wait?
Well, there have already been plenty of discussions out there about whether or not you should pick up the Verizon iPhone. Initially, I was going to jump on the opportunity to purchase an iPhone 4 the moment it was available on Verizon, but now I’m having reservations. In fact, I’m going to argue against purchasing the iPhone 4 now. I believe that the iPhone 5 will be much more technically and physically superior to the iPhone 4; these two facts alone warrants a few more months of patience.
The iPhone 5 might be the one worth waiting for. Here are a few reasons why:
1. iPhone 5 Could Support LTE
The first big thing that the iPhone 5 could have is 4G/LTE support. This would be huge. This would signify that the greatest smart phone available in the marketplace would be able to access content faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The iPhone 4 on AT&T and Verizon will operate on 3G network bands. These bands provide a limited set of bandwidth, which, alone, is decent for today’s user. However, for those of us that crave more speed, the benefits of 4G can’t be argued against.
This becomes even more apparent if you are the type of person who is on the road and doesn’t have access to WiFi connections all the time. The speed increases offered by 4G/LTE could dramatically impact your experience. Speed tests performed on Sprint’s 4G/LTE network have shown a 7 times faster download and 2 times faster upload speed improvement. So, if you are the type of person who loves to stream YouTube videos or other massive bit-crunching content, this should be a big deal to you.
If you want (or at least desire the possibility of) a better network experience, you will want to purchase the iPhone 5.
2. iPhone 5 Could Be Much More Powerful
If power is your thing and working your iPhone to the brink of its limits is commonplace, then the iPhone 5 could be your new best friend. While most of these talks are just rumors, there has been plenty of discussion about the iPhone 5 having a powerful multi-core processor. This processor would be capable of handling much more activity and usage from the user, which would also give a significant boost to those who love to run applications in the background.
It would then be easy to assume that the iPhone 5 will have much more power to perform complex graphics and 3D renderings, especially with the possibility of a more powerful dedicated graphics chip. This would appeal to gamers who regularly demand great performance and top-of-the-line graphics capabilities.
Granted, it is far too early to speculate as to how much power the iPhone 5 will really have, because we just don’t know. However, I believe it is safe to assume that the processor will be much more beefed up than in previous iterations of the iPhone. I just hope the battery can keep up.
If you want one of the most powerful smart phones in existence, you will probably want to wait to see what the iPhone 5 has in store.
3. iPhone 5 Could Offer NFC
Another unique feature about the iPhone 5 that has been widely discussed as of late is the integration of near-field communication (NFC) technology. This technology would enable the iPhone to communicate with other devices and enable your phone to become a virtual replacement for your wallet. This could revolutionize how we handle our money in the future.
Imagine walking into a Best Buy and never having to pull out your wallet. All you would need to do is to pull out your phone, wave it in front of a device, have it confirm your purchases for you, and walk out of the store happy. You never touch any money or plastic; your phone handles the entire transaction for you. Sounds cool, right?
This is NFC technology, and this is possibly one of the most controversial and hotly debated features rumored to make an appearance on the iPhone 5. The reason being is that putting NFC technology on phones is the easy part, but the difficulty comes into play when you want to get the merchants, retailers, and other parties involved. They are the ones who will need to pay the extra money to support NFC technology. It’s also a pretty big deal.
There is no doubt in my mind that Apple could make NFC work. The question isn’t if, the question is when and where. One would expect that places around Silicon Valley, New York City, and other cutting-edge metropolises will be the first ones to support NFC if it takes off. Still, it doesn’t mean much to the average joe living in the other states across the country.
In the end, NFC could be a game changer. NFC could make Apple richer than anyone could imagine. NFC could change the way you and I handle money in the future. And, most importantly, everyone seems to want in on this action. It just might be a few years before this stuff gets taken seriously. But who could argue having this stuff now?
If you want the latest and greatest technology in mobile payments, you will want the iPhone 5.
4. iPhone 5 Could Save You Money
I also know that us Apple fans love to spend money to enjoy the latest and greatest hardware from Apple. However, if you are in the market for a new iPhone and have yet to pull the trigger, you have an incredibly difficult to decision ahead of you: do you buy the iPhone 4 now or do you wait for the iPhone 5?
If you don’t currently own an iPhone 4 or 3GS currently, then your decision is more difficult because of the allure of having an iPhone 4 on, say, Verizon or for so cheap on AT&T is huge. But are you willing to accept the fact that the iPhone 5 could be much more impressive than the iPhone 4? Are you willing to accept that you’ll be stuck with an iPhone 4 over the span of two years, while everyone else is enjoying that new iPhone 5 that is possibly right around the corner?
Some of you could handle that with ease. Others — like me — always crave the latest and greatest stuff. And others, like me, have trouble accepting the fact that the things they buy now will be obsolete in a year or two. As bad as it usually is, it is further compounded by the fact that the iPhone 5 is possibly only a few months away from being announced. It just isn’t fair!
So, how does the iPhone 5 save you money? If you purchase the iPhone 4 now and regret this decision in a few months, you might lose out on some cash to upgrade after going through the hassle of selling your existing phone. Also, buyer’s remorse is a pain — trust me, I would know.
If you can hang on to your old, busted, out-of-date phone for a bit longer, you’ll probably save some cash in the long run if you crave the latest and greatest.
So give it a few months. I think the iPhone 5 will be well worth the wait.
