Apple have long dominated the smartphone market with their iPhones and in fact you could even argue that they practically created that market when they unleashed their first iPhone.
Now they are on the precipice of releasing yet another iteration of the popular brand, as they have done many times before, but will it be the same old story of unbridled success or will the competition finally catch up with them and make life more difficult for Apple?
Apple are facing perhaps more challenges with the launch of the iPhone 5 (which still isn't 'officially' the name yet even) than they ever have done before, and without Jobs at the helm, will they still be able to cope? Here we will look at the answers to those questions and whether or not the iPhone 5 looks set to be a winner once again.
The Good
On the one hand, it's fair to say that the iPhone 5 has a rather rich heritage and a very loyal fan base. Like the next marvel or Transformers film, all Apple really has to do is release something and they know that they'll have a core audience who will buy up. Despite this though, Apple have decided to do more than just show up and early looks at the specs and stats suggest that this phone will offer something different and new still to punters.
On the one hand the iPhone 5 is going to sport a larger retina screen that uses the optimal dimensions for widescreen films and TV. Another exciting feature for the phone meanwhile is the all-but-confirmed inclusion of 4G LTE which will allow for noticeably much faster download times as long as your area supports the feature.
Then there's the impressive looking new in-house maps which offer 3D fly-around views of the city and turn-by-turn navigation (finally). Of course there will be the usual updates and polish to the iOS and Siri as well as a funky new outward appearance.
The Bad
But the question is, will this be enough? The smartphone market is currently more competitive than it has ever been with more options and variations available than ever before. There are Galaxy Notes with huge screens and styli, there are 3D phones, there are phones with in-built projectors and there are phones that run exciting new software like the Windows 7 phones.
When you put all this into perspective, the lack of innovation that Apple have shown over the last five generations of iPhone is starting to show. The iPhone is still an impressive piece of kit no dout, but to look at and use it's really nothing new...
Then there's the alleged lawsuit that Apple may face from Samsung and HTC who have patents dealing with that vaunted 4G LTE technology which might even be enough to get a ban on the iPhone 5 in the US in the near future.
Couple this with battery concerns over at Apple, and the fact that public opinion of the company seems to be at a low following their last high profile court case and suddenly you have a situation where for the first time Apple could be in trouble.
They still have their brand power, they still have Siri, and they still have the retina display. This is still a premium phone with a sterling reputation that does what it promises and more – but will it be enough to warrant another very expensive phone that is essentially the same as the last four?
Robbie CroweAbout the Guest Author:
Robbie Crowe is an avid tech blogger who periodically reviews the latest gadgets through his blogs. In his blogs he has mentioned how to jailbreak my iphone 4s with ease.
