NEW YORK, Sept 24: Apple Inc. said Monday that it has sold more than 5 million units of the new iPhone 5 in the three days since its launch, less than analysts had expected.Apple shares were down $15.31, or 2.2 percent, at $684.79 in premarket trading. The iPhone 5, the most eagerly awaited phone of the year, went on sale Friday in the U.S., Germany, France, Japan and five other countries.When it launched the iPhone 4S a year ago, Apple sold 4 million in the first three days.Apple could have sold more iPhones if it had more available: demand exceeded supply for most models. Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White said the phone was sold out at 80 to 85 percent of the U.S. Apple stores he and his team contacted Sunday evening, and the ones that were still available were mostly Sprint models.
The four-inch screen, which we’ll come onto in detail shortly, is Apple’s belated nod to the industry trend for bigger displays, and means the iPhone 5 now stands a proud 123.8mm tall – width remains the same at 58.6mm.
The extra screen real-estate is welcome, though smaller-handed iPhone users might struggle to reach the standby button with a forefinger while holding it in a natural position. Th
ey might even have to stretch for the extra top row of apps. Just hold it a different way, perhaps.
Because various components have been reduced in size, the headphone socket has been moved to the bottom of the device, which comes with its pros and cons. On the plus side, your phone usually goes in your pocket nose first, which means the headphone cable has a clear run out to your ears.
On the downside, the jutting jack interferes with your hand when holding it ‘upright’. Not all apps will use the gyroscope to flip the screen 180-degrees, either, so you’ll have to get used to that.
The bottom-hugging stereo speakers have also been given a boost, the better to annoy old people on the bus as you rattle out Skream’s latest. Do your own iPhone 4S to iPhone 5 sound comparison and you’ll realise the sound is unquestionably fuller and deeper.
Then there’s the Lightening connector. In our testing, we didn’t find it any quicker for transferring content over a cable but we do prefer the new connector in terms of it being a) smaller and b) reversible.
At the time of writing, the Lightening-to-30-pin adapter wasn’t available – it sure ain’t in the box, and it’ll cost £25 on release – so we haven’t experienced how it will cope with existing docks and accessories but it’s safe to say, things could look ugly.
There are add-ons that simply won’t work with it, either – TomTom’s iPhone car kit, for example. It’s made us realise how many USB-to-30-pin cables we’ve amassed over the years and how, now, they’re all redundant, apart from servicing the new iPad and nostalgic clear outs.
