iPhone 5S

When Apple introduced changes to their company, including dropping the ‘computers’ part from their name, it felt like they were ready for the future, and with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 it became pretty clear. I couldn’t believe what I dreamed about with my friends, to have a computer in your pocket, with that is always on, always connected, and isn’t just one function, but supports things like GPS, free talk to others worldwide, and access to the world’s information bank, that a machine like that could become a truth, and affordable for consumers. For someone like me. I didn’t buy it. And not because it was lacking copy / paste support. Despite that I love technology, would love to be an early adapter, etc. I felt the world wasn’t really ready for bigger changes, look at the music industry (thanks Apple for that one as well by the way) and things like that. Telecom providers were overcharging, locking down awesome features, upselling to get all the features, and limiting bandwidth and shaping traffic that you did get. While paying a few hundred Euro too much for a first generation device that would clearly have issues, has to be outdone by itself, and still had to become mainstream. I am in no rush. A couple of years later after the introduction of support for 3g, it was time for a next generation iPhone, the iPhone 4 was introduced, retina display, their own CPU, and a new iOS. Oh, and I got a nice two year contract with t-mobile for 30 bucks, with no traffic shaping, no traffic limit, and no hidden costs. I didn’t even have to pay for visual voicemail (finally, I had a reason to turn on voicemail). This means, in about two years from purchase date, I would feel ready for an upgrade. But I told myself: You’re in no rush. And I gave it another year. That year ends in a couple of days. It was time for an upgrade. And Apple introduced the iPhone 5S (oh, and a C to replace their current iPhone 5 with). Alongside a new iOS, number 7 this time. It’s a taller screen (I can’t use the word bigger, I .. just .. can’t). And the CPU is blowing everything out of the part, the graphics performance is beyond excellent and they’ve introduced a coprocessor – oh and that’s not all: it’s 64 bit .. 64 .. fucking .. bit .. OS. The iPhone 5S is like the iPhone 4, ready for the next step, and good enough to last that long. Yes, spoiler alert: I do not regret buying it. Which brings me to my next point. When I knew I had enough time to save up money, and that the iPhone 4 would do just fine. I used the last year when I fall out of my t-mobile contract, to save up money. I got some saving boxes and started putting the left over bills in them when I got home. Sometimes I had nothing, sometimes I just got a 5 euro bill that month. Money’s really not easy for me in my position, but I had a year, and with a new contract I knew I could also afford the upgrade fee. T-mobile has me again, they can now shape my traffic and bill me for it, if I go over a couple of gigs. And I am used to unlimited. So I have to learn to keep an eye on that. Additionally, they get another 15 bucks or so, as the new contract is a bit more expensive (of course.. why not!). I had the cash, clicked some buttons, placed the order and when Apple announced that the Netherlands would have the 5S on sale on the 25th of October, I got a notice from the courier service that they will deliver it on the 25th. It arrived on time, last Friday, and again: No regrets. Why? Okay, I will explain. Every iOS6 feature that required an iPhone 4S or higher, is now available and new to me. Such as Siri (hello btw my personal assistant) and a couple of other things (including personal hotspot which my old t-mobile account didn’t ‘really’ support). iOS7 also makes more sense on the 5S than on the older 4 (can’t explain this one in just a single sentence). And not just that, new tech is always fun. Such as the convenience of unlocking using the fingerprint. The ability to use 4G (t-mobile, HURRY). Slow-mo camera (boy, quite fun). And stuff like that. But it’s the complete package. A smoother experience, better performance, more overall quality with digital media, and a slicker experience by just using it. Let’s hope I am not wrong, and that this CPU will carry me to my next upgrade, just like the 4 did.