Unlocked iPhone 5 - Can someone explain?

[SimonMac]

The real differences are the software they run on and the user experience.

This is what clinched it for me, I have a MacBook and an iPad so ditching the HTC for an iPhone made the most sense to have everything under one eco system

[escapeUK]

Since someone quoted him, let me just say the user experience of any apple product is one of being unable to do the most basic things (that they dont want you to do) You know like just copy some MP3s to the memory card and play them. Or even just turn the phone on without corrupting a pc with Itunes and entering your credit card number. I have set up a few iphones for senior people at clientco, they just arent that special. They are marketed really well though, just like the Apple Macs in different colour boxes that stopped Apple from going out of business some years back.

Recently the girl in sales was looking at my HTC one quite enviously and saying she couldnt even get her iphone to play an mp3 as a ring tone. I said, isnt the screen on yours tiny. She said she regretted getting it, and she got suckered in with the hype.

[Platypus]

User experience for me too. I have an Android. I could buy another. It's not the fancy hardware that attracts me to a new phone or a larger shiny screen. It's the crappy user experience which has driven me away. A few of my Android die-hard buddies have already exclaimed in horror, called me gay and can't believe I've "sold out" to Apple World Domination Inc.

I'm buying a tool and I want one that works. Simple as that.

EDIT: playing an MP3 as a ringtone is nice, I like it, but the inability to do it isn't a show-stopper for me.

EDIT2, although playing an MP3 as a ringtone on my Android has had its ups and downs... sometimes it works, sometimes it forgets, usually after I've had the thing connected to my PC

[SimonMac]

Since someone quoted him, let me just say the user experience of any apple product is one of being unable to do the most basic things (that they dont want you to do) You know like just copy some MP3s to the memory card and play them. Or even just turn the phone on without corrupting a pc with Itunes and entering your credit card number. I have set up a few iphones for senior people at clientco, they just arent that special. They are marketed really well though, just like the Apple Macs in different colour boxes that stopped Apple from going out of business some years back.

Recently the girl in sales was looking at my HTC one quite enviously and saying she couldnt even get her iphone to play an mp3 as a ring tone. I said, isnt the screen on yours tiny. She said she regretted getting it, and she got suckered in with the hype.

So a lack of understanding from the unenlightened means that we all should be tarnished?

Music, I use iTunes and have with my iPhone and Android phone, I have smart playlists configured so that my favoruite songs are synced as well as a mix of new stuff and stuff I a haven't listened to in a while. People who deride iTunes probably don't know how to use it properly.

As for ringtones, its not that hard to get any ringtone Turn Any MP3 into an iPhone Ringtone | PCWorld

[escapeUK]

As for ringtones, its not that hard to get any ringtone Turn Any MP3 into an iPhone Ringtone | PCWorld

I looked at that exact same article before I posted the example. Nine steps, which involve converting the MP3 into a 30 second AAC, renaming the file extension etc etc. I feel this proved my point. With an Android phone I would simply go to set ring tone, press the add button and it shows every MP3 on my phone, I select it and press Ok.

I havent forgotten the time when people who bought music on iTunes had to burn it to a CD and then rip the CD to MP3. This to me will always epitomize Apple's mentality and usability of their equipment. The modern day example of this is that Apple TV is unable to play MKV the format that most films are ripped into. Why not? Because they dont supply products with the functionality that users want, only want Apple thinks they should have and can make money from.

Perhaps I am becoming an Android fanboy, this is my third HTC now. I remember showing the big apple fan boy at clientco how I could have multiple programs all running on 7 screens that I swiped to and from, looks heres my e-mail, heres my stock prices, heres the weather, heres my calendar. iPhone only has one screen still? He says, "Oh those phones are for women who cant concentrate on one thing at once" and walked off. hahaha

[VectraMan]

I havent forgotten the time when people who bought music on iTunes had to burn it to a CD and then rip the CD to MP3.

I did that with a German Audio course I bought from Audible. They promised you could burn to CD, but that involved installing iTunes on my PC, along with lots of other crap that iTunes insisted on installing (WTF is Bonjour?). Then I discovered it would only burn uncompress audio CDs. It needed 6, but it only let you do the whole lot in one go, a process which frequently crashed in the middle. It took me 5 goes and about 20 CDRs, until I finally had my 6 audio CDs and then had to begin the process of converting it all back to MP3s before finally creating the one data CD with the MP3s on it so I could play it in my car.

That's really my only experience of Apple and their "it just works" philosophy.

[SimonMac]

If you haven't ordered it yet you seem to have missed the boat, 2-3 week wait now

[BoredBloke]

Personally I'll stick with my Android. The pricing is something that gets me about apple. Until the release of the 5, they were still flogging the 3gs for over 300 quid - given that it was released in 2009 it is somewhat state of the ark!

I like their styling and battery life but hate the way you are only allowed to use it their way and that you can't use memory cards on them. So if you buy the base model that 16gb will have to do. (or 8 in the case of the iphone 4)

I'll not bother with the new one thanks

[Platypus]

If you haven't ordered it yet you seem to have missed the boat, 2-3 week wait now

I fear I did miss the boat... my order confirmation says:

Items in Your Order
iPhone 5 64GB Black & Slate (GSM), Unlocked
Dispatched: 2 weeks
Delivers: Delivers within 2-7 business days after shipping by Standard

I didn't notice a way to have it shipped any way other than "standard"

Oh well. I can wait

Update from Apple. Delivers 01 Oct, 2012 bah!