Anticipation is building for the new "iPhone 5," which is expected to be announced Sept. 12, amid signs it could be the biggest-selling mobile phone Apple's ever introduced.
But there may be reasons to hold off on getting the new device.
The iPhone 5, or whatever it will be officially called, will be going through a major overhaul. There will be plenty of reasons to get one -- it will be faster with quicker connectivity, have a bigger screen, perhaps better battery life and more.
But some of the changes might not be welcome by all who want one. Based on what we know so far, here are some reasons to hold off getting one right away.
-- Screen: The good news is the new iPhone screen will finally grow from its humble 3.5-inch beginnings. By today's standards, compared with such monstrous screen sizes from Android phones such as the 4.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S III, the iPhone's screen looks puny. The new iPhone could grow to 4 inches diagonally. It's not much, but Apple sees the need to compete with those bigger Android screens.
The bad news is the screen also is rumored to change its aspect ratio, or its width in relation to its height. It will go from a more squarish screen now to a longer screen that will have a 16-by-9 ratio.
That's going to be better for viewing movies because many films are shot in that ratio. But it also means current iPhone apps, which were designed for the older aspect ratio, probably will run on the new iPhone with black bars on the sides to fill in the extra screen space. People who always hated watching letter-boxed movies with black bars on the top and bottom of the screen will know how annoying that will be. Or there might be a mode to stretch the image horizontally to fill the screen, which will result in objects appearing fatter than usual.
Eventually, developers will have to re-code their apps to fill the screen, so you'll have to wait for updates to your favorites in order to see them run full screen as intended.
-- Connector: The new phone probably will have a new, smaller connector to connect it to a computer, doing away with the standard 32-pin connector that has been the staple for Apple's iPhones for years.
As a result, any accessories you have that use that connector -- such as docks, stereos, special add-on devices and more -- will no longer be compatible with the new phone.
Yes, Apple will probably release a new adapter that goes from the new connector to the old connector to help mitigate problems, but it will cost extra. And it's not going to necessarily work with docks for stereos or clock radios.
-- Cases: The new phone is going to change its size and shape because the screen is getting longer. So you'll have to buy a new case or any other accessory into which you put the phone -- another hidden cost.
-- Bugs: We've come to realize that Apple makes major changes to its phone about every two years, which brings us to the new iPhone. And when changes this big come, we can expect more bugs than usual.
Remember when the iPhone 4 came out and there was a huge issue with the external antenna when the device was in a user's hand? Apple finally fixed it with the next version, the iPhone 4S, but with every new iteration, there are growing pains. Expect them this time, too.
-- 4G: The new iPhone will have to include 4G LTE connectivity to compete with Android phones. That's the faster wireless data technology that is a follow-up to 3G and is on most new phones today. Apple has always said it was waiting for 4G to become more widespread, and now it is.
But there's one problem. AT&T has not yet launched its 4G LTE network in some areas, and it might not until the end of the year.
If AT&T isn't able to act sooner and you're an AT&T customer, you may not be able to use the 4G receiver that's expected to be built into the new iPhone. What good is one of the new phone's key advancements if you can't use it?
Contact reporter Vince Horiuchi at vince@sltrib.com.
jonnymo posted at 12:05 am on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
Really? This is your attempt at adverting people from buying the iPhone 5? You guys need another job because this was a really sad article. Terrible attempt guys. There's no stopping the flood that is about to help catapult Apple's monstrous 636+ Billion worth to the trillion. You really have no expertise at giving advice at what anyone should do when it comes to Apple and mobile phones. If what you are saying even makes the slightest bit of sense, we'll see on release day, but we won't. The thing is, people buy the iPhone because it's the best and there is a reason they call them fanboys and fangirls. Try again, but this time do better than this feeble attempt. Sad, just really sad.
Nicolas posted at 12:10 am on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
I get the idea of what this article is going after. And yes, those rumors are most likely truth. Although, the iPhone 5 has not even be truly announced yet. For all you know, apple could have a whole new feature in IOS 6 that allows old iphone apps great adaptation to the new screen size. Basically, what i am saying here is you only know so much, which is technically all rumors. You can't justify saying "put off buying the new iPhone 5" from rumors.
c3c1L1a posted at 12:15 am on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
While fairly well written, I find this to be an extremely negative article, which also gives poor advice.
We all know that the rate of technological advancement is increasing at an exponential rate. So why hold off on 'investing' in newer models? You could sell your iPhone 4S for a decent $200-$300 right now, or you could wait another year for the IPHONE 6!!! and sell it for $50. Why why why would you do this? The best way to go about things economically in this day & age is to buy & sell as quickly as possible.
BUY the new iPhone ASAP people!
c3c1L1a posted at 12:27 am on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
Also, do you really feel this way? Why hold off? What is going to happen in a year when the next iPhone is revealed and you have to buy the new connectors/docks/hardware for that? [The same ones you are going to have to buy for iphone 5]. Are you going to keep using your iPhone 4 forever so you don't have to buy a new cable?
For that reason alone, I will repeat that this article offers terrible advice and was clearly written by someone unfamiliar with "the new school".
wdgnas posted at 7:14 am on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
i would buy the new iphone for one reason and one reason only. you can see the difference between the old iphones and the new one almost immediately. wouldn't want anyone to think i was 'old school'.
AlenB posted at 8:11 am on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
OK, the reason number one not to buy Apple iPhone is simple.
If you buy it you whole heartedly support the biggest monopolists the world has ever known.
c3c1L1a posted at 9:19 pm on Sun, Sep 9, 2012.
@wdgnas haha/agreed? can't tell if that's sarcastic or legit ;)
wdgnas posted at 7:05 am on Mon, Sep 10, 2012.
c3c1L1a: tongue planted firmly in cheek.
Arizona Willie posted at 4:07 pm on Tue, Sep 11, 2012.
I have 5 good reasons for not buying an Iphone.
A.
P.
P.
L.
E.