iPhone5

[Karina1974]

I went out with a huge bunch of folks last night, some of whom had the Samsung Galaxy S III (a much-hyped competitor) and were decidedly underwhelmed with the Samsung.

I have the Galaxy S II, which is one of the phones that put Crapple's panties in a twist and spawned that joke of a patent case that they never should have won. The first "smartphone" I ever heard of was the Treo from 2004 - maybe they should be sueing all the companies who started making them after that. Crapple is mad because Samsung took the top spot in smartphone sales away from them. I notice that when Microsoft came out with the Zune (basically an iPod Touch with HD Radio added) they didn't get sued, but only because it never outsold the iPod.

I'm curious as to why you (or they) were "underwhelmed" by the S III. I, personally, would be underwhelmed by using a phone that in total size is the size of my phone's screen (maybe Samsung should sue Crapple for copying their larger screens with the iPhone5 ). I've also found a lot of articles on Google that point out the lack of customization offered by the iPhone as compared to Android phones. I have 7 screens where I have my app shortcuts arranged in ABC order, first tools and then games grouped separately, with the tools I use the most often on the home screen. The Zedge app provides me with free images that I use for home/lock screens. I would go nuts if I got stuck with a phone that doesn't allow for customization.

[milanessa]

So now what phone one chooses to use is some sort of "my phone's better than your phone" competition?

[allezfred]

The only reason I got an iPhone was because all the other smartphones I looked at had screens that were way too big and I wouldn't be able to fit them in my pocket.

[cruisin]

Just did the download on my 4S iPhone - it was fast and I'm liking it a lot so far . Now waiting on my iPad.

Please post and let us know if you have any app problems with your iPad, after you update.

I plan on replacing, my Incredible soon too. I'm sticking with Android, though. I have an iPad and don't want an iPhone. My deal breaker is that iPhones don't have microSD slots. Because I take so many pictures with my phone, I want them saved to an SD card, in case something happens to the phone.

Others have already answered this, but I will reinforce that you should just update your iCloud before you change phones. The photos I take on my phone will only go to iCloud if I am connected to wireless. So, make sure you check your iPad to see if the photos have gone into your iPad photo stream. If not, just connect to your wireless and have the iPad on.

As for the infamous maps, they were better than I feared for my area but there were some inaccuracies with POIs - for example a neighborhood bar was placed a couple blocks away. I'd hate to be outside the US for sure!

I find map inaccuracies on all navigation systems. My car navigation system, being the worst. Though it is 5 years old.

The last time I used TomTom was in Croatia and it sent me and a friend on an alternative route to the main toll road that turned into a single-lane, dirt track through a forest, with a sheer cliff about two feet from the right edge of the car and warnings about unexploded mines along the left side. For some odd reason, that experience makes me reluctant to trust TomTom navigation.

It may have had nothing to do with Tom Tom. Some areas in Europe have signal problems. When I was in Italy, 2 years ago, we drove to Siena. The navigation system was not Tom Tom, but I forget what it was. Anyway, the system had us trying to drive through the city of Siena to get to our hotel. You can't drive in the walled city. It had us driving in circles for over an hour, we were 5 minutes from the hotel. We finally called the hotel and they talked us in. They explained that the area around Siena is all screwed up for navigation, that it doesn't work. The care rental people might have mentioned that , since it is well known, and they knew where we were going. Apparently there are other areas with the same issue.

I'm scared to update as I know a few people who've lost their contacts on their phone.

I lost nothing.

When it updates does it delete the Google maps and Youtube apps from the phone?

I don't use Youtube on my phone, so I don't really miss it. The Google maps on the phone does not have voice navigation, so it's useless if I'm driving. The new Apple maps seems to work well. Siri connects to it well. Of course, this came out a month after I paid $9.00 for a voice navigation app.

[Scintillation]

I was perusing Verizon's website and they are offering gift cards to customers who trade in their old iPhone for the 5. Since I have the iPhone 4, I could get $140, which will definitely make buying the 5 less painful. I currently have the 16GB version and while it's fine, I'm kind of tired of moving music off and on because I don't have enough space for everything. I want the 32GB version this time around.
My sister works for Apple and said I might be able to get them to match Verizon's offer--I'm going to visit the store today and see what they say.
I feel bad for my old iPod--it's currently sitting on my nightstand, slowly collecting dust.

[hydro]

Really? So it means I didn't lose all my photos when my iPhone was stolen last week? That was the thing I was very sorry to lose.

I am on the waitlist for 5. They said it would take a while, whatever that means.

If you have iCloud enabled, everything should be backed up to the cloud. Your photos might be on your computer, too, if you sync you phone with one.

You could try logging in to iCloud.com to check on your account using your Apple ID and password.

ETA:
The new Youtube App is way better than the old one, it comes right from Google. It's already in the App store to download for free, so no worries on losing Youtube.

Maps, otoh, is a completely different issue. Apple really didn't have a choice since map data is crowd-sourced. The Maps app will only get better with time as more people use it and the data gets stronger. It's unfortunate they couldn't work things out with Google, but hopefully it'll get improved quickly.

[UMBS Go Blue]

* You don't have to lose Google Maps: go to Google Maps in your iPhone's browser and add it as a bookmark (icon) to the home screen. There also may be a stand-alone Google Map app in a short period of time.

* You don't have to lose the YouTube app: there's already a new stand-alone app for it.

* You don't have to lose anything from your previous iPhone: when you get your new iPhone, just restore it from the last backup of your previous iPhone (and for me, backups occur almost daily, generally every time I hook up the phone to my laptop, because I had my backups saved to my laptop and not to iCloud). Every single aspect of the old phone - photos, contacts, bookmarks, home screen customization (apps arranged in the exact order and groupings that I'd had them, and main screen/home screen images the exact same as before), app notifications and settings, even notes - synced seamlessly from my old iPhone. Moreover, the restore process took about 1-2 hours for about 14.5GB worth of data from my old iPhone, something that took a painful 6+ hours on my old iPhone 3G.

IceAlisa, if you still have your computer, then even if you weren't backing up your old iPhone to iCloud, then you had to have been backing up your old iPhone to whatever computer you usually dock it to / have iTunes on.

[Tesla]

I'll probably stick with an Android phone. I really like the customization. In addition to my ipad, my husband has an ipod. I love my Android, even though the software updated mucked up a few things, but I blame HTC for that. I don't know how much the iphone costs (I'm on Verizon), but having gotten an ipad this year, I don't feel right spending $200+ for a smart phone (even though I'll probably want too ).

[NancyNC]

I went out with a huge bunch of folks last night, some of whom had the Samsung Galaxy S III (a much-hyped competitor) and were decidedly underwhelmed with the Samsung[/URL].

Really? I have had the GS3 for about 6 weeks now and I'm unabashedly in love with it LOL. I didn't have the Galaxy 2 so can't compare it to that, but it is soooooo much better than my old Motorola Droid X2 (2 years old). I especially like the size - I have really big hands and it fits great.

[PrincessLeppard]

My iPad is the first generation. I plugged it in yesterday to update it, but nothing happened.

Maybe it's too old.

[flyingsit]

My iPad is the first generation. I plugged it in yesterday to update it, but nothing happened.

Maybe it's too old.

I think so, same thing happened to me. It tells me that it has the most current software (version 5.something or other).

[UMBS Go Blue]

I especially like the size - I have really big hands and it fits great.

Nice!

Different folks are going to prefer different things, and when comparing most objective hardware stats and specs, then the S III wins out marginally.

If it comes down to a subjective OS and UI preference, then for some folks Apple might be the winner.

[Mayra]

Maps, otoh, is a completely different issue. Apple really didn't have a choice since map data is crowd-sourced. The Maps app will only get better with time as more people use it and the data gets stronger. It's unfortunate they couldn't work things out with Google, but hopefully it'll get improved quickly.

Maps seems to be the biggest gripe with the new update, but I agree with you that it can only get stronger as more people use it. It has a lot of potential IMO. It's not without it's quirks and glaring mistakes, but we tested it yesterday and it re-routed us pretty quickly when we took a short cut or two. The 3D is pretty awesome and it continues to give you directions even when you switch over to answer a text in another screen(mind you I was the passenger). It displays the distance to your exit, turn etc and updates as you go along...500 feet, 200ft, 5 ft etc. Overall I thought it was pretty neat.

Re: iCloud and photo stream
Make sure you enable photo stream on your iCloud settings. I always thought my pictures were saving on iCloud only to discover that they weren't because I never turned it on in iCloud. Luckily my phone was backed up via my computer and didn't lose anything in the switch over to iOS6.

[IceAlisa]

If you have iCloud enabled, everything should be backed up to the cloud. Your photos might be on your computer, too, if you sync you phone with one.

You could try logging in to iCloud.com to check on your account using your Apple ID and password.

Thank you.

Just looked on the cloud--just my contacts. And of course I didn't sync, may be just once a long time ago. But lesson learned.

[UGG]

I have the 4. I swear i am always 2 iphones behind it seems. I just did the update with no issues-I don't get the voice navigation though since I don't have the 4S.

[Lara]

My iPad is the first generation. I plugged it in yesterday to update it, but nothing happened.

Maybe it's too old.

Unfortunately you're right - there's no iOS 6 for the first iPad. It's lacking in RAM which is likely the reason, but you'd think they could at least give the same functions as the 3GS iPhone considering it's less old...

btw, for those who prefer Android but want something more iPhone sized (and are on Verizon), the new Motorola RAZR M is a decent choice.

[Tesla]

btw, for those who prefer Android but want something more iPhone sized (and are on Verizon), the new Motorola RAZR M is a decent choice.

I was looking at that one. It's less expensive than the Razr Maxx, but I wonder about the camera. I take a lot of pictures with my phone, so I'd like a good camera. I currently have an Incredible, and after the software update, it likes to crash and reboot the phone, but not on a regular basis. It also takes too long to snap a picture.

[luna_skater]

I upgraded to iOS6 on my 3GS and had no problems. I friends who have the 4 and 4S and lost contacts, photos, and text messages. So if you haven't upgraded yet, I recommend backing up your phone first.

It boggles my mind that people are in such a tizzy over the maps thing. As others have suggested, all you have to do is bookmark Google maps on your home screen. As for accuracy, Google maps has also sent me on wild goose chases on more than one occasion, so I tend to triple check destination routes before leaving the house if I'm going somewhere completely foreign.

My contact is almost up, so I am counting down the seconds until I can upgrade to the 5!

[cruisin]

Apple recommends doing an update on iCloud and making sure you have the latest version of iTunes.

[sk8pics]

One of my co-workers got his iPhone5 on Friday and he allowed me to touch it today. So much lighter than my iPhone4! He has a really nice case for it, too. He is actually a diehard PC guy, and he hates all things Apple except for the iPhone. He always jailbreaks it so he can totally customize it. He has a few hundred apps, all stored in groups, so all the outermost icons are on one screen.

He told me the 4G LTE (if that's the right terminology ) is blazing fast on AT&T near us. And he was able to keep his unlimited data plan.

I will get one next month some time. Need to find out some answers regarding work email before I upgrade. But it is killing me to wait!