There’s no doubt that today’s most coveted smartphone is the iPhone. When it comes to a game-changing smartphone that inspires a slew of imitators, Apple is the brand on top for sure. The latest release of the iPhone 5, along with a number of other Apple products, was highly anticipated by businessmen and common consumers alike owing to the overall flexibility, efficiency, and reliability of this particular brand of smartphone.
The Raves
The iPhone 5 sold a staggering 5 million units on release weekend alone—the only thing stopping the electronics giant from selling even more of these phones was the limited supply. Even then, they are projecting to sell anywhere within the 6-10 million range. Apple fans were going ballistic, camping out in store lines, and waiting anxiously for FedEx delivery—and there have been quite a few online temper tantrums online about pre-orders and waiting for iPhones.
All seemed well…until everyone actually got their hands on one and put them to the test. That’s when people started to realize what exactly they had.
The Rants
The problems started rolling in and the first reports of the bugs started streaming into various tech sites, fueled by some very unhappy consumers:
- Screen problems – The screen issues seem to still plague the iPhones. Sure, the iPhone 5 boasts of the dazzling retina display and the larger dpi, but there is no point to the screen’s quality if it’s not even illuminating properly. According to video evidence and other reports, the iPhone 5’s screen would flicker for seemingly no reason. The flickering (similar to that of a fluorescent lamp) happens while the device is in use. Another point of concern is that some users are pointing out that there is an odd “bubble effect” that happens on iPhone screens when one presses it hard enough. Apple’s forum shows a number of users pointing out backlight issues as well.
- Scratchgate – This is by far one of the biggest issues to crop up online about the new phone. The iPhone 5’s back is aluminum, and while it does give a nice finish, that may not do much in terms of protecting the phone. After multiple tests and widespread complaints from users, it was proven that the iPhone 5 is far more susceptible to damage than its predecessor, iPhone 4S, which has a glass back. This is very unfortunate, as many users like to keep their phones in their bags and in pockets with a lot of other things that can scratch the surface. It doesn’t take a lot to scratch this phone, and users are even saying that the scratches come right from out of the box.
- The Maps –this is such a big point of contention that even government Twitter accounts have gotten in on—it’s currently a widespread online joke. The iPhone comes with iOS 6, and with the iOS 6 comes an upgrade to the maps feature that everyone is finding ludicrous. The company had pulled out Google Maps’ highly detailed and efficient maps program and replaced it with the fledgling Apple maps, which is much less-detailed and less reliable, with Inception-esque terrain warping in the 3D.
More and more problems are rolling in. It looks like Apple’s goal of making a smartphone that needs zero repairs are failing fast.