What It's Really Like to Own an iPhone 5

                                        

The dust has settled on the iPhone 5 launch, and the initial hype has died down. For me, it's now just my regular workday phone, with less of the "shiny object" sheen it had on launch day. Now that we've had time to digest the hype, what's it like using an iPhone 5 on a daily basis?

Maps has let me down

Let's get maps out of the way. Admittedly this is an issue with iOS 6 and not the phone itself, but it really damages the overall experience (especially given that I've left my 4S on iOS 5).

Apple maps is just as poor as the reports say. While I "ooh-ed" and "ahh-ed" at the 3D images when I first got iOS 6, Apple maps doesn't serve me well on a day to day basis.  

iOS 6 users have complained vocally about the lack of transport directions, but I had issues with the basics: Last week it failed to find a venue that Google Maps pulled up in a second. For the conference I'm attending this week, I'll be looking up the venue on Google Maps before I leave. 

Yes, lighter is better

It might seem minor, but the lighter and thinner form factor does make a noticeable difference day to day. I frequently watch TV shows on my phone (I sometimes watch entire movies on it, in fact), and the lighter iPhone 5 is clearly easier to hold for extended periods. 

Who moved my headphone jack?

I like Apple's new EarPods a lot. They're significantly less "tinny" than previous Apple headphones and just as robust (I've broken many headphones, but never an Apple pair). They fit me great, too. They're never going to compete with the high-end headphones on the market, but for $30 they do a decent job.

And yet there's one quirk I still haven't adjusted to: The headphone jack is on the bottom of the phone.  You quickly get used to the fact that you need to have the phone upside-down in your pocket when listening to music (and the volume buttons switch sides as a result), but for some reason I still try to toggle the screen to portrait mode by putting the headphone jack to the top.  

I've done this at least 30 times now, and my befuddled brain still acts surprised when it doesn't work.

Time to re-buy all my accessories

For me, the new cable has to be the most annoying aspect of switching to the iPhone 5. The charger on my bedside table can't be adapted to work with it and my Mophie charging case is rendered useless too.  Carrying around the Lightning connector cable everywhere I go is my backup plan until I take the plunge and fork out yet more money for accessories.  

Despite these little issues, I like the iPhone 5 more than I expected.  On paper, it's a bit faster, a bit lighter, a bit thinner and has a slightly bigger screen. In reality, these many small improvements add up to a noticeably better experience.