Is the iPhone still king? More than a few critics were let down Wednesday when Apple revealed a slightly thinner, slightly faster device that wasn't quite as groundbreaking as many hoped. (Read a full rundown of the iPhone 5's new features here.) Some observers saw Apple's biggest change — a screen-size bump from 3.5 inches to 4 inches — as a begrudging concession to the Android ethos that bigger really is better, at a time when phones like Samsung's Galaxy S III are pushing screens nearly 5 inches. Is the once-pioneering iPhone, currently lagging behind Android in terms of sales, now playing catch-up to the competition?
The iPhone 5 was certainly a letdown: The iPhone 5 is "disappointing" for consumers because it merely matches rival phones' specs and "showcases nothing revolutionary," says Ellyne Phneah at ZDNet. The look and behavior of the new phone isn't very different from its predecessors and, since most Apple watchers "expected the iPhone 5 to be unveiled last year but got iPhone 4S instead," many critics had "high expectations." That said, the iPhone already owns a large chunk of the market and has notoriously loyal customers, plenty of whom will still buy it.
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