If hand people an iPhone 4S but tell them that it’s the amazing new iPhone 5, will the believe you? Apparently the answer is yes, and they’ll even wax poetic about how its screen is bigger,  has faster performance, and is lighter, even though it’s really not.

It’s the emperor’s iPhone 5 and people absolutely can’t wait to get their hands on it even though there’s nothing different or new about it.

Source: YouTube

I started streaming the iPhone 5 keynote from Apple’s website this morning, but soon switched it off when I realized it would have looked better on VHS. Thankfully, the entire thing can now be downloaded in high-definition from the iTunes Store — for free.

Apple quietly killed off a lot of things yesterday, including Ping, the old “watch-style” iPod nano, the iPhone 3Gs and more.

When we looked at Apple.com, though, we were surprised to notice that Apple seems to have decided with this generation to kill off the Bumper Case as well. They still sell the rubber-band-style case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, but they have opted not to stretch it to fit the iPhone 5.

Turns out, though, there’s an excellent reason why Apple didn’t update the bumper case for the iPhone 5. It no longer needs it.

One of the best aspects of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S design was that, if you wanted to personalize your iPhone, you had more options than just picking out a nifty case: by just undoing two screws at the bottom of the device, you could replace the entire back panel on your iPhone.

This opened up a lot of cool options for modding your iPhone. I, for example, replaced my iPhone 4S’s white glass back panel with a Don-Draper-esque slice of teak.

I loved my wood-backed iPhone so much that I emailed the mod kit’s maker, Monolith, asking them when a similar mod would be coming out for the iPhone 5. The disapponting response? Never. The iPhone 5’s design seemingly makes it impossible.

Apple’s iPhone 5 is almost everything we expected it to be. If you’ve been following the rumor mill in recent months, it’s probably safe to assume everything you saw at yesterday’s event regarding the iPhone, you already knew. But does that make the iPhone 5 any less incredible? With its 4-inch display, A6 processor, improved cameras, and LTE connectivity, could you label iPhone 5 “disappointing” because there are no surprises?

I don’t think I could, but I’d like to hear what you think. Leave your answer below.

Cricket has become the iPhone 5’s first prepaid carrier after announcing today that it will be stocking Apple’s latest smartphone in “select Cricket markets” from September 28. That’s a week after the device launches on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, but it’ll be worth the wait if you’re determined to avoid a lengthy contract.

Apple didn’t release any side-by-side comparisons of the iPhone 5’s image quality next to the iPhone 4S, and we won’t see direct comparisons until reviews hit the web closer to the iPhone 5 launch date. However, Scott Everett noticed that Apple used a picture of Big Sur in their iPhone 5 photos gallery that was nearly identical to one he took recently with his iPhone 4S, giving us our first direct comparison of image quality.

Apple has just posted a video of the jam-packed iPhone 5 press event from this morning, where Tim Cook not only announced the next iPhone, but a new iPod touch, nano, and a boatload of other software updates and accessories. It’s available now for streaming on Apple’s website. The keynote is usually made available both on iTunes as well as on YouTube within a few hours after the event, so we’ll update the post when it goes live there as well. Go watch it!

Source: Apple

What did the fine folk on Google+ have to say about Apple’s iPhone 5 announcement? Well, you can see for yourselves by clicking HERE. Unfortunately our thumbnails don’t go beyond 640X400 on the site so I had to host it over on Google+ of course. As can be expected, initial impressions were not flattering, but then again, neither was Apple’s keynote *rimshot*. What about the rest of you, what are your impressions of Apple’s latest “innovation”?

Along with the announcement of the iPhone 5, Apple has also posted its traditional promotional video, touting the iPhone’s new features. As is typical, Jony Ive is present, talking about the new design and the iPhone 5’s larger display. The video is up on Apple’s website now, but you can also view it here, just after the break.