Why I'm Waiting for the iPhone 5S

I'm not buying the iPhone 5.

Sure, it has cool new features such as thinness, lightness, speed, and more screen real estateness, but my iPhone 4 works.

Yes. You read that correctly. I have a fully functional iPhone 4 that works. I know people who still have an iPhone 3GS. Why, there is one friend I saw last year summer carrying around the ORIGINAL iPhone from 2007!

I am not saying, of course, that those who are upgrading to the iPhone 5 from their iPhone 4 or from never having owned one are making a mistake. I would say they have waited long enough for a new phone. The problem I have with buying an iPhone 5, is the short-lived nature of its wow factor.

I received an iPhone 3G as a graduation gift from my parents, but a few days later, the iPhone 3GS was announced. I begged my parents to allow me to return the 3G for the 3GS and graciously, they allowed me to do just that, and when I picked up my phone from the store for the first time, it was amazing! I had so much fun swiping the icons on the home screen and watching as apps filled up the screen and shrunk back into the center while the home screen rows of icons would come sliding in from their places off screen. With no knowledge of something (or someone?) like Siri, I was fascinated by Voice Control. I was amazed by the idea that I was holding the internet in the palm of my hand. Despite the sub-retina display screen resolution, lack of front camera, and slower speeds compared to the iPhone 4, I can honestly say that at the time, this phone was the best phone in the entire world.

However, this sense of amazement and wonder lasted for the first 6 months of ownership. After then, I got used to the cool features and began yearning for the next model the following year, and Apple delivered (metaphorically and literally, as the phone arrived at my house and I was able to activate it over the computer)! The iPhone 4 was faster and had a more beautiful design than the 3G(S) [they have the same design] and was thinner and lighter with a front camera and LED flash. All these incredible new features dazzled for a while, but once I got used to them, I realized that it didn't really matter whether I received the iPhone 4 the first day it was released or a month delayed from then. Over time, its appeal would wane slowly and then take a nose dive to just a smidgen above zero once the next "latest and greatest" would come out.

Sure, my iPhone 4 could break and crack easily. It has some permanent scuffs and scrapes from over 2 years of use. Yes, I've missed some photo moments or opportunities to tweet @YJCH0I (Do you think they noticed me promoting my twitter account here? No? Okay, good. [Note: Delete before posting]) because notification center would freeze up, but will that stop me from waiting? No! This phone has served me well for the past 2 years and I am not yet ready to part with it. It has survived many pocket falls on floors of linoleum and concrete, while never failing to function after picking it up and dusting it off. I shall continue to use this phone until its battery can no longer hold a charge for a useful amount of time (I predict the battery will die before next fall) and it is ready to say goodbye.

If you were looking for a solid list of reasons why you do not need the iPhone 5, I've got 6 for you (as this is the 6th generation iPhone)

1.) iOS 6 Maps
If you require explanation on this one, please consult Google search
2.) Incompatibility (for a while)
Users need to buy adapters to convert the new lightning connector to the old 30-pin connector, and by the time the iPhone 5S comes out (around a year) there will be more compatibility amongst devices.
3.) No NFC Chip
Even if the iPhone 5 boasted a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip, it is a technology that is nascent at best in America (this cannot be more false for other countries like South Korea, where they have had this technology implemented for the past year or two) which is why you do not need it.
4.) Front FaceTime camera could've been 1080p HD
I admit that 720p HD is a vast improvement from VGA quality, but Apple seems to be holding out on 1080p  so they can upgrade for the iPhone 5S
5.) 4G LTE and battery longevity have not been thoroughly user-tested yet
Yes, the claims are true now that the phone has 8 hours of battery life. Will this still be true a month from now? How about one year?
6.) Siri is still in beta mode?
From my experience with Siri (in Apple Stores or occasionally on a friend's phone), she is Siriously (c'mon, you couldn't have not seen that coming) limited outside of the simple tasks she can perform. I believe her catchphrase is "Would you like me to search the web for"

If you've made it this far, congratulations! You win an iPhone! That is...the iPhone that you either have, or if you don't, the "i" stands for "imaginary" in your case. If you choose to ignore my advice and purchase an iPhone 5, go ahead! If you decide to follow my advice, however, be warned that Apple may fail to surprise or dazzle as it has in the past. If this disappointment does happen, be certain not to blame me, as I merely brought to light the suggestion of waiting, as you were the one to implement such an idea.

-YJ Choi