iPhone 5 announcement: evolution not revolution

			Google can breathe a sigh of relief - the new iPhone 5 did not have some of the ground breaking features that had been rumoured. Sure, it is the thinnest phone Apple has ever designed with a larger 4-inch retina screen and has 4G capability, an improved processor and better battery life. However its lack of an NFC chip, which would allow contactless data transfer means it may be left behind in the mobile wallet sphere if people opt for that over mobile payment apps.

Its Passbook functionality allows storage and management of plane tickets, loyalty cards and e-ticket details. However, Apple feels that the contactless payments industry still has a lot of work to do to drive consumer adoption of contactless payment - so it might be keeping its powder dry until the market is a little more mature. The iPhone's change of charging and connector socket (called Lightning) could annoy some consumers as the adaptor will cost $US35. It does have some neat new features, such as setting your phone to 'do not disturb' while sleeping, improvements to its camera software & new EarPod headphones. While Apple loyalists may rush to upgrade to the new iPhone 5, Windows and Android users are likely to stick with what they've already got given that the improvements have not been 'game-changing'. To read more click here.