I have always been an iGeek. No, not an iSheep. I don’t like that term, for an obvious reason (ie. I doubt many Apple fans will like being called a sheep.) I do not follow Apple blindly, but I do follow them with much admiration. And I am proud to be an iGeek.

Now, before I go into more details in reviewing my experience of owning my first iPhone – the new iPhone 5 – let’s go back in time and find out why the Apple brand is a brand that I associate with.

PS: If you think the following bit is TL;DR (too long, didn’t read), then click here to fast track to my actual hands on experience with the iPhone 5. You’ll miss out on the rest of the awesome bits though. Just sayin’.

The first bite

I have loved Apple products before the iPod and iPhone era.

I bought my first Mac back in 2002 and I loved it so. I mean, look at this, who wouldn’t?

To this day, my iMac G4 is still sitting in my living room ever so prettily. A piece of art. A furniture. It’s like a painting on the wall. It serves no other purpose but to be admired and discussed. When I renovate my house (which I am hoping to do soon), I will want to have my iMac included in the interior design process. It is like a grand piano that needs to be placed intentionally at the right location to purposefully bring out its intended use: to be looked at with great admiration.

I mean, with ads like these, how can we not?!

And with the iMac, I began my journey with Apple…

The Apple of my eye

I remember when Apple revolutionised the way we listen to music. I have always been a fan of music. (My taste in music might be debatable but nonetheless, I am an avid music listener.) I had the Sony Walkman cassette players; vintage! I had the CD players that jumped and skipped each time I bumped and tripped. Then I had the MiniDisc players. Yes, I was one of the early adopters if you want to call it that. But they never made it into the mass market.

And then came the iPods. The iPods made Apple cool for the general population when they were previously only well regarded by designers and those working in specific industries.

I have had a few iPods in my time. From the first generation iPod Nano to the second gen (when I lost my first one) to the third gen (that I bought for Jax which was then stolen when his car was broken into) to the iPod Touch (that Jax bought for me for Christmas).

The iPod was (and is) a fun way to listen to music. But more importantly, they also serve as fashion accessories.

Mobile computing, the Apple way

My next purchase of an Apple product did not happen until early 2011. The iPad 2.

When the first generation of iPad came out, many laughed. They mocked the name and they also laughed at the very fact that the iPad did not seem to fill any gap in the market. We already have netbooks that seemed to be the lightweight mobile version of notebooks. We already have pocket touchscreen smart phones. Why do we need an in-betweener?

I was skeptical too. But then I went to the Apple Store and held the iPad. It made me want one. That’s the thing isn’t it? Apple is very good in making you feel as if you need something. Your wants become your needs. Common marketing trick I’m sure. But one that Apple has done extremely well.

When the iPad 2 was released, I was there at Myer Melbourne CBD queueing up with a bunch of other iGeeks. I was there with two other friends. I was there and I was excited. It was like going to Disneyland, except instead of queueing up for an autograph from a famous animal (Mickey or Donald come to mind), I was there queueing up for a branded fruit. Apple.

I was happy with my purchase. Very happy.

I video chat my sister, Melbourne to London. We even celebrated her birthday that way. I can search for something quickly online while sitting with my meal watching TV. It helped us navigate our way around Tokyo for my honeymoon – and we found the best ramen restaurants too. I can write notes during conferences and email them out right away. I go to meetings with it. I lie in bed with it. Heck, I even use it in the toilet (don’t judge, supposedly 60% of people do).

The smarter phone

Okay, we’re finally getting to the bit about the iPhone 5. If you’re still reading this, I’m glad you have been patient. This is a personal blog after all.

At the end of 2009, I bought a new phone. A Blackberry Bold 2. It wasn’t sexy. But I loved it. (See, I’m not all about looks here.) In fact, I still think it’s a great phone. The keypad is second to none. So easy to type, even when you’re on the move. The leather back secures the grip. It feels good in my hands. And I love the endless ways to communicate through it. Facebook. Twitter. BBM. SMS. Whatsapp. I type and type and type. I told myself: “You can’t possibly have an all-touchscreen phone!”

Well, yes. I did say that. But at the back of my mind, as everyone who knows me will know, I always have my eyes set upon the iPhone. If the Blackberry were to fail me one day, I would choose the iPhone. And one day, my Blackberry did. A little slower, a little dumber, a little hiccups, a little drop here and there. But it isn’t just my phone. It is the whole Blackberry brand. RIM does not innovate fast enough. The OS isn’t improving fast enough. And as someone who loves technology, I find myself wanting something better.

Many people have asked me why I was so adamant in my choice of mobile phone. Why not the Samsung Galaxy S3 or other powerful Droids? Why not the upcoming Windows phones? Why not?

My case for Android is simple. I have used it to a certain extent. I don’t like the OS. It’s messy. It’s all over the place. That’s just from an aesthetic point of view. In terms of usability, I can’t stand the keyboard. In fact, when Jax asked me to type an SMS using his phone, you would hear me grunting or screaming at it in the process. Yes, mobile phone rage it seems. And they seem to lack that awesome touchscreen experience. Things just don’t feel right.

My case for Windows phones? Even simpler. It’s a new OS. Windows 8 looks really exciting. I love those colourful tiles especially! But it’s new. So new that many of the popular apps have not been offered yet. I don’t want to go from a sad OS with no apps (Blackberry) to a cooler OS with no apps (Windows). Simple really. Plus the Nokia Lumia phone is ugly. Personal preference, but all these things matter to me.

So, there you go. The iPhone 5. I read all the rumours. I watched the key note event. I had my index finger on F5 waiting for the Apple Store to start their pre-order. I was in front of my computer last Friday checking for my consignment status update. I even called TNT about four times that day to check the whereabouts of my package delivery. I held my iPhone 5 on release day.

Hands on with the iPhone 5

So is it everything that I want it to be? It is. Am I in love with it? Love is a strong word, but yes I am definitely loving it. Is it worth the money? That is subjective. Call me cheap, but I don’t think anything that I have to pay full price for is worth my money. But I definitely will pay $799 for this rather than $500 for a Samsung Galaxy S3. So it’s worth it.

My first impression: It is thin. It is light. And it isn’t that much taller. Not an awkward height that I imagined it to be. It is sleek. And very very sexy. The black chrome on the side is sublime. I love the look of this phone. A lot. Look wise, there is nothing to fault. The colour, the richness, the brightness, the saturation… Everything is perfect. I was worried about it dropping, hearing things like shattered glass and all that, but this video comforted me a little:

My first thoughts: iOS 6 is fast and responsive. Everything runs smoothly. One thing I have been really worried is the keyboard. With my Blackberry, I am accustomed to fast typing on a physical QWERTY. However, the touchscreen experience in the iPhone 5 is really good. You can pretty much type the whole thing wrong and somehow the iPhone will figure it out for you. Smart phone indeed. I still can’t walk and type though. I wonder if this is something I will get used to, or if that is an impossible task on a touchscreen phone. Another thing that’s awesome: the camera.  Sharp & crisp for a mobile phone. The panoramic image capture is nothing new but it definitely is a cool addition.

So is it really as good as I claim it is? Well, you see, coming from a three-year-old Blackberry phone, it is. But if you already own an S3 or iPhone 4S, maybe you won’t find it that appealing. I don’t know. But I’ll say, don’t diss it before you try it! :)

So the iGeekness continues

Yes. I love the Apple brand. I think it really captures minimalism at its best. It also shows then when marketing is done right, it really changes the way we view things. I don’t think Apple is the only change agent in the mobile industry anymore, but I still think it is revolutionary. Very much so. In fact, I wish for more people to innovate the way Apple has been doing in the past 10+ years. That way, hopefully, we will get better products and better competitions.

“Do not settle,” the very wise Steve Jobs once said. As long as Apple continues innovating, I will continue to watch its movements closely.

If you have questions about the new iPhone 5, do ask below.