Buying An iPhone 5? Prepare For Some Changes On The Road
Automakers & Auto Dealers Oppose Recall Bill For Rental Cars
For years, advocates have been pushing for legislation that would require rental car companies to... Read More
- #8LEADERBOARD RANK
- 2902ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
- 429COMMENTS POSTED
Add to circle
Yesterday, Apple unveiled one of the worst-kept secrets in the tech world: the all-new iPhone 5. Rumors about the device and leaked photos of its casing have been flooding the internet for months, and now most, if not all of them, have been confirmed.
But apart from the iPhone 5's longer -- and some would say, less elegant -- silhouette, what changes will it bring? There are at least five major changes that drivers should expect.
Goodbye, Google Maps
As we reported back in June, Apple's new mobile operating system, iOS6, will kill off Google Maps as the iPhone's pre-installed map application. (You'll still be able to use Google Maps on your iPhone, but you'll need to download the app from iTunes, and so far as we know, there's no way to make it the smartphone's default mapping application. Click on a map link in your email, and it'll open in the new Apple Maps.)
That's a pretty big risk for Apple. After all, Google Maps has been in development for years, and people have become very familiar with its functions -- even its quirks. Apple Maps will need to be spectacular right out of the gate, or Apple could see a substantial backlash.
Hello Waze, Yelp, TomTom
When we first heard about Apple Maps, we feared for the future of some of our favorite navigation apps. After all, if Apple Maps became the go-to app for getting from Point A to Point B, what would that mean for fun, gamified apps like Waze?
We're happy and intrigued to report, however, that Waze, Yelp, and TomTom will all be integrated into Apple Maps. According to Mashable, Apple Maps will incorporate real-time traffic data from Waze, turn-by-turn navigation from TomTom, and point-of-interest features from Yelp. Hooray for collaboration and synergy.
"Do Not Disturb"
As we mentioned in June, iOS6 will incorporate a new "Do Not Disturb" feature. Though details are still a bit fuzzy on how this will work in practice, it appears that "Do Not Disturb" will function like DriveSafe.ly or other distracted-driving apps: when the iPhone's accelerometer determines that the device (and its owner) are moving at a certain speed, it will slip into "Do Not Disturb" mode, silencing alerts and keeping the iPhone's screen black. "Do Not Disturb" probably won't be as robust as other distracted-driving apps, but it's nice to see this functionality built in.
Adapt to reuse
Anyone who's ever owned a Mac laptop is well aware of the company's endless array of dongles. Rather than sticking with common VGA and HDMI ports, Apple creates its own proprietary ports, then charges customers for adapters ("dongles") to connect those ports to projectors, TVs, and other accessories.
Now, it appears the iPhone has jumped on the dongle bandwagon. Gone is the iPhone's familiar 30-pin connector -- clunky though it was -- and now we have the much smaller, completely unique "Lightning" connector. Drivers who listen to tunes on their iPhone using a 30-pin cable (or who like to charge their phone in the car) will still be able to do so, but they'll have to shell out $30 for an adapter.
Why Apple couldn't have included a far-more-common micro-USB port remains a mystery.
Upside-down
Perhaps most frustratingly of all, Apple has moved the headphone jack to the bottom of the phone. For those who connect their iPhone to a car stereo via an auxiliary cable, that could make things complicated. You won't be able to rest the iPhone in a cupholder anymore, unless you're willing to rest it upside-down, which seems like an unnecessary distraction. Perhaps it's time to invest in a dock that attaches to your dashboard.
Do you plan to purchase an iPhone 5? Do these changes concern you? Or are you just happy to get your hands on Apple's newest, shiniest, lightest gadget? Let us know in the comments below.
Related Articles
-
Rumor: Next-Gen Apple Software Will Marry Your Car & Your iPhone
-
Kickstarter Project Of The Day: Drive With Dash
-
Volkswagen Gets Serious About Smartphone Integration With The iBeetle
-
NHTSA's SaferCar App Offers Details About Safety, Recalls, And More
-
Automatic App Is A Coach, Mechanic, And First-Responder All In One
-
Follow Us
Most Popular This Week
More »
Nissan Rogue Vs. Honda CR-V: Compare Cars 
It's The End Of The Radio As We Know It 
Chevy Volt Vs. Nissan Leaf: Compare Cars 
Honda CR-V Vs. Hyundai Tucson: Compare Cars 
Honda Accord Or Nissan Altima: Which One Does V-6 Better? 
More From High Gear Media
Have an opinion?
Bad as banks and credit card companies..
I do not consider Apple an American Company anymore....they have no loyalty to America or its citizens. Jobs overseas, not here where they want to pretend that they are for America and its citizens.
I will stick with Android phones and PCs in the future.
Apple products are not in my future, anymore.
As for connectors and adapters, Apple changed the connector once in 10 years - it has been there since almost the beginning of the iPod line. How is that greed and ripping off the customer? Anyway, with cloud services, wi-fi and email, who needs these adapters?
As for the rest of this article, claiming things are a mystery just shows laziness in reporting. Look into it rather than just throw out such comments. USB needs to be driven and interpreted to do things. Apple's system provides a more direct connection with dedicated pins, etc.
As for the comment about the headphone jack - have you even used an iPhone? The screen rotates when it is upside down, and always has. Why is this so complicated?
As for the headphone question: yes, I've used the iPhone since it debuted in 2007. And yes, some apps do rotate, but typically only from side to side, not top to bottom, as you imply. If an iPhone 5 is upside-down, the home screen, iTunes, the phone app, and most other apps will be upside-down, too.
If Apple was to follow what was popular, they would not have pushed the use of USB deprecating serial, PS2 and SCSI ports. Accessory makers have had no trouble adapting to the connector.
Apologies about the rotation. Best not to look at a phone in a cupholder whiled driving though.
Apple does give you a product with some nice features, but at the same time blatantly manipulates the consumer into slavishly drooling over their next “latest & greatest” model. They produce products intentionally “down-featured” with inferior built in cameras, withheld software features, etc. that they can easily “Improve” to make the next model more attractive. They also are infamous for coming out with ‘new’ operating system variations that demand software apps that are not backward-compatible with their previous OSes, gradually rendering the preceding model totally obsolete.
Just business, I guess.
Samsung releases over 30 new smartphones every year, all with new "features" that may or may not be properly implemented. Apple (generally) introduces features when they are mature and ready for the best customer experience.
As for Apple manipulating - how? Advertising - normal business. The hype is from the media trying to guess the next Apple innovation.
Let me touch base on the adapter argument. The only thing that is changing, is the iPhone interface, it still uses USB to connect to your computer/car. So if your car uses an iPhone specific adapter that's the only thing it affects.
That said, yes, Apple is firmly rooted in the U.S.- that's the only place they have a prayer according to Forbes' market share comparison. likely because its the only place 2 year contracts spread out the cost and make it less obvious that you're dropping $700 on a freaking phone. My rooted, unlocked, Galaxy s Blaze is far more capable and cost $250. If you're willing to spend $450 for the "apple experience" you deserve to be cheated.
Have an opinion?Join the conversation!