Does iPhone 5 & iOS5 spell the end for iPhone 4?

The iPhone 4  was a bit of a game changer when it launched. Ultra-premium construction (something Apple’s competitors are still struggling to match a year on), front-facing camera, Facetime, and a whole host of operating system upgrades meant if you had an iPhone 3GS or below, you pretty soon found yourself yearning for an iPhone 4 with its sexy construction and massive speed increase.

This year’s iPhone launch is less likely to be as revolutionary – you can see a roundup of the most recent rumours here.

First and foremost, it’s unlikely there will be any massive technology changes although we will in all likelihood see a processor speed upgrade, and some cosmetic changes. HOWEVER – and here’s the crucial bit – the iPhone 4 is plenty fast enough already so beyond the cosmetics, why choose an iPhone 5?

The answer should be iOS5 – Apple’s latest incarnation of the iPhone’s software, but as with iOS4 before it, it’s going to be made available on older-gen iPhones including the iPhone 4. That means that most of the great new functionality such as iCloud, iMessage, and iTunes Match will be available on iPhone 4 and the big advantage here is that as soon as the iPhone 5 is available, you’ll be able to pick up an iPhone 4 for HTC money.

I say should because there are those of us who will just go and buy an iPhone 5 anyway!

Some of the iOS5 features you’ll be able to enjoy on your Apple iPhone 4 include:

    * Notification center – a bit like the swipe-down alerts screen on Android, you’ll finally be able to see all your alerts in one place.
    * iMessage – yep – it’s BBM for iPhone (but, not BBM itself, obviously). Instant messaging finally arrives on the iOS platform. No, it’s not groundbreaking, but no doubt it will work brilliantly and you’ll be able to send text messages to ‘normal’ people who don’t have iPhones without having to do anything different.
    * News stand – If you subscribe to newspaper and magazine apps, you’ll be able to see all your subscriptions listed in the Newsstand app.
    * Reminders – this one’s really cool. Want to remember to get milk next time you’re at the shops? Tell your iPhone to remind you that you want milk, next time you’re at the shops. (Sounds obvious, doesn’t it). Your iPhone will alert you, when you’re next at the shops, that you need milk! (You’ll need to tell your iPhone where the shops are, mind…)
    * In-built Twitter support – You’ll be able to connect to Twitter without having to download a separate app – and more to the point, full Twitter integration in your favourite apps.
    * Camera – it’s not a biggie, but for long-time Apple users, you’ll be glad to hear we’ll be able to take a picture by pressing a button, rather than tapping the screen.
    * On-screen photo editing – Rather than relying on a host of 3rd party paid-for applications, we’ll be able to do simple edits to our photos right out of the box.
    * Calendar, Mail and Safari all get enhanced functionality – bringing them closer to their desktop cousins.
    * Wireless (Over the Air) software updates! Hooray!
    * Wifi Sync! Double hooray! No longer will you need to plug your phone into your PC to sync your iTunes library.

No – it won’t have a 3D headache-inducing display like its HTC and LG competitors, and no, it won’t have the latest number-crunching processors. It won’t even have a magnetic power adapter (in fact, it’s not clear whether the Apple iPhone 5 will either) – BUT, for the first time you’ll be able to pick up a cutting edge device with rock solid software and support at a really compelling price.

The iPhone 4 will almost certainly (like the 3GS before it) become the ‘value’ handset in the range, but at mobiles.co.uk we’re pretty sure it’ll be the best ‘value’ handset we’re likely to see for some time to come.