The iPhone 13 event just proves that you’re not interested in 5G

This story is part of it Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest from Apple.

When Apple kept its shiny iPhone 12 almost a year ago, 5G he was the star of the show. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg joined Apple CEO Tim Cook during the keynote conference to talk about next-generation technology, which served as a marquee feature and reason to upgrade. Even in July, during his fiscal third-quarter earnings tax conference, Cook said 5G was “in its infancy” and suggested a high ceiling.

On Tuesday, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 family of phones, from the ground up iPhone 13 to the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. The company spent about 90 seconds during its 80-minute presentation talking about 5G.

The decline of 5G from the center stage to the side highlights the rugged introduction of next-generation wireless technology. Once advertised as a game changer at incredible speeds, the reality of 5G has been a set of incredibly inconsistent experiences depending on devices and location. The result: Consumers shrugged so operators had expected them to inject some excitement and enthusiasm into wireless service.

“From an Apple consumer-focused approach, there’s no killer app, other than a speed test, that really takes advantage of faster speeds and lower latency,” said Roger Entner, analyst of Recon Analytics. “Why advertise something that the consumer will not experience as a tangible benefit?”

The experience you had with 5G was already inconsistent before last year’s iPhone 12.. Verizon was promoting an ultra-fast flavor driven by a millimeter-wave spectrum, the kind of connection that would allow you to download seasons of a TV show in seconds, but the service was only available in crowded stadiums or urban centers. , practically empty thanks to the pandemic. At the other extreme, T-Mobile offered full national coverage with a 5G version that was only marginally faster than 4G.

But supposedly, Apple would provide some simplicity and arouse interest in 5G, as it did with everything from mobile payments to wireless charging. Other companies are engaged in new technologies before, but Apple comes with a sleek version that makes the masses pump. Getting Apple to add all the flavors of 5G to all of its devices was an impressive feat.

“5G is the most exciting step so far,” Cook announced in his speech last year.

“5G has just become real,” Vestberg said of the embrace of technology for the iPhone.

Sales of the iPhone 12 were fast from the door. A new design for the iPhone, which includes updated cameras, as well as the typical devotion of Apple fans, boosted record sales of its latest flagship device. It was such a huge success that it drove Apple’s sales and profits to new records despite launching itself into a pandemic, says my fellow CNET editor and editor Ian Sherr.

But 5G was more advanced than a driver of interest.

More 5G in more places

This year, Cook has not mentioned 5G. Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of iPhone marketing, dedicated a short 90-second segment to the technology’s broadest embrace with the new iPhone. He mentioned that the iPhone 13 would be able to connect 5G networks of more than 200 operators this year in more than 60 countries and regions.

“5G will be much more relevant to consumers in Europe and the United States this year than last year, as operators build their mid-range 5G networks,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techsponential, who referred to the flavor of the spectrum that offers good mix of speed and range.

But beyond this short segment, Apple only offered a token mention of 5G when its was unveiled new iPad Mini i Ninth generation iPad.

Apple was more eager to talk about the 5G capabilities of its iPhone a year ago. Drance talked to me and my colleague, Patrick Holland, about the technology that they built into radios that maintained 5G of being a full-power pig on the iPhone 12 (Android makers also had similar configurations).

Instead, Apple this year has focused on basic features like the iPhone 13 improved camera, as well as the additional battery.

Still, that won’t stop carriers from pushing the new iPhone, which represents one of the biggest opportunities to attract new customers or capture rival subscribers with some great deals. AT&T, for example, has already introduced an aggressive exchange offer for new iPhones, while T-Mobile has a “Forever” upgrade plan that gives you $ 800 for a new iPhone every two years.

It’s not like 5G. What is happening with technology, as confusing as its introduction has been, is that there is still a lot of potential in this technology. It is still considered a basis for other advances such as self-driving cars and telemedicine.

Verizon and AT&T are competing to launch a new flavor of the so-called mid-band spectrum that is supposed to provide a big boost to 5G speed, something T-Mobile has already been doing this year.

Perhaps at this point, Apple will consider 5G interesting enough to reappear during a future launch of the iPhone.