The first iPhone 5s began arriving in South Africa this week, as eager early adopters [buyers] made use of services which import these new products into the country.
The latest must-have smartphone is thinner, faster, has a bigger camera (8 megapixels instead of 5) and a larger screen (10cm over 8.8) than the iPhone 4S. It has a faster A6 processor and upgraded imaging, and is 2mm thinner and 20% lighter than its predecessor.
Non-iPhone owners could be forgiven for wondering what the mania is about. The iPhone 5 is an evolutionary rather than revolutionary upgrade, and has been called "disappointing" by analysts, even though Apple sold 5 million units during the opening weekend.
Apple's share price has reportedly lost $35-billion (R287-billion) since its launch, further confounding attempts to assess the world's most valuable company by stock-market valuation and its bizarrely stratospheric share price.
The iPhone 5 is nonetheless an impressive phone, with a slick interface that is enabled by its more powerful chip and slightly bigger touchscreen.
It will use the faster 4G data networks that Vodacom and MTN say will be launched by the end of the year.
The Times understands the iPhone 5 is expected be on sale in South Africa by the end of October.
Notable new features in the operating system (called iOS6) are Apple's own maps app, replacing Google's, and a new power adaptor called Lightning, replacing the 10-year-old, 30-pin adaptor.
With data supplied by TomTom, Apple's maps have 3D imaging and turn-by-turn driving instructions but, sadly, these are not available in South Africa.
The Times was supplied with an iPhone by Wantitall.co.za
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