Apple’s reluctance to upgrade the wi-fi offering on its new iPhone 5S has sent tongues wagging around the tech world.
Whilst many people across news channels and social media were taken by the headline-grabbing statistics (such as the new fingerprint reader), tech experts were intrigued by Apple’s decision to hand wi-fi supremacy to its nearest (and fiercest) rival, Samsung.
The issue revolves around a seemingly small detail that could have the potential to make a rather big difference, cnet.com reports.
Apple’s iPhone 5 came with the 802.11n wi-fi standard on the 2.4Ghz band. Samsung then released its Galaxy S4 model, with a wi-fi standard of 802.11 on the 5Ghz band.
To put this difference another way, it could theoretically mean the difference between 1.3Gbps and 450Mbps speeds. Not only that, it also means the difference between data rates, latency and number of devices to which the smartphone can be simultaneously connected.
With all this considered, many tech experts would have been willing to put money on Apple upgrading its wi-fi option – if for no other reason than to keep up with Samsung in the side-by-side comparison charts.
One such blogger was Adario Strange, who wrote for mashable.com: “While the improved iPhone 5S is indeed a significant step forward, and helps push Apple back to the front of the smartphone pack, its decision to skip 802.11ac indicates that the company has no plans to play the spec-for-spec catch-up game with Samsung, as many had been expecting.”
