Every new iPhone release is the one day of the year (I'm starting to think Google sends reminders to every activated Android phone) when more than half the Android fan base feels compelled to post in Apple threads an opinion that the new iPhone is an overpriced nothing, that it's old technology that existed in Android phones from 10 years ago, that they are glad they already purchased the latest Android flagship and how Apple is going down the drain. Some even still complain that they are surprised that it has no memory card, replaceable battery and Adobe Flash, but these are isolated cases due to erroneously copying and pasting from their original posts from 2007.
Seriously, I think that the only way an Android fan can be impressed by a new iPhone is if it has a 5.35'' amoled screen with even more inaccurate colours, cheap plastic case and a big SAMSUNG sign on the front. And run the latest Android. Therefore discussing with them the hardware merits of a new iPhone is pointless. To me the only good screen for portable device made by Samsung is the one on the initial batches of the third iPad.
IMO the screen on iPhone 4 and 4S was and still is better than any other phone, and if iPhone 5 is an improvement, it's an even more clear winner. At least until I get to see the one on Nokia Lumia 920, which also sounds promising. Doubling the CPU speed is good for future-proof gaming, because the 4S is as snappy as it gets. Elongating but preserving the width of the screen is just what the doctor ordered for having more useful space while still being able to use with one hand. I will have to hold my final judgement for the look and feel until at least the 21st, but from reviews and pictures, it seems that it is reaffirming the position of the iPhone as an icon of style and industrial design. There's really nothing more to wish for hardware-wise at this point. NFC, just like previously 3G and LTE, will be implemented by Apple when (and if) the time is right - demand is enough and the technology is perfected to meet Apple's standards for user experience. As for the other technological buzz - wireless charging - Apple will probably also wait and see how it pans - it may take off, may just as well go nowhere. In both cases kudos to Nokia for pioneering the feature, Apple may have to eat crow on this one.
Software. I have a feeling that something is missing here. As if a big step has been missed, because the Apple TV distribution model is still being held back by traditional cable providers. Last year I was expecting that with the new Apple TV services iPhone 5 would be the hub, enabling you to watch every show or TV channel available any time on any Apple device anywhere, with the same exquisite Apple user-friendliness, but apparently it is a no-go this year, so there seems to be an emptiness, nothing really disruptive in iOS 6. The consolidation of the iOS system is just incremental, nothing of iMessage, FaceTime or AirStream proportions from the past. It still remains the most pleasant ecosystem, though, and it will surely attract millions of new members.
And some outright criticism - if Siri in iOS 6 still knows nothing about restaurants in Canada, I will declare it the biggest Apple flop of all times.