There’s only so much Apple (AAPL) can do to refine its iPhone. Yes, the iPhone 5 might appear boring because it takes the iPhone 4/4S design and gives it a growth spurt and trimmer chassis, but that’s the point; every Apple product is a refinement of the original. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel decided to see how people would react when handed an iPhone 4 that was being pawned off as an iPhone 5. As you would expect, the reactions are hilarious. There are really people who genuinely don’t know that they’re looking at a two-year-old iPhone.
Sure, it’s all harmless fun in the end, but we can’t help but notice even Kimmel got it wrong. He thought he was showing people an iPhone 4S masquerading as an iPhone 5, but it’s actually an iPhone 4 — you can tell by the antenna bar at the top of the device; the iPhone 4S has antenna breaks only on the sides of the device. Not to be nitpicking geeks, but when you’re trying to spoof people by exposing their lack of tech knowledge, at least get your own facts straight.
While unscientific, comments ranging from “It’s way better” to “A lot lighter than the last one. It’s a lot faster as well” reveal something about how consumers feel towards new Apple products. When told that a two-year-old iPhone is “new,” all of the guinea pigs start telling themselves that it must be better, faster and lighter, even when it’s not. One poor guy even claimed he owned the iPhone 4S, but acknowledged that the iPhone 4 masquerading as an iPhone 5 was actually faster and better.
Has the iPhone’s design and de-emphasis on the specs finally reached the point where people can’t even tell the difference anymore? The Kimmel video follows below.
