Apple’s iPhone 5 Already Shaking Things Up

As iPhone 5 fever is upon us, it's hard not to think of The Jetsons. The series debuted in 1962, but its creators vision of video phones (as well as tanning beds and robot vacuums) seemed pretty far down the line. After all, the series was set in the year 2062, but who knew the video phone would be so ingrained in our lives 50 years ahead of that schedule.

Apple is having a banner week as fans await the release of the phone that has been getting rave reviews for its larger screen, lighter body, improved camera and speakers, and faster downloads. And its iOS 6 software powering the new phone is winning accolades, if irking some for dropping Google Maps.

With iPhone pre-orders selling out Lightning fast and fans (at least, paid line-holders) already in queue for the new iPhone when it hits store shelves on Friday, word has leaked out about what the company was hoping to unleash on the world further on down the line.

The plan, according to a patent document unearthed by CNN, Apple would like to let users of its phone be able to store all of their identification, flight, and hotel information on their phones so that when they travel, they can get through security faster. The mobile device would communicate with the TSA’s equipment, easing the path for travelers through the often hellacious experience.

As desirable as that would be, iPhone users will have to settle for a new app from Apple, Passbook, which opens up as the phone nears the airport and brings up boarding passes, which could help make mobile ticketing mainstream.

One down side for Apple faithful is the iPhone 5 won't work with previous adapters thanks to the new Lightning charging connector. The iPhone 5 cord makes previous adapters in use since 2003 obsolete, making it difficult to find chargers to borrow when you’re on the run. The change, an Apple rep tells Fox News, has “paved the way for a more slender phone.”

While the change also allows for better speakers and extra room inside for other upgrades, with those size changes come issues for all the third party vendors that make their money riding the wake of Apple. “For years, the one constant on so many accessories, be they music docks, car stereos, cases, cables and other gizmos, was the 30-pin connector,” the Calgary Herald notes. Apple, of course, is selling an adapter that will retail for $35 or $45. And, of course, as the Herald points out, it won’t support all accessories, even if they are ones built for 30-pin connectors.

And those accessory makers, such as iPhone-case manufacturer MakeDirect, which sells wooden cases handmade in Vietnam, surely had to make some adjustments in design to accommodate iPhone 5’s changes. It’s a small price to pay to keep riding the wave, dude.