As expected, the iPhone 4 was announced today during Steve Jobs’ keynote at WWDC. Its flagship features are, of course, the extremely high resolution screen, video chat capability with FaceTime, and the sexy new form factor. But there’s more to the 4 than that, and even those seemingly self-explanatory new features deserve a closer look. Let’s see just what Apple’s done here with its biggest update to the iPhone since the original.
The Body
We’re all pretty familiar with the new body, since it was really the focus of Gizmodo’s exposé. In fact, that was pretty much the limit, since they couldn’t do much else with a dead, locked phone. But they examined it very closely and found it to be beautiful and metallic. Its new squared-off look is a signal from Apple that this is an entirely new phone, not just an iteration of the original. You might say this is the true sequel to the iPhone, the 3G and 3GS being merely refinements of the original design. Three years is a long time to stick with what was essentially the same design, especially for a company as chameleonic as Apple. A change was due, and the change is welcome.
The new design is more squared off, with a flatter back, creating a stronger shape in both your hand and eye. It’s not trying to hide the buttons, but rather showing off their careful placement and clean lines. I think the overarching themes here are power and superiority, rather than slickness. The glass on both sides, we found out in the closing video, is “almost as strong as sapphire crystal” and can deform pretty seriously without breaking. Good news to those of us afraid of exploding iPhones.
The previously reported dimensions are accurate: 4.5×2.31×0.37 inches. It weighs 137 grams, more than expected and slightly heavier than the 3GS. It’s similar enough in size and weight to the old one that you probably won’t notice the difference, but the new flat back and squared-off edges will either delight or bother you. I’m guessing delight.
The announcement that the steel rim of the phone is in fact the phone’s antenna nullifies concerns people had about potential signal blocking, like we have seen in several other Apple products.
My question is this: with all the miniaturization that’s gone on here, plus the improved screen, are we looking at a potential heat disaster? This is a serious consideration. Thinner, faster, and hotter generally go together when it comes to mobile phones.
The Display
The new 3.5-inch “Retina” IPS LCD display sports 326 pixels per inch, and is 960 by 640 pixels. They’re calling it “resolutionary.” Hmm — Apple puns. 960×640 will be a meaningless number to most people, but the resolution nerds among us will recognize three things about it right off the bat.
- It’s a higher pixel count than any other phone out there. Even the mighty EVO 4G is only 800×480, and at a larger screen size to boot. This means the iPhone screen is among the sharpest, if not the sharpest, in existence (and suggests a similar upgrade for the iPad once the LCD tech is scalable).
- It’s twice the original resolution. All the old iPhones were 480×320. By multiplying both of those numbers by two for the new resolution, Apple has ensured that all the old apps can run on the iPhone 4 with a simple 2x stretch filter. Very important for back-compatibility and taking advantage of the enormous number of apps in the store. Expect “HD” upgrades for your favorite apps, though, and expect to pay. Update: We got some full-size screenshots here.
- It’s very nearly iFrame. Surprisingly, though, the iPhone 4 records in 720p. Whither iFrame? Is Apple giving it up? I sure hope so. (update: nope, it’s there in iMovie instead of 480p)
The PPI is higher than any display out there that I know of, and Steve says it even passes a threshold after which the eye cannot perceive a higher resolution. I’m inclined to believe him, as some who have seen it said they could barely even make out individual pixels. The contrast ratio is higher, too, at 800:1.
The screen is going to be a major selling point, and rightly so. Photos and videos will look gorgeous, and games will benefit as well, not to mention Netflix (!). Although now the developers’ job has become significantly more difficult, as they must keep three resolutions in mind if they want their app to be available on the new iPhone, the old iPhone, and the iPad.
The Cameras
The new 5-megapixel rear camera is a decent improvement. I complained recently about cameras trying to resolve too much detail on a tiny sensor, and the iPhone camera will continue to to that, I’m sure, but the larger lens can only make things better. The backside illumination, too, should really improve low light performance, as well as the LED flash.
iMovie: We’ve written it up in a little more detail here, but essentially you’ve got a powerful mobile timeline-based movie editor. That’s pretty insane. The interface looks pretty simple; you won’t be cutting together feature films with this thing, but you could certainly edit a home movie, and of course it’s perfect for sticking together multiple shots from your iPhone. It’ll cost $5 in the App Store — which seems kind of weird until you realize that it’s really sort of a premium add-on, and its themes and assets are things some users would rather just not have clogging up their phone.
We were all hoping for video chat with the 3GS and we didn’t get it — likely because Apple didn’t think it was ready. Even if it had, AT&T would probably have buckled. But now video chat is launching in earnest, and it’s called Face Time. It supports both the front and rear cameras, portrait or landscape, and works “anywhere there is WiFi.” No 3G video calling in 2010. It’s also iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only right now. I guarantee there will be partnerships with VoIP providers, though. Apple has described it as “open,” though it’s never really clear what they mean by that.
Jobs demonstrated it by calling Jony Ive, and it appeared to work well, except the massive interference from hundreds of WiFi devices in the room caused some lag. Here’s hoping you don’t have 570 MiFis, EVOs, and tethered iPhones in your own home.
The front camera itself promises VGA, so it’s 640×480. That’s fine — I wouldn’t want any more on a camera dedicated to streaming video.
iPhone OS 4 iOS 4
My previous post on iPhone OS 4 suggested that it contained everything you needed to know about iPhone OS 4. I stand by that statement, since any new features will not be for iPhone OS 4, but for the freshly-dubbed iOS 4, clearly a different beast. I mean, for one thing, you can now Bing stuff.
There’s also iBooks for the iPhone now. Not bad: the increased resolution puts the iPhone 4 almost in e-ink territory when it comes to sharpness of text, so this could be real nice. Native support for PDFs will be handy as well. Good news: all your iPad books will work on the iPhone 4 as well. No separate download or separate book.
It’s worth mentioning that IOS is already an OS, and one by Cisco to boot. It’s deja vu all over again!
iAd got another plug, and will be going live July 1st. Joy!
The Guts
The iPhone 4 runs on the A4 processor, the same one that’s found in the iPad (or near enough). Jobs claims a 40% improvement in battery life due to the efficiency of the A4 (plus the 16% larger battery): 7h 3G talk, 6h 3G browsing, 10h Wi-Fi, 10h video, 300h standby. Nice. This will certainly be used for making better and faster apps, and you’ll be seeing a lot of that in new games. Speaking of which:
The iPhone already had an accelerometer setup that allowed for limited motion controls, but the new 3-axis gyroscope is “perfect for gaming” according to Steve. Take that, Nintendo! With the new screen and this improved controller, the iPhone may now actually be a credible threat to the big N.
Its output options are unfortunately limited compared with other devices: the dock connector will allow for a 1024×768 signal, which was nice in 2007. The iPhone 4 can play 720p files up to 30FPS, but HD output would have been nice as well.
Netflix
It’s not exactly a marquee feature, but it’s worth noting that the Netflix app behaves much like the iPad one. Although I personally don’t relish the idea of watching an entire movie on my phone, but managing a queue and browsing movies will be a joy. Having an official Netflix environment from your phone to your tablet to your desktop gives the ubiquitous movie service a sort of special authority.
Pricing and Availability
The new iPhone will be available on June 24th. It comes in black or white, and with a new contract, costs $199 for a 16GB version and $299 for 32GB. If your upgrade date is in 2011 (i.e. 1/1/11 or later) you can get the early update price, which is $399/$499. And of course you can always pay full price: $599/$699 with no contract at all. The 3G is being retired, and the 3GS will now be $99. The June 24th date is for the US, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK. The rest of the world will get it in July.
The entire iPhone 4 announcement can be viewed here, and here’s the design video, if you like that sort of thing:
Further developments can, of course, be found at the iPhone 4 tag, though I’ll keep this page up to date.
“The new “Retina” IPS LCD display sports 326 pixels per inch, and is 960×540 pixels. 960×640 will be a meaningless number to most people, but the resolution nerds among us will recognize three things about it right off the bat.”
Well, which is it? 960×540 or 960×640?
heh, too many numbers. fixed that. (it’s 960×640)
Also don’t forget when you x2 each side the resolution is FOUR times the old phone. Still think it looks a little like mY ok’d Nokia 6110!
i mentioned this below – if you ask me, it’s twice the resolution but four times the pixel count. just a question of terminology, really.
Commenting on your point regarding terminology (“it’s twice the resolution but four times the pixel count” – for some reason I can’t reply to that comment), I can see how this mistake can be made, but the definition of display resolution (according to wikipedia, but other references show similar definitions):
“The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed.”
Resolution = pixel count. A screen has a resolution of x by y pixels. It’s the two-dimensionality that might throw you off, but in case both x and y double, the resolution is four times as high. No terminology problem there at all.
Like you said, the resolution is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension.
The keyword here being ‘distinct dimension’.
You’re multiplying both the dimensions – the x and the y dimensions and saying it’s 4 times. As per the definition you quoted, you should really be looking at any one dimension. Therefore, it’s really twice the resolution.
Don’t have much info – just going by the definition you quoted…
Yep, Im getting one……….
Forget Android, sorry
B-B-But…what about AT&T and their dropped calls?
It’s okay Google. This phone still doesn’t have tethering, complete multitasking, widgets, global text-to-speech support, or built in navigation.
And as for video calling, everyone already has that with third party apps like Fring (which also works over 3G and can communicate with any computer or device).
Don’t fret.
Oh yeah, Fring. “Works” was a bit of a stretch on that one. I keep forgetting about the tethering thing – good thing you ‘tards keep reminding me, ‘cuz no one else gives a f**k, except for the carriers who are going to rape your asses on it.
It’s had tethering for a year now, and multitasking works almost exactly like Android does currently.
Apps for $25 instead of free NAV isn’t that big of a deal anymore.
Global text to speech is one point you’re correct on.
Of course it has tethering. It also has complete multitasking.
About Fring and video calling on non-iPhones: Which non-iPhone have a front-facing camera? I can only think of one–the battery-eating EVO 4G…
Don
My Nokia E71 has a front facing camera. I didn’t realize it and only found it by accident when using QIK.
Get over it… Call again.
haha +1
Damn,
This phone looks sick. The images you have here alone make me want it. Does anyone know if we can upgrade from a newer 3g? I am 6 months in a new contract, where I got the 3g at a reduced price.
If your contract goes up in 2010, you can get it without an early upgrade penalty.
I am wondering the same as Sean except I am in Spain with Telefonica…Surely will not be simple…will have 5 months left…hmmm
hehe,the service providers here let you use eve nbloody prepaid systems :) and cheap as shit postpaid billing with no ‘contracts’ india rules for it’s flexibility with the iPhone :)
Is this really a huge leap forward?
The new screen looks like it should be very interesting, but videocalling and a 5MP camera aren’t deal-breakers. The one thing I do like is the improved antenna, because being able to make calls on the iphone without them dropping would be a nice addition.
The gyroscope is a toy.
If they want me to upgrade my 3G to a 4, then there needs to be some serious offers, else HTC get my business.
my thoughts exactly.
I agree as well. Nothing hi-tech about a 5MP camera. And that antenna actually sucks from what I hear. Get ready for the same old dropped calls. HTC is on point right now. The ONLY thing impressive about the iPhone 4 is the screen resolution. And from what I hear, even that is causing all kinds of problems on the phone (yellow background colors and such).
Go to HTC then. You’ll be missed
Seriously what does HTC offer? They just roll out a new phone every month and put little thought in each one.
What exactly does Apple offer? A new phone about once a year that has below-par features. Not to mention it’s extremely restricted.
Enjoy your new iPhone, I’ll enjoy my Evo 4G, which is rooted, with any ROM I please. Not to mention true multitasking and an openness to third-party apps.
Feels good to be an Android user. I still have my G1. Could multitask on that from the start. :)
How’s renting movies on that?
“Feels good to be an Android user. I still have my G1. Could multitask on that from the start. :)”
Is it true that you’re video-chatting on that from the start as well?
Android multitasking works almost identically to iOS 4. They both kill whatever process isn’t being used whenever more memory is needed. You don’t get a choice in that.
It’s called JAILBREAKING. Wake up.
Google said:
>>How’s renting movies on that?<<
…. or editing movies? ; )
How’s making actual phone calls on that iPhone? Android will always be a step up from iPhone. You can edit video? I can have widgets, install third-party apps, root and hack, and install custom roms.
Cyanogen > Any iPhone feature. Not like it has many features anyway.
Mario said:
“How’s making actual phone calls on that iPhone? Android will always be a step up from iPhone. You can edit video? I can have widgets, install third-party apps, root and hack, and install custom roms.”
Actually It makes phone calls much better than my old Treo, which was a nightmare!!
I gotta hand it to you though, you sound like a brilliant technician.
I used to have a used Fiat when I was younger, I gave it up once I realized that I didn’t enjoy fixing it one bit. I’m just an ordinary guy, not a seasoned mechanic.
I suppose iPhones (as well) are made for ordinary people, like my mom, who was too old to hack, and me, too dumb. I know nothing of roots or widgets, I only know that when I wanted to take a wide angle photo, I was able to download “Pano” in an instant!
No iPhone doesn’t have widgets, only half a million apps including iMovie. That’s the beauty of Apple.
“Anybody” can easily make professional looking killer videos on their “phone” fer cryin’ out loud, without knowing a thing about computers.
Perhaps widgets allow you to do the same. If so, more power to ‘em!
I just have no interest in trying to figure it out, much less teaching it to relatives who aren’t that computer savvy.
Since when does owning an iPhone automatically qualify you to be Ron Howard?
I’m gonna purchase an iPhone and try to remake Cinderella Man. Lol.
Debates are fun.
It’s a creativity thang, you probably wouldn’t understand it.
Steve Jobs: Squashing creativity since 1997.
Your cynicism is matched only by your resignation.
The new antena will only affect reception (think basement, walmart, distance from a tower). Dropped calls on AT&T are the results of overloaded network traffic which prevents calls from initializing or cause connection interruption during a call.
Actually, dropped calls are not caused by the AT&T network as you describe in your simplistic analysis. You are merely parroting things you heard other idiots say. Apples redesign is a public admission of their inferior initial phone designs. You are a sheep.
Please go ahead & explain to us the cause of the dropped calls then.
Oh! wait! you can’t. I’m sorry, I forgot that your just ranting
With my original iPhone AND my current iPhone 3G (never upgraded to 3GS), I *never* had a dropped call.
Of course, I’m not on AT&T,I’m on Orange in France.
So tell me. If the design is flawed, do you think they fixed the design for France only?
Idiot I never have any dropped calls except when I am in a low-service area. It has EVERYTHING to do with the network!
The network has everything to do with dropped calls. I actually live in a place where AT&T has good service. Never drop calls in my home area. But when I travel to the big city… dropped call central. Overloaded network = crap service.
The poor service comes from overloaded networks because of too many hacked iphones that allow the user to download large media files over the 3G network. There’s a reason why they don’t allow you to download .mp3 files and FaceTime over the 3G network. It bogs down traffic. If you asked me (an Android user) what the most infamous feature of the iphone is, I’d tell you, “everybody I know that owns one has hacked it.” Have fun with your overcrowded 3G network iPhone users.
Anybody used the Magic SIM card for iPhone 4 ?
“The gyroscope is a toy.”
Unless of course HTC put it on an phone… then it is GENIUS.
Fandroid.
was that said? did he say that? did he even imply it?
Hey, Joe… Jimbo’s a big boy. He doesn’t need you to stick up for him. Go pick a fight elsewhere.
@Krugeri
Oh shut up. People are allowed different opinions.
@ Mark A
They’re also allowed sarcasm.
This works both ways. We could say the same about you iFans. And by the way, who really gives a !@#$ about games on an iPhone? Get a PSP and call it a day.
the gyroscope will actually make for one hell of an in-air mouse w/ the development of the right app.
this is the same technology found in the logitech air mice, as well as the gyration brand, and those are solid products
“The gyroscope is a toy”.
What assessment of the technical specs leads you to say that? I haven’t read them yet myself.
“If they want me to upgrade my 3G to a 4, then there needs to be some serious offers, else HTC get my business.”
I don’t think they want anybody to upgrade that isn’t interested in upgrading.
They tend to focus their marketing directly to people who really like their style and products.
No, the gyroscope is a serious sensor. Maybe you won’t exercise your creativity but you can be sure developers will…
I was actually considering getting the HTC HD2 until I found out it only has 512mb onboard storage! What use is that? Pathetic. I would rather buy an iPhone with 32gb and jailbreak it to work just as well as the HTC.
Jimbo said:
>>The gyroscope is a toy<<
Perfect. That's why players were born!
The dimensions seem to be the same as the older apple phones. I would imagine the cases for the current 2G, 3G and 3G wouldnt work with the Iphone4 because of the thickness.
Just a thought.
Stuck between this phone and getting an Android phone.
Pros on iPhone:
- Apps – some of the vendors I use have apps for iPhone but not for Android.
- Sick screen/shape.
Pros on Android:
- Best integration of Google mail/voice – we won’t see anything as cool on the iPhone.
- Turn-by-turn directions
- Open, open, open.
Of course, I’m on AT&T and travel to Europe, so given AT&T’s lack of great Android phones, my decision may have already been made for me.
yeah, steve would like to think it’s pretty clear cut, but there are a lot of points on both sides. I’m siding with Google personally because I don’t want to live in a “curated” world, but the 4 is a pretty wonderful little device and no mistake.
personally i’d like a curated world that’s a bit better curated. i don’t want to have to install anti virus software because some developer is doing something sneaky with the app i just downloaded. but apple should let google voice and maps with new features on the phone.
fyi, inthewoods, the free mapquest app for the iphone has turn-by-turn directions.
mapquest is a joke.
I’ll give apple credit, they sure do a great job of hyping up a new release of incremental changes to their fanbase.
Incremental? You can’t be serious.
Welcome to the club, Frandroid. Your screened generic polo shirt and khakis are in the mail.
A fanboy calling another fanboy a fanboy… its rather amusing.
Frankly, I like this phone; it looks good, the new antenna should make for good reception in prior poor areas, the screen is nice, multitasking (though limited) is there, and it is finally getting some power under the hood. (when compared to the new high end android devices)
But I wouldn’t buy it, for a few reasons; the controlling apple attitude, at&t sucks, and I think android does many things as well or better, and it evolves faster. I would bet that by the end of the year, there will be android phones that have better features and more power than iPhone 4. Plus the newest android OS update will bring more to the table than iOS4 does. Lets hope with their new Palm design guru they just hired also brings about some nicer UI design. I have no problem with the current version, but it does require a bit more “savyness” to use. Though when you use it for a while, it becomes second nature, and easy to use as well.
This device is the first iPhone that I feel is a serious smart phone, and Apple’s multitasking, may be very good, and may save battery in the process. The camera is also great, larger sensor and lens means better quality, even against 8mp camera phones.
Plus there is the Apple “it just works” factor. I got to play with an iPad the other day, and I admit, with the large screen; when it came to reading articles on web sites, it just worked, and worked well. I will reserve my final judgement until I get same hands on with a finished Tegra 2 powered android tablet. I hope the browser can utilize the larger screen just as well, and be just as smooth and responsive. Using an iPad vs an iPhone is a huge difference just because of the screen, I hope android will benefit as well.
Marine, the currently shipping Androids with 1 GHz processor still lag while scrolling more than my old 2G iPhone. I don’t have much hope for anything Android being “just as smooth and responsive” as any iDevice any time soon, but especially a 1st generation Android tablet.
I too hope the Palm guy does some serious work in this area.
The Tegra 2 is much more powerful that the a4, so it may help. I’m thinking a lot of the lag is really just refresh values in the software though.
I don’t see any scroll lag on the Nexus One. In any case, I will choose Flash over “super smooth” scrolling any day.
“I don’t see any scroll lag on the Nexus One. In any case, I will choose Flash over “super smooth” scrolling any day.”
Well that explains everything.
As an animator, I have to use Flash in order to work, but it keeps crashing my desktop.
I’d hate to have my iPhone crashing all the time.
I wish to god adobe would craft a more stable product!
I don’t know how it explains everything. Flash plugin sometimes crashed, but it never crashed my Mac nor Chrome browser.
On the Nexus One, framerate in flash video is little low (feels like 15-20 fps), but never crashed so far.
>>I don’t know how it explains everything. Flash plugin sometimes crashed, but it never crashed my Mac nor Chrome browser.<<
If you've never experienced the Flash-Freeze, consider yourself very lucky.
Flash not only sometimes freezes my browser, but as I'm creating animations on Flash, it will freeze my operating system. But I put up with it because I can't animate without it.
However when it comes to phones, if you only care about Flash not smoothness, then you can get "any" phone that does Flash. Who cares what the brand is, as long as it does Flash you should be happy. The iPhone is "definitely" not for you.
Perhaps iPhones are only for artsy-fartsy creative types. Designers obsessed with minimalism, exquisite smoothness, zillions of apps and seamless user experiences.
Or maybe it's just for famous prolific painters like David Hockney, who when teased about drawing on his phone, said "Well, actually, it’s just that occasionally I speak on my sketch pad.’”
Some people need to experience that level of performance more than they need to experience Flash.
If I "really" miss Flash, I can always bookmark the Flash page on the iPhone and fire up the ol' desktop computer later, which I seldom find myself doing.
But that's just me.
To each his phone.
Or maybe it is just for “creative types” so obsessed with what the case of their hardware looks like, that they are willing to actually hinder their creative work to have a trendy box. Seriously oPhone, you should check out a PC. I’ve been working in Flash since ’96 (back before it was even called Flash), and have NEVER had a single OS freeze caused by Flash, and never even lost any work as a result of the program crashing. In fact, at least in the PC world, it is one of the most stable animation programs I’ve ever used.
Really, if the brand of computer you use is more important to you than your ability to get your job done reliably, then I seriously question your judgment on anything.
Actually you’re right Lee, if Flash-animation were the “only” thing I did, I’d probably have to consider switching to PC. Fortunately as a character designer 98% of my work is created with Painter and Photoshop. I only build animatics occasionally. And I must admit I’m still using Flash MX. Perhaps it’s time to upgrade.
Most studios are loaded with Macs, maybe a couple of PCs. Whenever all the Macs are taken, I’m forced to work on a PC.
Believe me, I’d much rather deal with Flash crashing every now and then, than try to figure out what or where my “C” drive is!
I suppose it makes me another MacRetard that PC users make fun of but the hierarchy I have to go through to find my files drives me crazy!
With a Mac it’s just so much simpler to get to my “stuff”!
It’s not the “brand” name that I’m hooked on, it’s the intuitive ease of use.
By the way, I’m not hating on PC users. I’m sure PC’s are sufficient business computers. If I were doing spread sheets or accounting, I’d probably love it. But most of the designers I know use Macs.
Full Sail University (Florida’s multi-media art college) provides each student with a Macbook as part of the tuition.
In fact, I was just on the phone with the only artist I know who uses a PC. He couldn’t talk at the moment because (once again) he was busy trying to figure out what “virus” was keeping his computer from operating. He said he couldn’t understand it because it was a fairly “new” computer.
Talk about hindering your work, yeeesh!!
Another friend was constantly going through the same problems before he switched to Mac. LOL, I recall him freaking out when his fresh-out-the-box PC caught a virus before he even had a chance to run the anti-virus software. Actually it really wasn’t funny at the time but….
Look, you’re perfectly free to question my “judgment” as much as you want, or you can even google David Hockney and question “his” judgment if you like.
I don’t care if the brand name was “Mud”, as long as I don’t have to question if I have a virus or not, I’ll be sticking with the computer I got.
Yeah, blah, blah, vague antiquated comment about viruses, blah, namedrop, blah. Kid, I’ve been getting paid to do graphics and animation, probably since before you were born. Seriously, if you think that what computer you are using makes you a better artist, then you aren’t a very good artist. Sure, some studios use Macs, Dreamworks uses HPs, and ILM is almost entirely Linux. Even Disney and Pixar don’t do all their creative work on Macs, and Steve Jobs is on the board of directors! I have worked on Macs, PCs, SGIs, and even had one job that was entirely on Amigas. I spend 99% of my time in an application, so really could care less what OS is running, or what brand the computer is. If your biggest hurdle to asset management is that the drive naming scheme confuses you, I would hate to see how you work on a complex project with multiple team members, and all network resources.
Just because you use the same phone as David Hockney, doesn’t make you some great artist, any more than wearing a pair of Air Jordans makes you a great basketball player. I know a guy who had a gallery show of work done entirely in Powerpoint, does that suddenly make all Powerpoint presentations great art?
>>Yeah, blah, blah, vague antiquated comment about viruses, blah,<> namedrop, blah. Kid, I’ve been getting paid to do graphics and animation, probably since before you were born.<> Seriously, if you think that what computer you are using makes you a better artist, then you aren’t a very good artist. Sure, some studios use Macs, <>Dreamworks uses HPs, and ILM is almost entirely Linux. Even Disney and Pixar don’t do all their creative work on Macs, and Steve Jobs is on the board of directors! I have worked on Macs, PCs, SGIs, and even had one job that was entirely on Amigas. If your biggest hurdle to asset management is that the drive naming scheme confuses you, I would hate to see how you work on a complex project with multiple team members, and all network resources.<>Just because you use the same phone as David Hockney, doesn’t make you some great artist, any more than wearing a pair of Air Jordans makes you a great basketball player.<<
Oh come on, I never said it did. Truth is, at my age I'm just happy enough to be a "living" artist.
But if an iPhone is good enough for Mr. Hockney, by golly it's good enough for me.
Chill out dude, it's just a personal preference, not life or death. Just because someone likes vanilla ice cream doesn't mean there's something "wrong" with chocolate.
At the end of the day, it's just a "choice" isn't it?
“Yeah, blah, blah, vague antiquated comment about viruses, blah, namedrop, blah. Kid, I’ve been getting paid to do graphics and animation, probably since before you were born. Seriously, if you think that what computer you are using makes you a better artist, then you aren’t a very good artist. . If your biggest hurdle to asset management is that the drive naming scheme confuses you, I would hate to see how you work on a complex project with multiple team members, and all network resources.”
BTW, exactly what’s vague about not wanting to experience the viruses that some of my friends are having. Sounds pretty straight forward to me.
And it’s nice to see “anybody” doing “anything” before I was born, considering I’m a geezer born in 1954. Double thanks for calling me a “kid”! ; )
Although some may consider me as somewhat accomplished in my field, by no means do I view my art as any better or worse than my contemporaries. Except perhaps in your case, it’s clear the talent you possess is far, far superior.
Of course I realize that most studios possess a plethora of computers, fortunately the agencies that I work with prefer macs and use them as much as possible. I guess I just lucked out.
Any word yet if we can order AND activate online? I dread the whole store visit crap.
Stop being lazy
Even I wanted to know if this can be purchased via Apple’s website. Or do you need to get if from ATT ?
AT&T sent an activation link in their order confirmation email, also with the warning not to click the link until the phone was in hand (presumably it will deactivate my existing device). Nice, automated and simple. If you order through AT&T’s website (when they’re accepting orders again), you should receive that link. If ordered through apple, my guess is that they’ll do it in the store.
Apple’s biggest issue is this “one phone/year” business. 2 months from now, there will be an Android phone with a better screen and faster chipset.
Fantastic device though. The video chat will be awesome.
It would be pretty hard to top 326 ppi on a $199 device. That’s a higher resolution that print (266-300)…
And 2 months after that, something will out-do the Android, and so on…..
So why not make a practice of getting what you want, when you want it, with no regrets.
I’m always kind of a Debbie Downer about these things, and I’ll continue to do so. The phone looks beautiful, but it seems like Apple’s doing what they do best: winning people with beauty over function. Not to say the phone isn’t an improvement over previous years, but it just doesn’t seem to be as crazy as Jobs made it out to be these last couple weeks. He said he was going to blow our world. Okay… multitasking… front facing camera that allows video chat that you’re not allowed to do on a 3G network due to AT&T bandwidth issues (to be fair, this would be a problem on any carrier)… they changed the name of their OS… The only real difference for me is the screen and iMovie. Like I said, it looks great, but looks shouldn’t be a deal-maker/-breaker when buying a smart phone. The gyroscope is a cool function, but like stated above, it’s essentially a toy and shouldn’t be incorporated as a major facet in your decision-making. This is all under the assumption that you’re trying to smart phone that plays games, not buying a hand-held gaming device that happens to make calls.
For a company that likes to consider itself a pioneer, I always find Apple the last one to improve their products that are already released; you’d think that since they were the first one out with the new smart phones, they’d be the furthest ahead. With all that time to perfect their OS in comparison to, say, Android, you’d think they had the time to make their hardware the absolute best.
What I’m trying to say is… it looks like it’s still a regular iPhone with some small improvements here and there. By changing the looks, they’re trying to make it look like they’ve set new standards… again.
well said Meep, agree with you 100%
while i agree in part, I think that the 3G and 3GS were the “same” phone as the original, but this one actually adds some new functionality. Although yes, Apple is certainly not innovating like it used to – at all, really. Their real innovation is in consistent and friendly UI — which is getting more and more important, and that’s something I’ve been meaning to write about.
How can it? It’s one company with limited resources as opposed to many companies trying to outdo each other using the same OS.
It’s the same thing as Windows vs. OSX. There is no question which one will market share in the long term.
As far as Apple’s innovation they tend to replicate the same plan year after year.
They get up to feature parody for 80% of the competitions features, they innovate 10% (Like the 321 PPI Screen), and then the final 10% are features they’ve been severely lagging on that they try and do “right” (Copy & Paste, Multi-Tasking).
The fact of the matter is that Apple is at the end of the day just a company, and like all companies they have to make decisions where they’re going, and where to put their effort/resources. I think when you mix their ravenous fan base, the fact that the news outlets are in love with them, and that Apple employees love the products they come up with–it creates a scenario where it has to beat everything or else it’s failed.
I think one secret to Apple’s success is (like the best artists) they’re not afraid of failure. This freedom to fail allows them to take unpopular risks and makes them unstoppable in ultimately achieving their vision.
We could all experience growth and development by upgrading our capacity to endure the possibility of failure.
“For a company that likes to consider itself a pioneer, I always find Apple the last one to improve their products that are already released;”
I actually appreciate that they take their time with their improvements. By the time they finally released copy & paste along with video, they had the most eloquent copy & paste and video editor out there. And of course building iMovie into a phone is just plain unprecedented!
Perhaps the general public can’t fully appreciate it but for creative types it’s a mind blower!
I am a little disappointed that we don’t get to cut the cord yet and have a fully independent platform with the ability to sync to the cloud (MobileMe?) instead of a Mac/PC… and that the FaceTime calls are only phone to phone and not phone to Mac (iChat AV). And where is lala?
Anyway… I moan and yet I still want one knowing that all of those things are a mere software upgrade away.
Still no SDHC card slot, FAIL…
Use of the word fail by anyone over the age of 12 in a critique meant to be taken seriously… FAIL.
fail comment.
fail fail comment
@krugeri
you never really add anything positive to threads i’ve noticed — you just shoot other people’s posts down. try contributing something constructive once in a while, otherwise you’ll be just be a jerk.
For the first time ever the iPhone was in at least 2nd place (probably more like 3rd or 4th) in terms of best smartphones in the world going into this launch. And I’m not wholly convinced they have managed to push themselves back up to the top with the iPhone 4. It’s a great phone but there is nothing here that is making me want to do everything I can to wiggle out of my current contract and get one.
Also the white one is totally ugly.
That’s the thing that Apple is trying to exclaim these days, it’s becoming less and less about the hardware. As long as it does everything you need it to, and does it relatively snappily, most people are more persuaded by the User Experience and the UI.
Just look at the iPad, that’s the secret to it’s success. It will probably end up being the most successful tablet over the next few years. Will it have the most features? No. Will it be the fastest tablet? No. Will it be more than fast enough, be easy to use, have a great battery life? Yes.
For the first time in Apple’s existence they have popular culture momentum, where they don’t have to be the best. If they are in the top 3 spec wise, most people will want to stick with what they’ve been using and not “rock the boat”. This is very similar to people not wanting to switch to a Mac during the 90′s, there just wasn’t enough of a reason to switch.
On a final note, aside from people like us who are commenting on a tech blog, the majority of people aren’t freaking out to get 4g, or a 4.3″ screen, or care that someone else had multitasking before the iPhone. They just know that they like their iPhone right now, but it’s a little slow and beat up, and there’s a new one coming out in less than a month that does even more!
” know that they like their iPhone right now, but it’s a little slow and beat up, and there’s a new one coming out in less than a month that does even more!”
Exactly, remember how they laughed when Apple “dared” to enter the phone business, in the face of no possibility?
“They just know that they like their iPhone right now, but it’s a little slow ”
And yet, even their “old” iPhone 3G S is faster and smoother than the very best the competition has to offer today. Such a mystery!
At Apple, it’s always less about the hardware. Has been since I got an Ace1000 (a more powerful version of the II+ for less cash). Apple has never been a leader in hardware, but their best was “close to the top.” Their bottom was horrifically over priced, but pretty.
As of a month ago, Apple finally had _enough_ of what I needed in a phone to try out a 3Gs. I’m a reluctant convert. There are limitations to the phone that are somewhat baffling (like the search screen won’t find a name if I type in the phone number?), and when apps crash (as they do weekly) it’s just as frustrating – though instead of barfing, the phone just goes back to the home screen like nothing happened.
It has the advantage over my old WM6 phone that the OS was built for fingers from the start. The apps are also less expensive – calendar: $12 vs $30, home screen N/A vs $30, most commercial apps are $2-8 vs $15-30. And the screen is _so_ much better for finger touch it makes the experience – it can tell a swipe from a click >95% of the time. My TouchPro made an error 25-305 of the time, and boy was that annoying.
I’m disappointed that there is no 64GB option, the screen isn’t 16:9 and larger, and the sim is micro, since I use my current sim in my TouchPro for a portable WiFi hotspot).
The larger screen would have been nice – there’s even room at the top to shift the speaker up and slide in, though it would be crowded to get the extra 18%. Since I’m not about to drop $60 on a uSD, I’m okay with the memory. uSim to Sim coverters supposedly exist already.
As for 4G – it’s on Sprint, so it’s not like you’re actually getting a better network (from a coverage standpoint). AT&T happens to be pretty good around me – good speed, okay coverage, practically never drops calls. The $15 plan is actually a bonus for me, since I’ve used a whopping 40MB this month.
“Apple has never been a leader in hardware”
…and here Apple is, leading in hardware!
“the search screen won’t find a name if I type in the phone number”
To find out who you meant to call?
“apps crash (as they do weekly)”
Ah–you have a jailbroken phone! Dude, it’s no longer an iPhone you’ve got there.
Beyond that, you seem to ‘get it.’ Good for you!
It’s not that Apple doesn’t lead in hardware, it certainly does. It’s that Apple doesn’t lead in variety of hardware and features, like USB, high MP, etc.
Well the wait is over and this phone didn’t come close to the hype. I agree with Jimbo in every way, Jobs rushed through his demo, no CPU Specs given, no replaceable battery, no SD Slot and no 64GB Model. It was about more revenue with iADS, iBooks, etc. Not a word on Tethering or Verizon. The best parts of this phone is the Screen Resolution and Construction, other than that I don’t see it being “Life Changing” especially with what other manufacturers are waiting to introduce. Sure the App Store is nice and the popularity of the iPhone gets you quicker apps but with Flash out and other missing features mentioned above – I don’t see what the fuss is all about. Hope Verizon steps up to the plate with a killer smartphone now that they know exactly what the iPhone 4 competition looks like. Now it’s time to see if Google kicks up Android and their hardware knowing what all the iPhone HYPE was all about.
Yes, Tom. As if you cared anyway… other than to simply sell Android to others. I get it. You weren’t impressed.
By the way, you do realize this was a developers conference, right? It should be focused on what the platform can do for you, the developer. Also, there are 8 days of sessions on the things you didn’t hear about.
Wow.
Krugeri, please stop bashing meaningful criticism. There should be room for that even among Apple fans.
I have my 3rd iPhone, and I dislike Android, and yet I feel for TomT’s comments. I too was waiting for Verizon, tethering announcements, and SD slot and replaceable battery would have been a huge advantage too. Don’t you wish you could use tethering like everyone else in the world?
I had to buy Verizon USB 3G modem so I don’t have to jailbreak my iPhone. And it’s about 3x faster than AT&T 3G tethering (tested with a jailbroken iPhone).
The point being, there are plenty of religious propaganda on both sides, but please be mature enough to separate valid criticism from Apple bashing.
Totally agree.
Do you actually have a valid criticism, TomT, or do you just want to pretend to be unimpressed? BTW, other manufacturers aren’t “waiting” to introduce anything; we consumers are waiting for them to produce actual competitive products.
Any idea about when they’ll get their asses in gear? It’s not like Apple’s annual June introductions don’t provide them with plenty of open dates…
2 Words: wow!
wow..it’s a great smartphone.till now I’ve never had an iphone before because I use blackberry.but now I am totally considering to buy an iphone. :-)
Sweet! I am pre-scheduled for my pre-order of this awesomest phone. :)
that’s Awesome :)
for approx. one month then its old hat
ATT site is currently down…
How do they price those things so cheaply? I know you’re ending up paying for all your accessories and maintenance, but that’s really cheap for buying a phone contract-less.
What’s the contract-less price? I thought it was like $600?
Sooo stoked! The phone is even better than I was expecting. The build quality looks incredible and I’m loving the attention to detail.
I’ll never understand everyone complaining because hardware feature *blah* was missing. What’s more important, the physical things inside your phone or how well the total experience works? I couldn’t care less about the CPU specs as long as it’s blazing fast. Why does it need an SD card slot?
The quality of the phone should be based more on how it performs in the real world (and how it looks, if you want my opinion) and less about the specs on paper.
For example, that’s great that the EVO has a front facing camera but last I checked the software for video calling was still “in progress” (Qik is working on it, i think). What good is a hardware feature if there’s no decent software to use it. And when it does work, who are you even going to be able to video chat with? Other people with EVOs and Qik?
actually, Quik can stream online, so not only can you video chat with others but you can actually broadcast. And that not only over WiFi… to any computer in the world, or cell phone, or iPad.
That’s cool. That’s the same as Qik on the iPhone then I believe.
Fring can also do this. Just tested video call from Nexus One to Skype on Mac.
Joe said:
>>who gives a shit. Face Talk is nothing special.<<
I suppose that's true if you have no one special to Face Talk with.
When Mr. Jobs talked about the gyroscope on the phone he was addressing the Developers can you imagine getting a serious app with this gyroscopic function
come on we know that their is no all out leaps in the iphone, but would you upgrade your phone every 6mths just for a better screen resolution. or to say would upgrade your computer every 6mths come on be realistic and not a critic
write the truth.
look its simple like this we have choices if you want an android get and android if you want an iphone go get an iphone and if u have the cash to get one every 6mths go get one every 6mths its simple like that
Jimbo wrote:
>>If they want me to upgrade my 3G to a 4, then there needs to be some serious offers, else HTC get my business.<<
Does HTC have anything like Face Talk?
who gives a shit. Face Talk is nothing special.
Ahh… there it is.
Face Talk is open standard. They can build it in Android. But why? when they already have similar, oh better Qik, that works in 3G.
Qik is lame video posting, like youtube, not face to face chat.
There’s a Qik video chat app, genius.
Yes. Fring works for iPhones and Android and uses Skype video or Google Talk to make video calls. It works over 3G and can communicate with computers or any other device running Fring. You can even video call an iPhone from an Android device!
Do you mean aside from Fring, Skype and Qik?
By the way, just a minor nit to pick. HTC is just a manufacturer of phones, not the totality of Android devices or software. There are something like 60 different Android devices out there, some have video chat, some don’t, some are made by HTC some aren’t. For example there is a Japanese Android phone on Docomo (I think by Samsung), that has a front-facing camera, and does video call the same way Japanese mobile phones have been doing for many years. That doesn’t use any of the software I mentioned, it uses Docomo’s own video call system.
That is what is different about Android. Carriers and customers don’t have to sit around waiting for one company to decide to roll out features as they think they are important.
Customers just have to wait until carriers roll out updates to their customized adaptations. Reminds me of Linux.
Yeah, you’re right, customers hate free updates and customization. They hate that almost as much as they hate choice and competition. Updates are just so complicated and confusing, and customization just ruins the finely crafted user experience. I guess that is why patches, updates, and upgrades never really took of in the personal computing space, well except for those hopeless Linux nerds. That’s probably why Nokia phones and BlackBerries have been such huge failures too.
Luckily we have Apple, who makes products so simple, that even a blogger can figure them out.
As an aside, we’ve had video calling for years in Europe. The thing that’s failed to make it a popular choice has nothing to do with apps or method, it’s the horrific tariffs charged by the carriers.
Not sure why Face Talk is being hyped. It just seems like a second string video chat facility with lots of limitations.
“it’s the horrific tariffs charged by the carriers”
…and thus the iPhone 4′s current “limitation of Face Talk to WiFi connections. BTW, there’s nothing “second string” about the iPhone’s video chat implementation.
Aside from being restricted to one model of one phone you mean? Second string like I said.
I should point out that video calling over WiFi is already available too but rarely used because both parties need to be in a WiFi zone and there’s no certainty of that.
Until there’s better WiFi saturation or a carrier deal is hammered out this is going to suffer from the same issues all the existing solutions do.
Don said:
“there’s nothing “second string” about the iPhone’s video chat implementation.”
Sure it’s second string because you’re restricted to only one model. Forget about integrity and purity.
Even “drinking water” has to have different variations of colors and sweeteners in order for people to drink it nowadays!
Who in their right mind would be caught drinking pure, unadulterated, plain ol’ ordinary, second rate water??
Why, that would be absurd!!
Remember, if it ain’t broke – FIX IT!
; )
Qik
Sorry, got to agree with the many others here. This disappoints.
Great hype machine, but otherwise I don’t see anything here that others don’t have more in the plus category on. Take Android: Versions with a forward facing camera (and yes, video chat), check, noise canceling microphone, check, every other thing Steve said today, check. Oh, and I don’t remember, but is this a 4G phone (I’m thinking no)? The only possible extra “plus” here is a slightly higher res. screen. But the Droid is 267ppi vs this new 326ppi, but Steve said I can’t tell the difference with anything over 300ppi, so could I tell the difference with 267? Isn’t print media already at about 267?
So I think I get it, it’s “the little things” that make this phone special above some of the competition – just not sure the general public will see all that magical specialness – I don’t.
If anyone would see the “magical specialness” I would think it’d be the general public. They are bought into the bigger picture of how the phone works/looks and less about all the nerdy details.
Also, marketing matters. And nobody in the mobile space does marketing better than Apple.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, no amount of marketing could convince even the most loyal cultish consumers to line up around the block to purchase a product like Zune.
Marketing might get me into the door, but it can’t get me to open up my wallet.
User experience on the other hand……
Yeah, because Starbucks really does make the best coffee in the world, IKEA really does make the best furniture in the world, and Nike really does make the best shoes in the world.
Wake up dude, marketing is the ONLY thing that makes “cultish consumers” purchase products. “User experience,” “refinement,” “polish,” all these soft and completely unquantifiable terms are all marketing terms. That is exactly how lifestyle brands and brand communities work. You create an “experience” and convince the members of your brand community that their ability to appreciate the “experience” makes them special, thus allowing them to ignore anyone who questions the rationality of their brand devotion, because that person questioning them “just doesn’t get it.”
Lee Lloyd wrote:
>>Wake up dude, marketing is the ONLY thing that makes “cultish consumers” purchase products<<
If that were completely true bands with cult followings would never fall off the charts. Boy George would still be #1 with a bullet!
Your grasp of marketing is really lacking. First of all BANDS and BRANDS have very little to do with each other.
A band only has one product, themselves. They can’t substantially change their product offering, at least while remaining the same band. As the band gets older, it becomes harder and harder to sell their product to the same demographic, just because of the age gap between them and the primary audience for music (just as one example).
Brands, on the other hand, can offer any product they want, as long as they think it will keep the interest of their target demographic, and can vary their product offerings as often as they like.
Lifestyle brands in particular, like the ones I mentioned, are barely even selling the product at all. Or more to the point, it is not their, mostly unremarkable, products that distinguish them, but rather the story they tell about who you must be if you chose to buy their product. Brand communities don’t form because of the properties of the products themselves, but out of a shared sense of common attributes of the people who buy the product. Thus you have a product like coffee, available practically anywhere that serves beverages of any sort, yet a community choose to center a large part of their day around buying not just coffee, but food, music, and other seemingly unrelated items, from a particular branded establishment, specifically because they like the story of who they must be to be shopping at that establishment.
In reality, it has been proven time and time again, that in a controlled double blind test, they can’t even distinguish the difference between their chosen brand, and a similar competing product, in the absence of the branding. This can, for example, be seen in the voluminous dissertations by self-professed design-oriented professionals, about how the early leaks of the iPhone4 could not have possibly been a real Apple product (before it was proven to be an Apple product), because it lacked the “attention to detail” or “refinement” or “design language” or “style” of an Apple product, right up until it was proven to be an Apple product. Then of course it was unanimously declared to be of impeccable design, and the most beautiful device ever created by man, according to these said same ‘experts.’
Oh, and P.S. “number one with a bullet” means something that is not just at the top of the charts, but something which is at the top of the charts, and still has growing sales, so is a particularly inappropriate phrase when you are trying to convey the idea that sales would hold steady.
Rut Rough! Lee’s left speechless, if only because of his manboyish love for George Michaels and his Fandroidism.
@ LEE
Don’t pretend that Anrdoid carriers and manufactors don’t do the same thing. Droid: Everything the iPhone isn’t, we are. Except that’s hardly true anymore. Google tried the same thing at their D conference.
User experience is hardly unquantifiable. It varies from person to person and can certainly change over time. Qualitative statistical analysis such as this is well developed, but also happens to be highly proprietarty, for the simple fact that companies that don’t produce a satisfactory user experience tend to go out of business very quickly.
The simple fact of the matter is, if he picks up the device and doesn’t like using it, he’s not going to buy it.
Lee apparently you have the art of branding down to a science, but again, I don’t care if the “Brand” is called “Slug”, if it’s so friendly even my Mom can use it, looks stunning and keeps me virus free, I’m down with it.
>>User experience is hardly unquantifiable. It varies from person to person and can certainly change over time<<
I agree Joe. Before my mom passed away at age 81, she bought a macbook and an iPhone. As simple as the macbook was, she struggled to figure it out. LOL, "Where's the desktop again?"
However she was pretty skilled using her iPhone. She constantly amazed all of her octogenarian friends with it's ease of use.
At her age she could care less about a "Brand", but she would have loooved the iPad.
Perhaps Apple is so successful because they're the first company to actually acknowledge that even the nerdiest geeks have plain ordinary parents.
right on dude.
true… i don’t like how they spin it, but the display will be much better than before… oh, there is a higher chance you get dead pixels too.
Couple corrections so far, not done reading yet:
>> It weights 137 grams
It weighs 137 grams
>> It’s twice the original resolution
No, it’s 4x the original resolution. The number of pixels on each side doubled.
I think it’s accurate to say it’s twice the old resolution, but four times the old pixel count. Thanks for pointing out that typo, though.
iPhone 4 vs. Jane Lynch:
http://bit.ly/cirHvP
Anything on iTouch4gen?
iPhone dev hopefully hurry up and release a unlock for the new iPhone. There is no way I’m going to AT&T for it!
There are already some experimental tutorials on youtube for iPhone 3GS running 4.0 beta. Official release shoud be published on dev team blog http://blog.iphone-dev.org/ or http://freeunlock.com
(posted this to pikk) Cool or Lame? The new iPhone 4 [VOTE] – http://www.pikk.com/f945f
Its OK but there is nothing really groundbreaking imo. I admit I am an Android user now but I defected from the 3GS and now the os4 is out, I still dont regret the switch.
Apple will always be the company with the best marketing but they couldn’t make me come back with what they are selling in their latest offering.
Like a couple of people have already stated, in 6 months time HTC will come out with another phone that betters the new iphone.
Comepition is good, but if future OS updates are as lame as this one was, there wont be competition because Google and Android will be ahead.
This kinda feels like a big OS upgrade to me. What sort of things do you feel like you’re missing on the software side of things?
The only obvious ones that come to mind are:
1) WiFi hotspot
2) Deeper Google Voice integration
3) I guess OS turn by turn?
??
“I admit I am an Android user now but I defected from the 3GS and now the os4 is out, I still dont regret the switch.”
Do you like Android’s cut & paste, and video editing better than iPhone?
Hmmm where would Apple put the stuff SIRI made. Like if what SIRI made would be integrated in the Iphone OS something in that though if that matters cause Apple bought siri just curious.
Hmmm. It reminds me of a casket.
Jason Wagnor said:
>>I’ll never understand everyone complaining because hardware feature *blah* was missing. What’s more important, the physical things inside your phone or how well the total experience works?<<
I know, it's like saying convertible sports cars suck because they don't have the storage capacity of trucks!
My original Treo had lousy cut and paste. When I first found out that the iphone was missing it, what was I supposed to do? Go back to my old Treo?? I don't think so…
The new iphone cut and paste was well worth the wait. Best experience ever.
But then again, some people just don't like sports cars….
I think these phones are starting to show more evolutionary improvements than revolutionary ones. There is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes there is only so much you can do to improve something.
I know there are supply problems with AMOLED, but Apple has to let go of LCD at some point. Do I want an iphone or an AMOLED phone with Froyo? Tough call.
Tough call? Not hardly–the AMOLED screens (like the Incredible’s) don’t come remotely close to that of the iPhone 4 and they’re also very difficult to see in daylight.
Keep up with the times. Check out Samsung’s Super OLED. All the advantages of OLED plus without the disadvantages of not being visible in daylight. Coming to a Galaxy S near you this summer.
Is the new device using different more robust glass than the previous models? I might hesitate to purchase it if I have to worry about both sides cracking.
All I wanna talk about is the resolution…as it brings up a few interesting points:
1. once I saw the resolution on my Droid, I couldn’t read my iPhone again. Glad they’re catching up.
2. the new hi-rez screen – Jobs said 78% as many pixels as an iPad! – just points out my MAJOR critique of the iPad – it’s way too low rez to work as a reading device. I can’t wait for the 2nd gen iPad that has decent resolution – by that I mean that I WILL wait…
3. 321 ppi is a step in the right direction but what is this nonsense about the limits of the human retina? 300dpi printing was considered low resolution. I used to publish a magazine and we went for 1200dpi. So there’s still a lot of room on the upside for resolution…which, like gadgets, you can never have too much of ;)
“1. once I saw the resolution on my Droid, I couldn’t read my iPhone again. Glad they’re catching up.”
Seems like they surpassed.
Yes, but you won’t see the difference on 3.5-inch screen.
Actually, we won’t really know if we can see the difference until the product is released and we’re looking at it.
Widgets?
I really like this. The white one is gorgeous, the black one less so. Wish they’d change the fascia though, it’s getting boring.
as far as the output goes, 1024 x 768 practically is 720P as 720p = 1280 x 720.
Not really. The aspect ratio is 4:3 instead of 16:9 so if you want correct aspect ratio it will be 1024×576.
except that it has a different number of lines, so the 720p stuff would look like ass on that resolution, and use processor to scale, especially since the aspect ratio is different.
talk about missing the point
Now that I think of it, it reminds me of my 1st generation iPod Nano. And that’s a good thing. I still think it’s the most stylish of the Nanos so far.
I’ll be honest, this phone is pretty sexy, just like the model on the cover of a magazine is sexy (well, not exactly like, but i digress). Apple has never had a problem with presentation. But the reality is most likely that the phone will have issues, as all the others have. The android fanboys want this to fail, and refuse to note the impressive stats and features, whereas the apple fanboys ignore the shortcomings and refuse to acknowledge that without android, apple would never have bothered with these features.
But what i really worry about is apples entire philosophy of doing the bare minimum, and dictating to me what I may or may not do with the phone I spent nearly $1000 to buy (after the contract is paid for, or paid out if you want to upgrade). This phone will be unlocked within weeks of it’s release, as the new “iOS” has already been jailbroken and carrier unlocked on the old hardware.
Apple widgets? Steve jobs has stated that that will NEVER happen. Apple doesn’t innovate, but they DO play catchup, so maybe steve will change his mind (or his clothing style)
When my gf brought home an iPhone 3g when they were first available in Canada, I was like, cool, then i realized it could barely do the things it did (bluetooth, youtube, crappy single camera with no video capability, non-expandable storage, proprietary storage and connection, etc), Apple is just slowly adding these things when it has to…
Nice, but prolly not as nice as it seems, i doubt the battery life expectations most of all, but we’ll see. Keep in mind this phone is neither revolutionary, nor innovative, it’s the bare minimum they could get away with, although i’m convinced apple could sell crap on a stick to some of you people, and you’d find a way to love it, as long as the smell was ok…
The retirement of the 3G was mentioned above. I’m curious as to what will happen when say my phone (I have a 3G) needs to be replaced for an issue, whatever it might be. My experience before with phone carriers was you had to pay to get an upgraded phone to get a working phone so is this going to be the same thing?
having a wifi n adapter is pretty much useless in north america…. not many people have access to bandwidth > 10 mbps anyways…
As a happy iPhone 3GS user who recently tried an HTC Desire, I’ve got to say that this is the beginning of the end of Apple’s smart phone domination. A higher resolution display? Google must be grinning from ear to ear.
Do you think there will be lines around the block for the Google phone?
No, because they don’t do that one-phone-a-year hype thing.
Do I think Android has passed the iPhone in terms of functionality and usability, and will be miles ahead in a year? Yes.
And as I said, I’m holding an iPhone, so I’m no fanboy…
Which is why, in a year or so, I might get an Android phone and this month I’ll get a iP4.
Right now (okay in 2 weeks), the iPhone hardware is on par with the top 3-5 volume commercial phones. Each has plusses and minuses. At this level, quite honestly, software means more than hardware. If you have the free time, and need, to tinker – you want Android. If you have other things to do (life, family, work), you get an iPhone. FWIW, I fell into the former category up until just recently, so it’s not a dig – just an honest observation from someone who’s been on both sides.
I look at it this way, I’ve been looking at getting an Iphone since the first one was released, I never have. This model may just have the features that finally convince me to take the plunge, it does indeed seem to have most of the major features that a layman like myself wants in a phone. But we’ll have to see shant we.
Where are you MG. You Apple Lover. Where are you ?
Come out and play. You said the EVO was trash and now we found out officially who is trash. Dissappointment all around other than people who devote themselves to Apple Inc. and the pawns of ATT.
You have been weighed, You have been measured, and your phone and service have been found not worthy.
Assimilation Complete.
Cool, how’s the movie editing with EVO?
Yeah, that’s the most important thing you NEED to do with your phone. It’ll be so cool seeing James Cameron doing Avatar 2 on his iP4. Oh wait, there’s no steady control in the iPhone, so the videos will all look like crap. Have fun cutting several pieces of crap into a huge chunk of crap. While you do that, I ll use my phone to make a call.
Uhm, I guess that means it’s not so great with movie editing. LOL, I recall when iPhone used to get clowned because it couldn’t cut & paste text!
Overall, it seems iPhone is made for creative types, like artists, writers, musicians and film makers. Not so much for people that only want to make a phone call.
If I just wanted to do that, I guess I’d still be using my old treo from the 90′s.
OPhone. I 100% agree with you.
Apple doesn’t make products for people who just want to ‘make a call’. If you wanted to do that, you could just go to your local thrift store, pick up some junk from 10 years ago for $2, and find some $5 pay-as-you-go card from a grocery store.
I hear you Jeego, and there’s actually nothing wrong with those pay as you go phone cards. In fact, that’s how my own brother does it! LOL So if you really wanna “keep it real”, that’s the way to do it.
But if consumers “only” bought what they “NEEDED” ice cream parlors, donut shops and jewelry stores would all be out of business.
I love when Steve Jobs says no one is forced to buy Apple products. He makes them only for the people who happen to want them. Why get miffed if those people happen to line up around the block?
@Cinderella: Must be really fun placing a call on your EVO when it’s dead half of the time. Either that or having it plugged into a charger at all times. I just hope you have another alarm clock besides your phone for when it shuts off in the middle of the night while on standby.
I have tried every iPhone that has been launched, and I have been disappointed each time. Not with the device itself but with the service. The iPhones were great devices and never had an issue with the device itself. I am a droid user now and I thought it was great at first! But then shortly after the phenomenon that Verizon actually got a worth while device, I realized my service is just as horrible as AT&T. It is kinda sad when one day my service does not cut out on my droid at all and the next day it says its been out of service 92% of the time. And yes I have had this problem with multiple android devices. I would rather have a dropped call, then the phone not ring at all. Some people are about simplicity and that is what the iPhone is all about. IMHO The iPhone does everything I need it too. The moral of the story buy what you want and who gives a F&%K what other people think. If you got the money to try the new thing out, why not? Its just my opinion. As for me, I will give it a whirl.
I suppose some of you fanboys got boners and some fandroids also got boners. I am trying to understand why some of you poor souls get so emotional…. Deep breath fandroids and fanboys. You just own phones. They will not help you get laid or become socially un-retarded (most if you –not all).
Take a step back and read what you are posting. Imagine years from now how silly this is, truth-be-told, none of you had anything to do with the engineering and design phones except for the couple hundred bucks you spent on them. Would of gone to better use on meals at Applebees (just a hunch that may be your favorite).
Maybe you can put some of that energy into something productive. Hmm perhaps a treadmill, your laundry or pop a pimple.
Life is great?! No? Go out and live it.
i feel sorry for you, being an engineer myself I am able to appreciate such things in life,the design, the manufacture of such a product, why judge people by what they like? and what they get boners off?
not all people on here are socially retarded are they?
don’t be bitter because some people want better in life, its like me going up to some guy who own a Ferrari and calling him a dick for owning one, cause it makes up for his small private parts, then again he might just like driving fast cars no?
people live life in different ways, deal with it.
some people are able to appreciate things, others not, clearly you are one of those insecure people who need to tell other people how to live life simply because in your life you have nothing to do….i suggest you go get one.
“don’t be bitter because some people want better in life, its like me going up to some guy who own a Ferrari and calling him a dick for owning one, cause it makes up for his small private parts, then again he might just like driving fast cars no?
Exactly. Deeper still, it’s like saying the Ferrari sucks because it doesn’t haul as much as a truck! Instead of appreciating what the Ferrari does well, it’s pointing out what the Ferrari “doesn’t” have that other cars do.
I don’t care what the so-called limitations of the iPhone are. When I’m using it, it feels like a Ferrari!
I rather have a Supra than a Ferrari. Not a bash against phones because I do envy the iPhone for its App Store.
Just in general. A Supra is a thing of beauty.
LOL, I feel ya’.
What exactly do you like about the Supra?
My girlfriend, fan of Apple and owner of iPhone is planning to buy Nexus! At the end, i WON! :D
…until she’s spent a few days with it and realizes how poor it is compared to her old iPhone. Might as well leave now, Nazar, and save yourself the pain of being the passive party.
I have to laugh when I read threads like these. It all sounds like “my dad can beat up your dad!” my dad has the evo, and it’s awesome. I have the iPhone 3gs, and it’s awesome. You know what else? Playstation 3? Awesome. Xbox360? Awesome. Donuts, ice cream, cake, pie? Has fat and sugar ever looked and tasted so good? People, they are little hunks of metal and plastic that let us talk to people, check email, surf the web and play videogames. Beyond that it’s just fluff and hype, smoke and mirrors. Spend your money on what you like and enjoy.