Iphone 4 Discussion

[TheLaughingMan]

Go to apples website and watch the new iphone 4 video. Pretty dam_n impressive. What do you guys think? I havent upgraded my original 2g in 3 years but I will definately be upgrading now. The major new features that attract me are:

Higher resolution screen

Faster cpu

longer battery

Video calling using either the front or back camera so your friend can see your face or see what you are seeing while you talk

5 mega pixel camera and high res video

flash light for night photos or night video

true multi tasking with a very easy way to switch between apps

native folder creation, drag an app to another app and it puts both in the same folder

better email that allows all your account emails to be in the same inbox

They fixed just about every problem the iphone had until now. Would be interested in what the critics will come up with now.

[RKeith]

Love the new Retina 960 by 640 display, bigger battery, A4 SoC processor, HD Video recording, good cam sensor and LED flash. Can't wait to read real world testing reviews on the battery life if it's really that good. I wonder if the A4 processor is spec'd similarly as the iPad's ARM-based 45nm chip at 1GHz. That will be a big jump from the the 3GS's 65nm ARM Cortex A8 600MHz. I know it's all just numbers and the 3GS is smooth as it is (yes, smoother than Android's 1GHz phones lol) but this means a great deal for developing better apps. There's no word on RAM upgrade and the skeptic in me feels we are stuck at 256MB.

Some minor disappointments:

Capacity tops at 32gb - giving us HD video recording but without the means to store a lot is a bit sad. Then again, I'm pretty sure this is due to the 64gb current flash memory prices. And the 960 x 640 density screen would also mean future apps (Gameloft quality games come to mind) would be bigger if the devs will take advantage of that screen.

FaceTime is only wi-fi - this AT&T relationship is really hurting Apple in more ways than one.

iADs will be irritating - then again, if this will help the devs keep their App prices low, it's a win for us consumers in a way I guess.

No free MobileMe - no word on this yet.

RAM - if still 256mb

OpenGL - no mention of the newer version at the keynote. Then again, Steve Jobs might on September as what happened last year.

[quiksilva]

Its not as clear cut a winner as you might think.

Take the HTC EVO

Showdown: iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Heck even the HTC Desire performs admirably well

iPhone 4 vs HTC Desire - Pocket-lint

Both of these options will improve with the release of Android 2.2 when it hits devices in the coming months.

See a comparison of the two OS's here

iPhone 4.0 vs. Android 2.2 Froyo (Froyo now also has the ability of syncing music on your desktop pc to the phone wirelessly)

Ultimately it boils down to a personal choice, but no doubt most users will opt for the iphone because of apps, the screen, and perhaps the design.

[anotheruser]

Better screen, battery life and camera are the three key things I can see. I just got a 3Gs not long ago (I knew the IPhone 4 was coming but couldn't wait as it will be months before Thailand or anywhere near me offers it unlocked) so will be sticking with that and probably pick up an iPad 3G. The new OS runs on the 3GS so it will be a bit like a new phone anyway.

The facetime over wifi concept seems utterly pointless to me. A bit like iChat really nice quality product but hardly anybody has it. Not too many of my friends in Thailand (or anwyhere else)are going to have a Iphone 4 to use that with. If you have to be on wifi as well then it doesn't really replace a laptop with webcam anyway.

The glass back is somewhat of an unknown factor. If it is scratch resistant and doesn't shatter when dropped than that is great. In any event that is just a minor cosmetic thing and of little consequence. I am not sure I want a phone that is any thinner. I have used an Ipod Touch before and it is actually too thin for me. I like how the current iPhone feels in my hand.

I think of all things improved on it the camera is the most significant upgrade, to me anyway. People always laughed at the crap quality of the iPhone's camera and rightfully so. The new camera isn't relatively speaking that good, it is just not laughably bad as on the previous versions. It was about frigging time they added a flash.

I was somewhat undecided what to purchase when reading about the keynote. I came to the conclusion that the iPad will complement my current set up more. I won't be browsing too much or watching movies on my phone after getting one so it makes the screen point somewhat moot. I heard the iPad has a nice screen. It has similar battery life so again another upgrade feature sort of canceled out for me. That leaves me just wishing my phone had a better camera I guess.

I suppose for gamers the gyroscope will be pretty brilliant and may lead to some pretty cool uses. I don't use my phone for games too often unless I am very bored and can't see that particular technology enhancing cribbage on the phone. The processor will also undoubtedly make more powerful programs and games possible. I think iMovie will only run on a IP 4 I could be mistaken. For normal everyday tasks I feel the 3GS is fast enough. Mine doesn't seem to be slow anyway. For opening an app like mail, how much faster can it get than under a second? The speed improvements for most casual users won't be so noticeable.

It is a great upgrade though in my opinion, it just happens to be in my situation and with the kit I have already I don't see the need for it. I think the iPhone has finally matured into what it should be as a product. Apple seems to have ironed out most of the holes that were common complaints of many people.

[kevinbkk]

I would like to know the price of the official IPhone 4 in Thailand and if it will be unlocked for any Sim Card like the 3GS.

I don't like the battery issue, in case of problems must go to apple and cannot just carry a spare battery with you in case you somewhere upcountry without electric.

Ram still low and I've expected more hard disk space, especially since the HD Video feature. 32Gb seems pretty low

[anothertorres]

i hear the iPhone 8 will be out in 2 months, i'm gonna wait

[kevinbkk]

End of September in Thailand, at least the official Thailand Release as far as I know. I think end of June at MBK already, imported from somewhere else and very expensive

[Abrak]

I must say I am rather underwhelmed by the whole thing. The video in parts is simply irritating - how John Ivy can say in 2009 we brought you video when virtually every other phone on the planet already has video is beyond me. Multitasking on a phone is not an 'innovation', it is a necessary upgrade to keep it competitive.

Same with iphone 4. Someone mentions that the upgrade of the camera is great but to be honest it simply takes it to industry specs (and I dont use it much anyways.) Facetime, at present, is a total gimic used by two iphone 4 users both with wifi and both of which want to see each others faces at any point in time. The screen is a big improvement but note that it has now reached the limits of the human eye - so there wont be a better one in much respect and actually when it comes to real life, you need a bigger screen like in the Ipad. The issue of additional memory when you are already at 32GB is fairly irrelevant.

To be honest, the big outstanding issue with the iphone is battery life. The life of the 3GS is crap and +40% on crap doesnt make it much better - I can still get through the 3gs battery in half a day. I really just want a phone that I have to charge once every week. The iphone 4 claims the same times as the Ipad which if true is great. If not, they would have done better to have worried less about the 24% thinner and made the battery even larger or released an 'iphone slim' and an 'iphone power.'

[TheLaughingMan]

I must say I am rather underwhelmed by the whole thing. The video in parts is simply irritating - how John Ivy can say in 2009 we brought you video when virtually every other phone on the planet already has video is beyond me. Multitasking on a phone is not an 'innovation', it is a necessary upgrade to keep it competitive.

Same with iphone 4. Someone mentions that the upgrade of the camera is great but to be honest it simply takes it to industry specs (and I dont use it much anyways.) Facetime, at present, is a total gimic used by two iphone 4 users both with wifi and both of which want to see each others faces at any point in time. The screen is a big improvement but note that it has now reached the limits of the human eye - so there wont be a better one in much respect and actually when it comes to real life, you need a bigger screen like in the Ipad. The issue of additional memory when you are already at 32GB is fairly irrelevant.

To be honest, the big outstanding issue with the iphone is battery life. The life of the 3GS is crap and +40% on crap doesnt make it much better - I can still get through the 3gs battery in half a day. I really just want a phone that I have to charge once every week. The iphone 4 claims the same times as the Ipad which if true is great. If not, they would have done better to have worried less about the 24% thinner and made the battery even larger or released an 'iphone slim' and an 'iphone power.'

I agree with all your criticisms except the battery issue, we use our iphones ten times more than a normal phone so wanting one you could charge once a week is dreaming of star trek technology. These arent black and white nokias of 6 years ago that we only used to text and avoid answering our multiple girlfriends calls. The iphone is hardly a phone and more of an all around life device so it running out of power in one day seems reasonable to me based on our tech level in 2010. The upside is it charges in less than an hour.

[kevinbkk]

I think (hope) Skype may offer a similar thing like Facetime soon with their App.

[Abrak]

I must say I am rather underwhelmed by the whole thing. The video in parts is simply irritating - how John Ivy can say in 2009 we brought you video when virtually every other phone on the planet already has video is beyond me. Multitasking on a phone is not an 'innovation', it is a necessary upgrade to keep it competitive.

Same with iphone 4. Someone mentions that the upgrade of the camera is great but to be honest it simply takes it to industry specs (and I dont use it much anyways.) Facetime, at present, is a total gimic used by two iphone 4 users both with wifi and both of which want to see each others faces at any point in time. The screen is a big improvement but note that it has now reached the limits of the human eye - so there wont be a better one in much respect and actually when it comes to real life, you need a bigger screen like in the Ipad. The issue of additional memory when you are already at 32GB is fairly irrelevant.

To be honest, the big outstanding issue with the iphone is battery life. The life of the 3GS is crap and +40% on crap doesnt make it much better - I can still get through the 3gs battery in half a day. I really just want a phone that I have to charge once every week. The iphone 4 claims the same times as the Ipad which if true is great. If not, they would have done better to have worried less about the 24% thinner and made the battery even larger or released an 'iphone slim' and an 'iphone power.'

I agree with all your criticisms except the battery issue, we use our iphones ten times more than a normal phone so wanting one you could charge once a week is dreaming of star trek technology. These arent black and white nokias of 6 years ago that we only used to text and avoid answering our multiple girlfriends calls. The iphone is hardly a phone and more of an all around life device so it running out of power in one day seems reasonable to me based on our tech level in 2010. The upside is it charges in less than an hour.

I understand your point LM. Clearly as we use the thing a lot more, it has a bigger better screen etc. means that by default battery life certainly doesnt get better (even with improving technology) and, I readily admit, it is, to some extent a sacrifice that I pay for the very success of the product.

My point is this. If they doubled the size of the battery, it weighed a little more, was a little thicker, it would be far more attractive to me. I also recognize there are people out there that are perfectly prepared to prefer a slimmer lighter model which they have to charge everyday (or, if they dont use it much, every other day.) So battery life is annoying to many and not to others - offer a 'slim' and a 'power' and let people choose.

[negreanu]

I really just want a phone that I have to charge once every week.

Dream on dude. Try the nokia 1100.

[TheLaughingMan]

Ya I'd prefer a heavier phone that lasted longer, but everybody I meet criticises the iphone as too big... as they fondle their tiny crappy nokia.... I just don't get people, tiny means tiny screen, aggravating as hel_l, who wants to squint at everything. I chuckle each time I watch a blackberry user "browsing the net" on that tiny screen and a look of constipation on their face.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I am not a apple fan at all but i am gonna buy the new iphone,,, i think,,,, i saw all the new stuff it could do, NOT new, a lot of other phones have had or been doing for years, video, he he other have done it for years, they still have a lot to do before its the best phone.

[trajan]

you also forgot a major point..iTunes store...movies, TV shows, music (of every kind and remix), apps, pod casts etc.....(and interplay with my iPod shuffle, iPod Nano and Macbook Air....)

I used to be a Window Mobile addict (and shunned iPhone) but now Im an Apple convert...immerse yourself and you will see what I mean....

I tried Symbian and thought they were crap....(not in the least interested in Blackberry with tiny keyboard)....

to be fair, I will try the Android based phones (but will wait for the HTC EVO--I played with an HTC Desire in Taipei and wasnt that impressed)....(Ive already tried all kinds of HTC devices with Windows mobile)

BUT I definitely want an iPhone 4 as soon as it comes out!!! the ease of use and intuitive design of Apple products are fantastic!

Its not as clear cut a winner as you might think.

Take the HTC EVO

Showdown: iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Heck even the HTC Desire performs admirably well

iPhone 4 vs HTC Desire - Pocket-lint

Both of these options will improve with the release of Android 2.2 when it hits devices in the coming months.

See a comparison of the two OS's here

iPhone 4.0 vs. Android 2.2 Froyo (Froyo now also has the ability of syncing music on your desktop pc to the phone wirelessly)

Ultimately it boils down to a personal choice, but no doubt most users will opt for the iphone because of apps, the screen, and perhaps the design.

[Abrak]

Ya I'd prefer a heavier phone that lasted longer, but everybody I meet criticises the iphone as too big... as they fondle their tiny crappy nokia.... I just don't get people, tiny means tiny screen, aggravating as hel_l, who wants to squint at everything. I chuckle each time I watch a blackberry user "browsing the net" on that tiny screen and a look of constipation on their face.

And that is MY BIG THING point. At the moment smartphones are judged by 1) memory size (32GB or 64GB and it becomes irrelevant) 2) the screen - iphones admits with our eyes it becomes irrelevant after iphone4. So the big 'option' going forward is battery life - yeah girls want slim and sexy - so offer it to them. But Apple know they could have issued an iphone with at least twice of the life of the 3GS without it being too irritatingly large for some people. The problem is that batteries are so low tech. When people say that a 1 week battery life is 'ridiculous'. a 5 year old basic phone with small screen of 5 years ago could actually offer it to you now.

The iphone is great, marvelous but occasionally the battery dies on me and that can be seriously irritating.

And iphone have the technology, their iphone chip is low powered, their screen is low powered. The battery life is bad because we use the thing so frigging much.

[nikster]

Pfft... hard to please crowd here. Now Apple comes out with a new phone that blows away the competition, and all people can think of is moaning...

First the design - this is awesome, and manages to make the older iPhones look plain old. The competition never stood a chance here, so no changes, except they look even older.

Then the screen. Nobody has this kind of display resolution. They call it retina, and I only say finally! This will be how all screens, computer or phone, will look in the future. That's because you can't make it any better than human eye resolution. While I don''t think you'll instantly say "hey - I don't see the pixels" - I think this screen will make everything look much better than other screens. That's because now you don't even subconsciously see pixels - you just can't see them.

A4 processor. Again - this wipes the floor with the competition. I thought my 3GS was plenty fast until I got an iPad with A4 processor. Everything is instant. There's a visible difference.

Video calling - Bit of a stretch seeing it take off, being as it is that video calling has been introduced many times, and never succeeded - turns out people don't want to see each other that much, it just introduces many complications. Same as a text is often better than a call, voice calling is often better than video. However, the video quality in iChat is unrivaled - forget about Skype, this is a different thing. It's beautiful and VGA quality. Unfortunately iChat is Mac only and so nobody has it. Having this on the iPhone is great. Also, having it as an inherent feature of the phone is great, in the same way that BBM for Blackberry is great. Zero setup, just the features, and no mucking around. BBM on a mobile is way better than instant messaging- same thing here. WiFI only is a concession not to AT&T but to the greedy operators world-wide. They control the data pipes, and they resist being the dump pipes that they actually are, or should be. So they won't allow video calling for free. Eventually this will go away but for now, operators call the shots. The iPhone and other smartphones are chipping away at the things that operators control, but it's a long, slow process.

My only disappointment is no BBM or equivalent. I am envious of that Sure the BB OS looks like from 10 years ago, and so does the usability. But BBM is still cool. Apple could at least copy it for iPhone-to-iPhone.

Flash? Not sure, don't have a need. The 3GS camera is not "crap", it's great. Visited Angkor Wat today and spent all day alternating between my DSLR and the iPhone for pictures. iPhone held its own. Low light shooting was always and issue and it looks like they improved that with a new sensor - will be exciting to see. Might be the best camera on a phone yet, megapixels non-withstanding. Let's face it but 5MP is actually too much for that small a lens already. Going to 8, 10, or 50 won't improve picture quality.

Battery - yeah... never enough really. Good they made it bigger + last longer. But to be satisfied, it would have to last 10 days of constant use. Which isn't going to happen anytime soon

I am excited and I am afraid I'll have to buy one and give my 3GS to the mrs.

[RKeith]

Apple could have given us an iPhone with the same thickness as the 3GS with double the battery life but they didn't. So there.

I personally just want a device for my awesome App Store apps and if the 4 is the best choice out there right now, I'll grab it. The freakin apps has done well for me already, not only in terms of entertainment or current events, but mostly my productivity has increased immensely. The iPad basically has been the culprit. But the iPhone is the device that'll be with me all the time so I don't care about upgrading and paying another bucket load for something that works well for my daily life. Apart form my 3GS, I have a Nexus One and a BB 9700 and all these pale to the iPhone's apps and user experience. They're good phones, mind you but the iPhone apps takes things further and makes my life easier.

Having a dead iPhone before you even get the chance to arrive home is irritating so getting a better model, even if the difference is slight at that, will be welcome. I work in an environment where my iPhone can be connected almost all the time so this is really not a big issue for me. The thinner and less slippery body on the other hand is gonna be a plus personally. If I'm traveling, I have those battery extenders which lasts me for a long while until I get to a power socket.

Ya I'd prefer a heavier phone that lasted longer, but everybody I meet criticises the iphone as too big... as they fondle their tiny crappy nokia.... I just don't get people, tiny means tiny screen, aggravating as hel_l, who wants to squint at everything. I chuckle each time I watch a blackberry user "browsing the net" on that tiny screen and a look of constipation on their face.

And that is MY BIG THING point. At the moment smartphones are judged by 1) memory size (32GB or 64GB and it becomes irrelevant) 2) the screen - iphones admits with our eyes it becomes irrelevant after iphone4. So the big 'option' going forward is battery life - yeah girls want slim and sexy - so offer it to them. But Apple know they could have issued an iphone with at least twice of the life of the 3GS without it being too irritatingly large for some people. The problem is that batteries are so low tech. When people say that a 1 week battery life is 'ridiculous'. a 5 year old basic phone with small screen of 5 years ago could actually offer it to you now.

The iphone is great, marvelous but occasionally the battery dies on me and that can be seriously irritating.

And iphone have the technology, their iphone chip is low powered, their screen is low powered. The battery life is bad because we use the thing so frigging much.

[RKeith]

 My only disappointment is no BBM or equivalent. I am envious of that  Sure the BB OS looks like from 10 years ago, and so does the usability. But BBM is still cool. Apple could at least copy it for iPhone-to-iPhone.

Ahhh that would have been heaven. There's been talk about that even before the 3GS but Apple never seemed to get on it. Then again, my guess is the carriers, and of course, AT&T.

Flash? Not sure, don't have a need. The 3GS camera is not "crap", it's great. Visited Angkor Wat today and spent all day alternating between my DSLR and the iPhone for pictures. iPhone held its own. Low light shooting was always and issue and it looks like they improved that with a new sensor - will be exciting to see. Might be the best camera on a phone yet, megapixels non-withstanding. 

 

True. Apple surprisingly does good sensor quality. The 3GS's pics can hold it's own against my trusty 5megapixel N82. Can't wait to see real life reviews on this new cam.

[nikster]

Ya I'd prefer a heavier phone that lasted longer, but everybody I meet criticises the iphone as too big... as they fondle their tiny crappy nokia.... I just don't get people, tiny means tiny screen, aggravating as hel_l, who wants to squint at everything. I chuckle each time I watch a blackberry user "browsing the net" on that tiny screen and a look of constipation on their face.

And that is MY BIG THING point. At the moment smartphones are judged by 1) memory size (32GB or 64GB and it becomes irrelevant) 2) the screen - iphones admits with our eyes it becomes irrelevant after iphone4. So the big 'option' going forward is battery life - yeah girls want slim and sexy - so offer it to them. But Apple know they could have issued an iphone with at least twice of the life of the 3GS without it being too irritatingly large for some people. The problem is that batteries are so low tech. When people say that a 1 week battery life is 'ridiculous'. a 5 year old basic phone with small screen of 5 years ago could actually offer it to you now.

The iphone is great, marvelous but occasionally the battery dies on me and that can be seriously irritating.

And iphone have the technology, their iphone chip is low powered, their screen is low powered. The battery life is bad because we use the thing so frigging much.

All the other tech - screen, CPU, etc, improves dramatically every year. Batteries don't. They make gradual improvements, but nothing revolutionary and some years they don't make any improvements at all. Lots of battery startups are working on resolving this but no-one appears to have succeeded at the moment. So, battery life remains bad. At least when you use your phone. I can easily last a week on a 3GS if I use it the way I used my 5 year old basic phone - make calls, send texts, turn off 3G, and use no data. Probably 2 weeks, actually. But start using the features, and I get about 3 days when turning off all those features that make automatic data connections (notifications, and email checking / push email). I still use the phone a lot - surf the web, check my email, twitter, take pictures, process pictures, etc etc.

[trajan]

Regarding battery life for 3GS iPhone, when Im out & about with no access to an electrical outlet

I just use the charger which plugs into the bottom of the phone (it's about 1/3rd the size of the phone)

and can be pre-charged w electricity (like a regular re-chargeable battery) or in emergencies powered by

solar charge (assuming you are in daylight).

I found that charger in Pantip Plaza (B600). Super handy for the iPhone.

[Archimedes]

Or for those who are a bit price conscious, The new Samsung Wave matches close to all the specs and surpasses it in many arias...it has basically the same processor.. (source: engadget) , Wave will also probably be available for about half the price of the new Iphone 4. ( Samsung Wave review i GSMArena )

[Raptor7]

I want an iPhone 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHngLJ0RlNg&feature=player_embedded

[anotheruser]

The iPhone 3GS camera actually did an okay job for pictures relative to it's 3.2 MP but what made it crap was no flash or zoom. A phone camera without flash was a complete joke. Where are people likely to use phone cameras? Bars, restaurants and the like which tend to be dark. It was okay for outside nature shots if it wasn't overcast at all. They have addressed this with the latest model but as I insinuated earlier and as another poster stated outright, they just brought it up to par with basic cameras any phone has now. I still think it is a great upgrade camera wise not because the new camera is anything special but because the old camera was one of the most glaring holes in the 3GS.

One thing we may have overlooked is the new antenna built into the edge of the frame. Hopefully the wifi range get's much better for the iPhone and for network connectivity. The way they implemented this design is cool engineering but if it makes the wifi range more tolerable it is once again just making it work as it should. I shouldn't feel blown away that I can get wifi that is typical of what my notebook has done for years already. Go to any iPhone forum and you will see many threads about the bad wifi. The iPhone was famous for dropped calls and typically ridiculed for it's poor performance on networks around the world.

I still think most the upgrades looked upon individually on their own merit are nothing to be wowed about. I do think though they have taken many of the flaws out of the phone. Many of the improvements are a bit late to the game but at least they have been put in place now. Just because I am not blown away by the latest evolution of the iPhone doesn't mean I don't have a favorable view of them. It is better now than it was and who can be unhappy about that?

It is now a well rounded device, actually more square but you get the point.

[Lizard2010]

I loved the official release.

The Network would not work.

It can happen to anyone.

It happened to Microsoft once.

[nikster]

The Network would not work.

Courtesy of AT&T. Craptacular, as always!

[anotheruser]

I am pretty sure it was wifi and had nothing to do with AT&T.

[Dancali]

Just a note on battery life....

I had an Iphone 3GS in Las Vegas for about a year, and I've had one in Thailand for a couple months. The battery life in the US was AT LEAST double what I get here. Perhaps even 3-5 times better.

I speculate that it has to do with the quality of the 3g network and the phone having to work hard to find it. When I go out in Thailand, I'm sure to turn off 3g, wifi, and dim the screen.

[nikster]

I am pretty sure it was wifi and had nothing to do with AT&T.

You're right, I was mistaken. Apparently there were too many WiFi devices / hotspots around. One website said there were 500 WiFi hotspots from the audience, but I have a hard time believing that, more likely 500 connected to or trying to connect to WiFi.

AT&T is still craptacular though

[nikster]

Jailbroken people generally shouldn't say too much about battery life. Some of the jailbreak apps use battery constantly. Had MyWi installed (even paid for) and it dropped my battery life significantly even when I wasn't using it. The bottom line is if you have jailbreak apps installed, or themes, or other add-ons, you never know whether they use more battery.

Other than that, 3G and notifications are the biggest drains.