As with my first day with MobileMe, I wanted to post some initial impressions on the iPhone 4. In short, the phone is a huge upgrade and well worth the cost. Note that I’m upgrading from an iPhone 3G, not the 3GS.

I’ve also owned the original iPhone before the 3G, but had to upgrade to the 3G due to touchscreen issues I had with my original phone (by issues, I mean it stopped working). This prevented me from upgrading to the 3GS, but put my upgrade timeline to the iPhone 4. Result? Best turn of events ever, and it only took 2 years to happen.

Anyway, on with the impressions.

The Retina Display is as good as advertised. I was, and still am, amazed at the clarity and quality of the display. It’s one of those things where you don’t notice until you actually upgrade. As an example, my 2007 Macbook display looks awful compared to the new “glass screen” current MacBook Pro, but you never notice until you use the new notebook. This comparison is the same. While I wouldn’t state that “It looks like a printed page” I will state that it is very hard to say anything bad about the display. 

However, apps that have not upgraded for the retina display produce hilarious results on the phone. For example, you can really notice the album artwork in Pandora. It’s just so pixelated now with the sweet display.

It’s Fast. The upgrade in speed is awe-inspiring from a 3G iPhone. Apps start/stop/update incredibly fast. The WiFi download and uploads seem faster, as well. Updates from Twitter or 4Notes happen much quicker. Overall, it just feels like I’m not waiting on the apps anymore.

It is finally sexy again (design-wise). I loved the aluminum back of the original iPhone, but have never been a big fan of the black plastic found on the iPhone 3G and 3GS. However, the glass back and steel wraparound make me actually love the design of the iPhone again. Everything on the phone has that “premium” vibe. Even the buttons feel premium.

iOS4? Good on an iPhone 4. I upgraded my 3G to iOS4 on June 21st, and I was (honestly) a little disappointed with the update, as many of the apps on my phone just seemed to function worse. Pandora kept stalling, and even crashed a few times. Note that this could have been the apps’ fault and not iOS, as most applications are being upgraded at this time. Also, the 3G doesn’t have multitasking, so apps, such as 4Notes, can’t offer the full experience.

On an iPhone 4? iOS4 is a dream. Multitasking support is smooth and just fun to use. Many apps are taking advantage of the fast-app switching and makes moving from application to application incredibly easy. Folders is a nice touch, and it’s nice to put the system apps I don’t use in a folder. But, with multitasking, I’m able to reach the apps I use most easily.

Threaded conversations in mail and wallpapers are also nice. Other than that, I haven’t had much time to try the other upgrades. Will add more posts as I do.

Pictures and Movies. This is a huge upgrade for me. As a 3G user, I never had the ability to shoot movies. I created one as an example and it looks great. However, I can’t compare with the 3GS, but assume with 720p export, it is a big upgrade from any phone. Pictures, as stated elsewhere, are also an improvement.

One issue, the movie I created was uploaded to MobileMe, but won’t play in the Gallery. As a new MobileMe user, I was expecting this. Am I wrong?

Overall. 2 Thumbs Up.