Posts tagged iPhone 4

In response to Nokia’s “We prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict” article, John Gruber of Daring Fireball wrote

Judging by how their phones look, must be a lot of conflicts.

I thought the same thing, but wasn’t able to succinctly state that message as well as Gruber. I think it shows, however, that “Antennagate” has really become a marketing monster more than a widespread issue. Is it real? Certainly, as I can place my finger over the slit and stop data from coming to the phone. More important though, would I have noticed it if these “journalists” weren’t trying to create a scandal? The answer is no. Most important, is this issue going to make people, including me, return their phone? I’ll get to that answer near the end.

As for Apple’s press conference, it took me two days to sit down and get all the information. I watched the conference, read some live-blogs, and followed the reaction. As expected, reactions were mixed, but overall, you could place most reactions into two buckets; reasonable and unreasonable. I’m in the “reasonable” group, so I thought I’d throw my perspective out to the internet. 

First, this post isn’t to downplay the issue. For some users, this issue is a hassle. I’m fortunate (I guess) that my natural instinct is to hold the phone in a way that does not cover the slit on the left side (I do hold the phone with my left hand). The phone is so thin that I can’t imagine putting the “death grip” to make a phone call, as the fingers would hit my face.

Anyway, I thought Apple’s response was incredibly reasonable. If you take away all the extras from the presentation, it boils down to two main points. First, if you’re having issues, then a case fixes it. So have a case on the house. If you don’t want a case, then return it with no restocking fee.

In essence, you don’t have to keep the phone if it’s not what you want. What I know though, is that everyone “wants” to keep the phone. No one wants to return it. If you don’t believe me, ask someone who owns one, or just go to the Apple Store and see one. Once you hold it, or see the Retina Display, the phone sells itself.

That gets to the crux of the issue, though, which is the society we live in. People, by nature, have a sense of entitlement. Phones, like any product, are a series of tradeoffs. People recommend products based on the overall tradeoffs that were made, and how they fit the person’s persona. Some journalists would rather complain, believing they’re entitled to an expensive fix (or a new phone), when they can simply go out and get another type of phone.

Noticed I said “journalists” in the last paragraph. I said that because I know a lot of people who own iPhone 4’s. Not one of them have stated they think less of the phone because of the antenna issues. As a matter of fact, it’s 100% agreement that this is the best phone ever made.

Therefore, I think Apple went “way above” where they needed to go. Phones aren’t perfect, as Jobs stated. Most users, sans tech journalists, are not letting this issue stop them from purchasing one (although maybe Consumer Reports scared Apple). If you are concerned, bring the phone back and buy another brand. Which takes me back to whether people (including me) would return their iPhone. 

Nokia, RIM, Microsoft, and others are making official statements, in an effort to attract iPhone customers. As stated earlier, phones aren’t perfect, and are a summary of trade-offs which attract a certain type of customer. In the end, a small minority may return their phones, but most will look at the value the iPhone 4 brings when compared to these other brands and stay. Again, just go to the Apple Store and see the Retina Display and the overall design. Then, go look at a Blackberry and its trackball. While everyone wants a perfect solution, including me, reasonable responses understand they’re is no perfect solution, so we want the best solution. People may threaten that they’ll leave you, but in the end, if you’re the best, few actually leave.

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.