So yeah, another Apple conference has come and gone and yet again I find myself asking the question: People were waiting for that? Let's review:
The iPad is getting PDF viewing. It didn't have that already? Wow... makes me wonder further about the mental well being of about 2 million people worldwide.
The iPhone OS is now called iOS 4. While it makes sense that calling something that is on non-cellular devices iPhone OS, is iOS the best they could come up with? iOS, more like uOweUs! Yay pricing puns!
And finally, iPhone 4. First off, thank you, Steve, for not giving it a misleading name like some of the rumored ones (4G, HD, etc.). Gotta love their revolutionary naming schemes. The device itself is thinner than the 3GS, has the same screen size (contrary to one prototype), but does have 4x the pixel density, so it'll look very pretty (credit is owed where credit is due). The back camera is beefed up to 5mp (though Jobs says that doesn't matter. Riiiiiight...) and flash (Not to be confused with Flash. DEFINITELY not getting that here!). There's also a front-facing VGA camera for video chat. How is it different from HTC's EVO? WiFi only, and only to other iPhone 4 users. Useless? I think so. I'm sorry, I'll be fair. Considering that iDrones seem to travel in packs, it'll be useful to them, but frankly, I doubt they read this blog.
App-wise, you can expect some more iAd stuff, bringing pop-ups to a whole new level of obnoxious, some more games (which is what smartphones were made for), FARMVILLE (excuse me while I kill myself), and Netflix streaming. Now that last one could have been so freaking cool had AT&T not, well, been AT&T. To give you an idea, 2GB will give you about 300 minutes of Netflix streaming. Oh boy. And if I'm in WiFi, I damn sure won't be watching a movie on a 3.5" screen.
The design itself is a double-edged sword. I've said before that I liked the look of the prototype, and that hasn't changed. It looks more like a smartphone (and an ice cream sandwich) and less like a toy. Here's the interesting thing: The steel on the sides aren't for decoration, they are in fact the antennas. One piece is the GSM antenna, the other is the Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi receiver. In other words, Apple has magically traveled back in time to the days when our antennas stuck out of our Nokias, and had the ability to even extend! No, the iPhone's doesn't (score one for Nokia Brick!).
The iPhone 4 (and iOS 4) will be available June 24th, in 2 colors (default black and hideous white) and 2 sizes, 16GB and 32GB for $199 and $299 respectively. One good-depending-on-how-you-look-at-it-thing is that AT&T is going to allow anyone who's contract ends some time in 2010 upgrade early, which is pretty nice of them. Apparently they didn't learn that stuffing iPhones into their customers' hands breaks their network. I believe the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Someone prep a padded room for Ralph de la Vega.
Oh, and one final jab. Notice how I didn't say Verizon up there? Who's got 2 thumbs and totally called it? This guy. Now go buy a Droid Incredible, Big Red faithfuls. See you in a few days for a Wireless Wednesday with a surprising twist!
nice article!
ReplyDeleteHorrible Article. Very one sided and you offend the readers.
ReplyDeleteApparently we do have iDrone readers....
ReplyDeleteIt's true though, guys. You don't exactly take it easy on us in there! When I mean easy -- I mean a softly-lit, indy-style coffee shop on open-mic night; I mean having to pay serious money for applications and being happy to do it for a company in which I love so very much; I mean joining two million people in a large-scale, Japanese-style 'sit-on-a-sword' junket for the purpose of rescuing the entire Apple aristocracy from public criticism! But we can be happy about two things: two million other thick-bearded, lumberjack-hat wearing motherfuckers are doing the same thing; driving us closer together through fear of being socially outcast, and they were then newest iSwords. Yeah, they're really pretty.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, that was both confusing and awesome. The imagery of a burly Canadian decked in plaid sipping a cappuccino from a tiny cup in a dimly lit cafe while listening to a band "you probably haven't heard of" has made my day.
ReplyDeleteThank god for freedom of speech, but do you intend this article to be taken seriously? It cannot be more biased and blind than a creationist argumenting against evolution.
ReplyDelete@crazirican It is no secret that many contributors on this blog are very heavily anti-Apple, and with many good reasons. Especially when it comes to the cellular business, as Brad used to, and both Matt and Travis still do work for Cell Phone stores. I would invite you to view:
ReplyDeletehttp://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AoQTo83zXXFDdEI5d2wzNTE3eFN1TUcyUmFCcWktMnc&hl=en#gid=5
That's a comparison of all the major cell phones that had specifications at the time. While it is lacking the iPhone 4, you will easily see how far behind the 3GS falls behind other mobile devices. The facts speak for themselves.
@anonymous: I highly doubt Travis cares about whether or not you're offended. Especially if you're an Apple fanatic.
I do care about offending Anonymous. Well the second one. Assuming the two are different. Damn you, anonymity!
ReplyDelete@Ned
ReplyDeleteI was not aware he was using his blog as a sales pitch, that explains his overly subjective tone throughout the article i guess.
PS: I never said I was pro or con for the iPhone nor Android phones. Thanks for your spreadsheet, but I already know the comparisons.
I think this is the closest thing to a flamewar that Blueprints has seen! Not sure if that's a good or bad thing...
ReplyDeleteis it getting hot in here?! Phew!
ReplyDelete