I’m aware there is a ‘Gadgets and Gizmos’ thread underneath the ‘Members Inc’ board, but I suppose individual threads on different products can be made to discuss said items exclusively, especially if you haven’t owned them yet.
So I wake up and turn on Safari to see the brand-new iPhone 4 announcement. My brother remarked it didn’t look too different from the leaked prototype on Gizmodo that the unfortunate employee left in a bar.
My folks were planning to buy us smartphones this year (my mum got the iPhone 3G) and I was assuring them I was fine with my current phone as it is- my current phone is a 2006 model and I’ve only used it for a few months, and I wanted to save it for a newer Android/iPhone model down the road.
And this one’s… a real beauty! I’m not much a fan of the thin, clam-shaped iPhone 3G, so for a new candy-bar design I can actually hold really appeals to me. I’m also a kind of crusader for HD, so the ability to shoot HD videos and take pictures with 5 Megapixel and 5x optical zoom is amazing (including a front camera for self-portraits and video-calls!). I’m not sure what the ‘Retina Display’ feature is, but I suppose it’s like higher-resolution images with anti-aliasing when resized.
Other fun features are voice-command, iBook app included free, a ‘Folders’ feature much like OS X, and multitasking ability- so you don’t have to reload apps when switching between them, and you can have several open at the same time! I remember being unable to listen to your music while using other functions was one of the criticisms of the earlier model, and I’m glad Apple listened and fixed that! And the usual ambient light sensor and accelerometer comes as standard. Overall, very attractive package, and it might just entice me to agree with my folks if the price drops year-end!
I love the HD videos and the fact that it runs an iMovie app. The FaceTime concept is great, minus that you have to wait for all your friends to also get the new iPhone 4G. And I believe it only works where you have wifi (maybe?). Which is unfortunate because here in San Antonio we are not cool enough to have city wide coverage. The camera on both sides is nifty. Makes me happy.
I two was promised a smart phone this year. …Alas we are Verizon folk. But as new models continue to impress my folks, who’s plan my phone is under, the more they seem convinced to switch over. If my brother continues to beg like he’s been for the past 24-hours I wonder how long it’s going to take before they agree to jump ship…
On a comedy note, check out KassemG and Jane Lynch in this Mac vs PC parody about the new iPhone here
I am currently saving up for one of these, though I’m not going to go on contract. Instead I’ll just buy a handset off eBay for some extorionate amount of money and keep it for a fair few years. It does look pretty amazing, though. It’s not really groundbreaking in terms of phones generally (a lot of these features have been out and about for a while) but the iPhones always just have such a quality feel to them, like they’re something special.
Considering I just bought my first iPhone a few months ago I’ll be stuck on contract until the next version is released. The hardware changes aren’t impressive enough to make me cry at least, though the better screen would be a plus for browsing. I am very much looking forward to iOS4 and I hope the jailbreak for it is out quickly. I couldn’t live without MO going “Whoah whoah woah woah whoah” as my txt alert.
Yeah, Apple never really innovates in terms of new hardware platforms (and when they do they give us the Newton). It’s all about the UI and ease of use and the overall experience.
Or just visit Australia and buy one outright here.
I’m definitely getting one later this year. Making a few overseas trips in the next 6 months so not sure what my time frame on getting one is.
thedriveintheatre: The Retina display is really just a high res display (i.e. 960x640 in a 3.5" display, which translates to about 324dpi. That is phenomenal. Print quality pictures. Most high end grade printers print at 200dpi or 400dpi. 300dpi is the point where no more detail is discernible to the human eye. If you look at the demos on the Apple site (which work fantastically on my iPad!), the idea is that you could hold the phone to your eye and not see any pixels. Things are going to look super crystal clear on here. It’s a shame the iPad doesn’t have the same kind of dpi -as it is a reading device really, text could look so much better.
Can’t wait to get my hands on one of these beauties!
I’m still tossing up between getting the 3GS or the v4. While I really like the design & build, it does not justify spending $300 more for the features, especially when the 3GS is reduced. (I’m planning to get it outright.)
Well, there’s till next month till it comes out here, so I’ve got time to choose.
Not gonna lie…I almost cried when I saw this. 2 reasons.
tears of joy. It’s the PERFECT phone! All I could ever want!
tears of agony. I live in a region of the state where there is absolutely no AT&T for over a 100 mile radius from my house…AND I really like Verizon…AND I was really hoping this magnificent phone would hit Verizon this summer…sadly, it hasn’t…and I need a new phone this summer.
It was a bittersweet day though…Congrats to all the future iPhone 4 owners, though! lucky you
I watched most of the Keynote… if I didn’t know better, I woulda thought Steve was a megalomaniacal super-villain bent on world domination! I mean, watch the part near the end where he describes the mobile marketing share, or the product distribution schedule, it’s like he’s conquering Earth country-by-country!
And guess which movie was featured in the iAds segment?
