iPhone 4 launched

[smoky004]

-ves

1. The 326dpi resolution is over-rated, camera quality is matched by the best in the business, video-calling through Wifi only is so sad it ain't funny, multi-tasking is still OK, and a whole lot of other features which are already available in similar phones 6 months back (Nexus One, Droid, and now Evo 4g)

Features alone don't matter.Anybody can bring out a pohone stuffed with features but what matters is their usablity.All the features found in today's phones were introduced by nokia a long time ago but nobody (other than geeks) ever used them because of half-baked implementation.Personally i don't care abt front facing camera.Am never gonna use it.But apple had implemented it rather well.And that wifi only part,blame ATT for that and not apple.Am lookin forward to the day when ATT exclusivity with apple ends because that company is holding back iphone.Coming to multi-tasking again i have seen how poorly it's implemented on nokia and blackberries.It slows down the entire phone and eats up battery in no time.My cousin sister always complained how slow her blackberry runs not even realizing how many apps she ran in the background.

I am sick and tired of companies like HTC,nokia.All they do is stuff their phones made of cheap plastic with components that are there more for PR not because they are considered useful and features that barely anyone uses.Case in point---12megapixel cameras.Nobody needs a 12MP camera and to be honest these 12 MP camera aren't that good either.Infact images taken by these actually look worse than some of the earlier phone cameras.But guess what the geeks will go ga ga over it so why not have it ??Anyther problem with these companies is the support they offer for their devices.Companies like HTC churn out one "so-called iphone killer" after another every other month and forget support for their earlier devices.Like i said before how many of HTC users are stuck with earlier versions of android simply because HTC doesn't bother updating their OS??

Someone said a grandmother wouldn't use an android.There's a reason why all the android phones put together,barely manage to surpass a single iphone when it comes to sales.And it's not because android phones are difficult to use.It's because they offer an inferior user experience compared to iphone.UI is less fliud, most of them run slow despite having a powerful hardware(case in point nexus one uses a powerful snapdragon chip. yet it's offers a more clunky user experience compared to iphone 3GS running an inferoir processor.But that ofcourse doesn't matter to a geek.hey my nexus phone runs the aweesome snapdragon chip....wow!! cool maan!!! Does your phone have that?...........No but it still manages to run a lot better than yours.

3. The price?!?! What were they thinking? $700 is more expensive than even the Evo 4G! This is simply the most expensive high-end smartphone to buy! If this was $450-ish, I would have bought it without a blink.

What did you expect?? It built from quality components not cheap plastic like EVo.Just because evo has a 8MP camera and 4g doesn't mean it should be the most expensive product out there. Inafct evo looks like a cheap toy for kiddies compared to the new iphone.

Why is social media support still so sad? Where are the widgets? Where is my customizable home-screens with Facebook walls

Don't know abt that since i barely use any of them......the only web 2.0 sites that i use are youtube and twitter and both work rather well.But i can see why the myspace loving community would hate social features(or lack thereof ) of iphone.



I wouldn't comment on the screen since i haven't seen it.but this is what engadget had to say abt the display:-

But the main course here is the new screen, Apple's "Retina Display." That 960 x 640 resolution is really quite dramatic when it's packed 326ppi tight into the 3.5 inch display. Comparing the new display to the 3GS is stunning, but the difference is apparent even compared to more modern phones like the HTC EVO or Incredible -- the iPhone 4 just kind of blows everything out of the water. It's hard to describe without seeing it, but you cannot really see pixels on this screen (provided you're rendering text or images at full resolution). Text just looks like printed text, images look incredibly warm and deep, and video is stunning. We're trying not to be over the top, but it's just a really, really gorgeous display. This is one case where Apple's hype actually matches reality.

the thing that's most worrying abt android is the fragmentation seen in android------- effects of which will become clear in the coming years.This along with the weak app support means i will never switch to android unless google si somehow able to magically address these major drawbacks.also the lack of decent games is yet another annoyance.Perhaps despite the current hoopla, android will go the same way as linux did and we will see the smartphone market dominated by microsoft( a company always late to the party but who nevertheless somehow manage to pull ahead).Till MS gets better i will stick with my iphone especially considering the quality of games available on the app store(and how cheap they are!).
Okay i am not an apple fanboi.Infact i hate most of their products except of course the iphone and ipods( other than shuffle).Except maybe the macbook pro but that only becaudse it can run windows through bootcamp.Most of their other procuts like apple tv are just POS.Iphone is their only product i love.Infact i hated phones before apple came to the part and reinvented it.

 

[vishalrao]

Shucks im in the US til the 20th will miss seeing the iPhone 4... was really hoping to catch a live demo of the thing...

As usual - impressive hardware and the OS slowly improving with so-called multitasking - but with the usual platform lock-in...

Really need an open clone of this thing

NOKIA - are you listening and watching?!

 

[Anish]

We might get the Iphone 4 either in July or September .

It has been announced also by Steve Jobs in his keynote speech that it would be released in June 24 in stores in U.S., France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. By the end of September, it will be available in 88 countries.

Now Telegraph says that Vodafone Essar might get it in India by July .

Not it July.. The list is already out and it doesn't feature India. Vodafone is definitely launching it in September though cause they skipped 3GS altogether so they don't have any stock to clear.

Expect pricing to be around 35-37k for 16GB and 40k for 32GB.

Vodafone Essar to launch iPhone 4 in India shortly - dnaindia.com
The Hindu : Business / Companies : Vodafone Essar to launch iPhone 4 in India

 

[Lord Nemesis]

^^ One more link from TOI confirming the same

iPhone 4 in India by September - Hardware - News - Tech - The Times of India

Gyro sensor is one and the retina display is the other(although the name itself is stupid).I can just think of how much research and development would have gone in developing this.

Then don't you think OLED and AMOLED displays also count as innovations. From comments of iPhone fans for samsung phones on gsmarena, they disregard them as innovations. In fact almost every technology developed by Samsung is disregarded (may be that has something to do with Samsung not being a American/European company), but at the same time, Video calling and LED flash are already being termed as Apple innovations by these people. I think I see a pattern there.

Also "Retina Display" is just a fancy word for an improved high res display just like what Samsung has been developing. Samsung have been developing high res 5:3 and 16:9 displays in less than 4" sizes for some time now. Using such terms for technology is a kind of marketing in itself.

Made-Up Word Advertising — “Retina Display” — is how Apple Launches New Products

 

[raksrules]

I dont know why but Apple is not putting radio in its iphone ??

It finally put in the nano so why not in iphone ??

I am sure it is completely useless (radio) for many people out here but i really need it. Hope they put it sometime.

 

[smoky004]

^^ that's the problem...not many need it and apple always caters to the mass market.with internet radio not many will miss the local radio

 

[raksrules]

^^ that's the problem...not many need it and apple always caters to the mass market.with internet radio not many will miss the local radio

Yes but for internet radio we need 3G networks...sort of non existent in India at the moment.

 

[Lord Nemesis]

I dont know why but Apple is not putting radio in its iphone ??

It finally put in the nano so why not in iphone ??

I am sure it is completely useless (radio) for many people out here but i really need it. Hope they put it sometime.

Well Apple does things based on their own (or rather Steve Jobs) visions of how people should use their products, not based on what people actually need. So if their vision does not include iPhone being used for radio, then they won't include radio capabilities even if everyone in the world wants it, Face it that's how apple has been working for some time now.

Also personally I don't think radio makes too much sense in a high end phone like iPhone.

 

[raksrules]

^^ Accepted but contrary to that Nokia is cramming the radio module in almost all of its phones now, even the low end ones or the high end ones. I mean it should really not be that difficult for apple to do it. But as we know it is apple so cant help much.

 

[soumalidon]

^^ One more link from TOI confirming the same

iPhone 4 in India by September - Hardware - News - Tech - The Times of India

Then don't you think OLED and AMOLED displays also count as innovations. From comments of iPhone fans for samsung phones on gsmarena, they disregard them as innovations. In fact almost every technology developed by Samsung is disregarded (may be that has something to do with Samsung not being a American/European company), but at the same time, Video calling and LED flash are already being termed as Apple innovations by these people. I think I see a pattern there.

Also "Retina Display" is just a fancy word for an improved high res display just like what Samsung has been developing. Samsung have been developing high res 5:3 and 16:9 displays in less than 4" sizes for some time now. Using such terms for technology is a kind of marketing in itself.

Made-Up Word Advertising — “Retina Display” — is how Apple Launches New Products

i agree.. i wonder how this display will be compared to the Super AMOLED on the Galaxy S and Wave... i personally dont feel that the so called retina display will be better than the Super AMOLED, although the pixel count is higher on the iphone 4.

 

[Lord Nemesis]

^^ Initial reports indicate that Retina Display is on par with the best displays available in the market right now. That's why I said that its Apple's equivalent of what Samsung has been doing with displays. One thing I am not very sure of is whether its an indeed developed by Apple or not. Most of their technologies are not developed in house. They either get them done outside or buy out companies that have already developed a new technology. It was the same with Multi-Touch and the Apple A4. So it might be the same with Retina Display as well.

^^ Accepted but contrary to that Nokia is cramming the radio module in almost all of its phones now, even the low end ones or the high end ones. I mean it should really not be that difficult for apple to do it. But as we know it is apple so cant help much.

Nokia started with Raido on Low end phones only. It was a valuable feature for that market segment. Now they have started cramming it in every phone. My 5800 has radio, but I rarely use it. Most people with high end smart phones have have other modes of access to what radio offers (news/music etc).

 

[ashr]

I am sick and tired of companies like HTC,nokia.All they do is stuff their phones made of cheap plastic with components that are there more for PR not because they are considered useful and features that barely anyone uses.

I agree with all your points except this. HTC actually makes some solid phones with great components. The build quality of the Legend is better than any other phone I've used... including the iPhone up to 3GS. Nokia sure does have shitty build quality for the most part but HTC does not belong in the same category imo. You might not like the way they look but none of their phones really feel cheap in your hands unlike Nokias which feel like those cheap plastic pencil boxes you buy on the streets.

I really think the bottleneck for the HTC user experience is Android itself. If Sense UI is anything to go by, HTC REALLY pushes for a high quality user experience. Judging purely from the design perspective, I'd rate HTC Sense UI on Android as high as iPhone's, if not better. However, this is only on paper and in real world usage, the HTC Sense UI on Android is laggy while the iPhone isn't.

It's the same in the desktop computing world too. A higher specced PC running Windows or Linux just does not offer a UI as smooth as Mac OS X. While most tech junkies would dismiss pretty, fluid transitions and window animations as gimmicks, it's very important to me personally... even when I'm all alone in my room and not trying to show it off to someone else. I can't really explain why but in my book, good aesthetics that work as intended adds a lot more to the overall experience than most people would care to admit.

Maybe the only way to match the iPhone's user experience is to develop your own OS along with the hardware. Like I've said before on this forum, there are MANY things I love about my HTC Legend but I hate that the animations are not as fluid or the touchscreen isn't as good when typing or pinching to zoom into webpages. On the other hand, iPhone's web integration will probably never be as good as an Android since more than half the web is pretty much run by Google. I didn't think I'd have a practical solution to being connected to GTalk, GMail, Facebook etc on the move until I bought my HTC. Sure you can do all of it on an iPhone but you can do it on a Nokia 5800 running Symbian too. It's just not as good.

I say if you want an "online" phone, go for Android but if you don't really care about being connected to the Google cloud, buy iPhone.

 

[Shripad]

@smoky

Clunky interface on N1?

Have you really owned and operated N1? I mean really? If you had you wont say that. Yes small no of users experienced issues but that had nothing to do with the phone. It was wifi and radio issues on certain carriers that caused slight stutter when active data transfer was happening in the background. It was fixed long time back as well. And you gotta experience Sense on Desire which basically has same hardware. I am not new to Sense, but Sense on Snapdragon is heavenly.

And fragmentation on android is over exaggerated issue.

There are basically 2 fixed resolutions. And 3 major chip platforms that operate most of the mainstream and high end Android phones. Qualcomm 7xxx and Snapdragon 8xxxx power 90% of the Android devices out there exception of bargain basement handsets and Sammy phones ( still their low end phones use 800 Mhz chip that is comparable to qualcomm's 7xxxx ).

All that use Snapdragon or Sammy's new 1G chip have fantastic displays and fantastic capacitive screen.

The others compromise on smaller resolution and screen size to fit in lower price bracket. ( HTC legend is perfect example of that. Fantastic handset let down a bit by processor and ram ).

The one real area where iPhone has an advantage over its competitors is gaming. If you take out gaming, even medium budget Android phones give very good user experience.

Android has very much caught up in other Apps area with many devs making Android versions of their Apps and others who have free alternatives. I knew it would happen one day, but it happened a lot faster than even I anticipated a year ago.

RIM still rules the smartphone arena in developed countries, but that might change this year with Apple and Android eating into their and WM market share. And Apple is yet to conquer Asia.

The real irony of iPhone is it is probably the best platform out there, but they have deliberately kept it dumbed down for the masses. A "smartphone" that is dumbed down on purpose.

The so called best UI hasnt changed in 3 years. iOS 4 added multitasking, but how much multitasking you can actually experience. Having few apps running in background is fine but that is nothing new. It is how you change the user experience by making use of Multitasking.

If you want perfect example of that, then look at Android, mainly what HTC did with Android with SenseUI, and what Nokia Did with N900 (but they blew it with N900 as well ).

Sense is a perfect example of how you maximize productivity, and fun factor of a Smartphone with use of easy access. Apple pioneered the swipe scroll interface, but HTC perfected it with Sense, and they really have left everyone else behind with their widgets and overall interface. Even iOS does not get close to how you can use Social networking, IM, Mail, SMS without actually going into phone menu or app list.

You got to experience it first hand to really see why HTC is doing so well these days.

Apple got my money for iPod, they got my money for Macbook, but they didnt get it for iPhone, and they wont get it until these basic things change which everyone here knows wont happen as it does not matter what we think or want when it comes to apple. And they are gods of marketing.

I know this post might sound like bickering. But its made in little disappointment.

When I saw the Gizmado leak, I finally thought this might be my first iPhone. I really like the form factor, for the first time I like the looks of iPhone ( i prefer this industrial look ) and I was expecting some changes in iOS because of multitasking. But that didnt happen.

 

[ashr]

Well Apple does things based on their own (or rather Steve Jobs) visions of how people should use their products, not based on what people actually need. So if their vision does not include iPhone being used for radio, then they won't include radio capabilities even if everyone in the world wants it, Face it that's how apple has been working for some time now.

Also personally I don't think radio makes too much sense in a high end phone like iPhone.

I'm sorry but I don't agree with this. Apple understands mass market requirements and marketing better than you, me or anyone else. Agreed, they're not perfect but nobody is. I strongly disagree with their policies for the "pro" market when it comes to their high end desktops but I think they've got it right with the iPhone. Most of the "basic features" they had left out until now like video recording, cut-copy-paste, radio, bluetooth or 3G are deal breakers for people on this site (We are all astonished that they left these out but someone like my mom who has probably never used any of these features in all her years of using mobile phones, simply wouldn't give a shit. Lack of message forwarding was a b**ch though) but if they really mattered to the rest of the consumer base, the iPhone probably wouldn't have seen revisions. As it stands, all the people who DID buy the original iPhone did not put it off because of lack of bluetooth or whatever. For most people, a device that can make calls, store numbers, send texts, take pictures and play music is enough to keep them happy while every other feature is an extra. The iPhone just happens to be the sweetest sugar coating available today.

It's not based on Steve Jobs' vision on how people should use phones. It's what the masses look for and more importantly, will pay large amounts of money for. Imagine if they had not included a camera or music playing capability just because he had a stupid notion that phones shouldn't take pictures or play music. That would have been suicide right there. They're not forcing anyone to live with shitty products. If the iPhone did not deliver what most people look for in a phone, sales would be abysmal as there are plenty of alternative options out there.

Tech geek requirements are the last priority for Apple but it doesn't mean that they don't pay attention to what the majority of the users want.

 

[Fenix]

Time to sell the Iphone 3gs and hold that cash for a while .

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

I'm sorry but I don't agree with this. Apple understands mass market requirements and marketing better than you, me or anyone else. Agreed, they're not perfect but nobody is. I strongly disagree with their policies for the "pro" market when it comes to their high end desktops but I think they've got it right with the iPhone. Most of the "basic features" they had left out until now like video recording, cut-copy-paste, radio, bluetooth or 3G are deal breakers for people on this site (We are all astonished that they left these out but someone like my mom who has probably never used any of these features in all her years of using mobile phones, simply wouldn't give a shit. Lack of message forwarding was a b**ch though) but if they really mattered to the rest of the consumer base, the iPhone probably wouldn't have seen revisions. As it stands, all the people who DID buy the original iPhone did not put it off because of lack of bluetooth or whatever. For most people, a device that can make calls, store numbers, send texts, take pictures and play music is enough to keep them happy while every other feature is an extra. The iPhone just happens to be the sweetest sugar coating available today.

It's not based on Steve Jobs' vision on how people should use phones. It's what the masses look for and more importantly, will pay large amounts of money for. Imagine if they had not included a camera or music playing capability just because he had a stupid notion that phones shouldn't take pictures or play music. That would have been suicide right there. They're not forcing anyone to live with shitty products. If the iPhone did not deliver what most people look for in a phone, sales would be abysmal as there are plenty of alternative options out there.

Tech geek requirements are the last priority for Apple but it doesn't mean that they don't pay attention to what the majority of the users want.

+1 and thats one reason for 50 million iphones sold . 4g would be another success and yet companies would try making a cheap copy to compete it .

 

[ashr]

The one real area where iPhone has an advantage over its competitors is gaming. If you take out gaming, even medium budget Android phones give very good user experience.

Android phones give good user experience only to people who know what they're doing. It isn't suitable for the mass market that iPhones are targeting. I gave this girl I know my HTC Legend and she couldn't really do anything with it. The lock screen doesn't tell you how to unlock it. When you press the Phone button to make calls, you can dial right away but it's hard to figure out which button to press to get rid of the numbers on screen and just scroll through contacts. It's little things like this that make the difference when it comes to selling phones to the masses. There's a reason why old Nokia phones were so popular back in the day. They were ridiculously easy to use and maintained their UI for a very long time unlike their competition.

You still find so many non-techie people who swear by Nokia.

Like your signature says, Android is only for people who can figure things out on their own. iPhone OS is deliberately dumbed down and the reasoning behind it is very strong. It's very easy to use and it looks good. However, it still does have a lot to offer to people who want to do more with their phones than just basic functions, albeit not as much as other phones in the way of customization.

 

[Lord Nemesis]

I'm sorry but I don't agree with this. Apple understands mass market requirements and marketing better than you, me or anyone else. Agreed, they're not perfect but nobody is. I strongly disagree with their policies for the "pro" market when it comes to their high end desktops but I think they've got it right with the iPhone. Most of the "basic features" they had left out until now like video recording, cut-copy-paste, radio, bluetooth or 3G are deal breakers for people on this site (We are all astonished that they left these out but someone like my mom who has probably never used any of these features in all her years of using mobile phones, simply wouldn't give a shit. Lack of message forwarding was a b**ch though) but if they really mattered to the rest of the consumer base, the iPhone probably wouldn't have seen revisions. As it stands, all the people who DID buy the original iPhone did not put it off because of lack of bluetooth or whatever. For most people, a device that can make calls, store numbers, send texts, take pictures and play music is enough to keep them happy while every other feature is an extra. The iPhone just happens to be the sweetest sugar coating available today.

It's not based on Steve Jobs' vision on how people should use phones. It's what the masses look for and more importantly, will pay large amounts of money for. Imagine if they had not included a camera or music playing capability just because he had a stupid notion that phones shouldn't take pictures or play music. That would have been suicide right there. They're not forcing anyone to live with shitty products. If the iPhone did not deliver what most people look for in a phone, sales would be abysmal as there are plenty of alternative options out there.

That Kind of proves my point don't you think? Masses don't need smart phones and most often they don't know what they need apart from making calls. So Apple (Jobs) decides what and how people should be using their products. As you said they don't cater to people who really need smart phones, so often requests from people are ignored, they make their own decisions of what and when to give something to the people based on the assumption that people are too dumb (wrt technology) to decide for themselves what they want. With iPhone, it has always been when and what Apple wants to give you than when and what people want. With all the restrictions deliberately imposed, iPhone is more like a gloried multimedia phone than a smart phone despite having a potential smart phone OS. In fact Its more like an electronic appliance. They don't want you opening it, they don't want you customizing it and they don't want you doing anything with it other than using it as they intended in their visions for the product.

 

[sabby]

@ashr,

Apple understands American mass market requirements and marketing better
@smoky

Have you used all those phones you are talking about ? Please don't rant about them just reading some reviews. Symbian handles multitasking very well. Let apple build a multitasking platrform on a measly ARM11 434Mhz processor and 128MB RAM and then we'll talk about this. :no:

 

[abbY]

Not it July.. The list is already out and it doesn't feature India. Vodafone is definitely launching it in September though cause they skipped 3GS altogether so they don't have any stock to clear.

Expect pricing to be around 35-37k for 16GB and 40k for 32GB.

Vodafone Essar to launch iPhone 4 in India shortly - dnaindia.com
The Hindu : Business / Companies : Vodafone Essar to launch iPhone 4 in India

Vodafone didn't skip the 3GS, they still have it for sale

 

[ashr]

^Most people ARE dumb when it comes to technology. How is giving the masses more than what they're looking for a bad thing in any way? Now if Apple were trying to pass of a phone that did not perform the basic requirements of their targets while telling them that they don't need those features... it would be how you make it out to be. It isn't so. The consumer base Apple targets isn't making any requests in the first place for them to be ignored. Hell, 90% of iPhone users wouldn't find much difference between the original or a 3GS, let alone be interested in opening or customizing it. If more than say 75% of iPhone buyers were explicitly asking for it, rest assured it'd be done. The moment Apple starts losing customers over something like this, they'll put it in I'm sure. It's not going to happen however, and it's not their fault that it doesn't. Most people simply are clueless/not inclined when it comes to customization. They don't want it just yet.

Also, dumbing things down (only tech geeks would consider these restrictions, mind you) deliberately is a VERY GOOD THING IMO... for everyone. The biggest turn off for the majority of the people are phones that are too complicated to use. If Apple unleashed the entire potential of their OS all at once, they risk running out of so-called new features for their future revisions as the consumer base slowly gets wiser about technology. The more number of phones Apple comes out with, the more competition we'll see from other companies. This only means more options for people like us on this site to choose from. I rather like it like this.

This still does not mean Apple decides how the world should use phones or how much people should want out of their phones. The few people (comparatively) who want more than what Apple offers were, are and will be buying alternatives. That's why there's a clear difference between the masses and the niche market "who know better". The problem arises when this niche market looks at Apple to give them everything they want.

So no, I don't think it proves your point. It only proves that there are millions of people who will pay a lot of money for a product that is simplified and made to look pretty.