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iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 4/4SS
The iPhone 4/4S, and iPhone 4/4SS, yes I have some opinions about the 4th model Apple introduced in June 2010.
I'm waiting for the iPhone 5 to come out on June 12th 2010 and here's why....
Let's put down forever the antenna issue. Antenna attenuation has been a problem for every cell phone since they stopped being made with plastic covered stubby antennas. That basically means every phone since the Motorola RAZR has had an antenna attenuation problem. In the iPhone 3G and 3GS models, the metal ring around the front functioned as the outer antenna. While holding those phones while touching and not touching the metal front bezel you could see the number of bars go down.
The problem with the iPhone 4/4S is that it doesn't live up in any way to the promises.
1) Thinness
It's the world record holder for "thinness"" in a smart phone. Remember it was sold as 27% thinner than 3GS? But the device is as fragile as a saltine cracker so everyone puts thick rubber bumpers around it, or puts them in a thick big heavy case... you know the famous Otter Box things.
2) FaceTime....
A feature presented in Apple ads over and over is FaceTime. The ability to "video call".... and what a name to present back to a FaceBook aged audience. If you were an iMac, MacBook or a late iBook user, you would already be familiar with iChat AV (audio visual) and it's basically the same thing re-branded with a hip "FaceBook" style name. iChat grew out of AOL's instant messaging. It was actually the Mac client to use AOL IM. Later Apple added other functionality by building iChat with support for open source technology for XMPP or Jabber messaging. After that they added support to build it out to a Mac to Mac video capable calling technology. Again both sides of the call had to be using a Mac.
Okay... in order to use FaceTime.... on an iPhone.. officially, in an Apple blessed way....
a) both sides of the conversation have to be using an iPhone 4/4S.
b) both sides of the conversation have to be connected to the internet using a WiFi connection while using FaceTime, it doesn't officially work on the ATT data network (you can jailbreak the phone to use ATT data network)
c) both parties in the conversation have to like the way they look enough at *that* moment to want to be seen
Now that you know what it requires.... you realize it is almost *never* used... ever... I don't know one i4 owner personally that has ever put those three things together and used FaceTime. Even when the three things, (2 i4's + WiFi + looking good) are at hand you never think about using them to make a FaceTime call.
Although Apple limits FaceTime to Wi-Fi only by having the app route the data to the WiFi connection, you can use FaceTime on an i4 through the 3G network connection. To do this you have to jailbreak the phone and put on it one of three apps.. commercial apps bought through Cydia Store. Those apps are FaceBreak, 3G Unrestrictor or My3G which patch the FaceTime data connection from the WiFi connection to the 3G network baseband connection.
FaceTime generates about 3 megabytes of data in an average minute that has to be transferred. If you are using the 3G connection out *and* you are on one of the new "limited data plans", you would go through the $15/200MB plan in an hour
3) Retina Display and the "Engineered Glass"
Let's get some distressing news, out of the way.
I *do* replace the smashed front screens on iPhone 4/4S models. The replacement takes about 90 minutes, considerably longer than the 3G and 3GS. It is also considerably more expensive.
Apple advertises the Glass on the i4 as "the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains" - fire tempered glass. Neither of those applications are the same as what an iPhone is used for. But it certainly makes it sound like important glass!
If a helicopter falls out of the sky, or a train de-rails.. we expect the glass to break... and it does. What we want helicopter and train windshield glass to do is break apart immediately and into small pieces, so it doesn't create un-necessary injury to occupants of the helicopter or train. And we want the glass to break and blow away immediately under modest stress. Remember the real criteria for a windshield are that it exhibit strength under wind pressure against it, that it be light and that it break apart fast and small.
The iPhone 4 Front smashed glass replacement is $100 for an ATT / T-Mobile (GSM) iPhone and $110 for the Verizon (CDMA) iPhone.
The iPhone 4S Front smashed glass replacement is $115 for carriers.
The iPhone 4/4S Rear smashed glass replacement is $53. The backs have been known to shatter by merely setting them down on a tile counter.
The iPhone 4/4S has a few things going on that may not be obvious when you get it.
a) The Retina Display introduces some problems. The display has 4 times more resolution than the 3G/3GS. In order to make it operate correctly Apple had to make the digitizer line up over the LCD perfectly, on a pixel for pixel basis. If they weren't lined up perfectly then the instance of you getting the "D" instead of the "S" would be even greater than it is already.
To make the digitizer (which interprets finger movement) line up perfectly over the LCD so mistakes are minimized, Apple had the Upper Glass (the part your finger touches), the digitizer (the part that interprets finger movement on the upper glass) and LCD screen (which displays the color information you interact with... apps/icons) all glued together.
Because those parts have to all be replaced together, the "screen repair" (which in the 3G/3GS meant upper glass and digitizer only) is much more expensive. It's $100 for an ATT / T-Mobile (GSM) iPhone and $110 for the Verizon (CDMA) iPhone.
b) The i4 has been calculated, (because of the way it's constructed with a cold forged, NC milled metal frame, and tempered glass front and back) to be 5 times more likely to break the front glass in a casual drop than the 3GS.
4) Color, a petty thing but important to me
I'm a good dancer and I go to 'overnight dance parties'. These are events where the club is dark and the DJ is rocking uptempo dance music. I use my iPhone and text message other friends of mine that are at the club with me. "Where are you?", "Did you catch that last Skrillex song?", "I swear.... Mat Zo and Arty can do no wrong", "Can you bring me more water?"
If my phone were Black and it slipped from my hand... it would likely get kicked by someone and I would never see it again. Not that I've ever dropped my phone while clubbing.... but if I did... I want to find it immediately.
The i4 is already as slippery as a wet bar of hotel soap... and only available in Black without spending a pile of cash to "customize" it. I need a White phone.
If you were thinking of waiting for the i5 to come out in the first week of September 2011 (yes iPhones are being released with iPods this year).... you're smarter than 20 million people who have already got the i4. The i5 is already reported to have a new look and form factor, wait for it if you can.
I use a 16GB White iPhone 3GS and here's my analysis of why.... iPhone 3GS
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