The iPhone 4 is finally out and we got our hands on one. Does it "change everything again?" Is it the best smartphone on the market today? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so if you're an Apple Fanboy you'll likely say yes. However, my feeling on the iPhone 4 is that it's a nice upgrade for iPhone users, but the long lines yesterday were caused by hype and were not really warranted.
Don't get me wrong Apple makes great products, but their claims about "changing everything" and this phone being the most advanced on the market is just marketing. Apple is genius at making gadgets accessible to the masses and then marketing the heck out of them to make them seem like "must haves." The iPhone is definitely a cultural phenomenon of sorts, but if you have a top Android phone like the Nexus One you're already used to advanced features on your phone.
The Retina display is nice and definitely an upgrade from previous iPhones, but is it so good that you have to upgrade? That's a personal choice. Frankly, next to the Sprint EVO's AMOLED display the Retina display didn't seem that special. The EVO's display is plenty bright and plenty sharp. The added size makes the screen look fantastic.
Android users will miss widgets and tight Google integration. webOS users will miss discreet notifications. Windows Mobile users will miss - wait, are there any Windows Mobile users anymore? iPhone users will love the nice upgrades that iPhone 4 brings.
Here's a quick set of impressions.
The Good
The Bad
If you're a fanboy go ahead and get your hands on the iPhone 4. You'll love it. If you're not a fanboy, you might consider one of the high end Android phones (Droid X, Sprint EVO, Nexus One). The larger screens sure look nice.
One frustration of the iPhone is that it's a closed platform. Apple has to approve all apps in the App Store. This policy is both good and bad. On the one hand it forces developers to design apps that function properly and don't crash, on the other hand it takes a long time to get upgrades. Also, simply things like creating custom ringtones is a pain on the iPhone. On most other phones you can simply use an existing mp3 file for your ringtone. On the iPhone you have to make a special m4r file and there is a limit on its duration.
Don't get me wrong Apple makes great products, but their claims about "changing everything" and this phone being the most advanced on the market is just marketing. Apple is genius at making gadgets accessible to the masses and then marketing the heck out of them to make them seem like "must haves." The iPhone is definitely a cultural phenomenon of sorts, but if you have a top Android phone like the Nexus One you're already used to advanced features on your phone.
The Retina display is nice and definitely an upgrade from previous iPhones, but is it so good that you have to upgrade? That's a personal choice. Frankly, next to the Sprint EVO's AMOLED display the Retina display didn't seem that special. The EVO's display is plenty bright and plenty sharp. The added size makes the screen look fantastic.
Android users will miss widgets and tight Google integration. webOS users will miss discreet notifications. Windows Mobile users will miss - wait, are there any Windows Mobile users anymore? iPhone users will love the nice upgrades that iPhone 4 brings.
Here's a quick set of impressions.
The Good
- Thin, solid feel.
- Fast.
- Sharp retina display.
- Good camera.
- iMovie is nice.
- Digital media experience is awesome (as it is with all iPhones).
- Facetime is pretty cool.
- Loads of Apps.
The Bad
- Reception problems.
- AT&T Network.
- Only 3G.
- Doesn't feel good in the hand.
- No widgets like in Android.
- Limited Multitasking.
- Back of the phone is glass so it picks up finger prints.
If you're a fanboy go ahead and get your hands on the iPhone 4. You'll love it. If you're not a fanboy, you might consider one of the high end Android phones (Droid X, Sprint EVO, Nexus One). The larger screens sure look nice.
One frustration of the iPhone is that it's a closed platform. Apple has to approve all apps in the App Store. This policy is both good and bad. On the one hand it forces developers to design apps that function properly and don't crash, on the other hand it takes a long time to get upgrades. Also, simply things like creating custom ringtones is a pain on the iPhone. On most other phones you can simply use an existing mp3 file for your ringtone. On the iPhone you have to make a special m4r file and there is a limit on its duration.
