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Official iPhone 4 thread (1 Viewer)

KeithAP

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Has AT&T ever done this early upgrade thing before?


I ask because the first thought that popped into my head is that they wanted as many iPhone users as possible to extend their contracts because they know they won't be the only iPhone carrier in the not so distant future.


-Keith
 

Craig S

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DaveF - really nice writeup. I agree the lack of wireless sync on Apple's i-products is their Achilles heel. Hopefully, all these rumors about a free version of MobileMe and the upcoming massive data center in North Carolina are indicators that they're going to get serious about this relatively soon.

As for iPhone 4... I like it. My major disappointment is no capacity bump to 64GB, but as has been stated a number of places that's probably an engineering problem waiting on smaller, higher-capacity flash RAM modules.

Having bought the 3GS last year, I wasn't going to upgrade this year, but the Retina screen in combo with AT&T's early upgrade offer (I checked - I'm eligible) may push me over the edge. I'm not worried about AT&T lock-in - I've been happy with AT&T's service in Houston. Never had a dropped call, and I get strong 3G wherever I go. My main problem with AT&T is the $40 minimum voice plan. I wish they had a cheaper option. I never come close to using my minutes - I have 1000s of rollover minutes! But I will go down to the $15 data plan. Looked at my usage on the AT&T site and my heaviest month was just under 100MB. I use the iPhone every day, but it's mainly for mail, light web use, etc. I'll happily take the $15 a month savings.

Now that the iPhone has 720p video capability, I'll definitely sell my Flip Mino HD. I'll likely get rid of my Canon point & shoot camera as well. Add in selling the 3GS, and the new phone is more than paid for.

One thing I'm worried about with the Retina screen - it will probably make our iPads look like crap in comparison!
 

Craig S

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Originally Posted by Parker Clack

What are prices going to be without a contract on the phones? I was thinking that it would be cool device to get without a contract, use my mobile Wifi with it and Skype for the phone.


Parker

Parker, you might want to hold-on three months until Apple updates the iPod Touch line in September. It's very likely that the redesigned casing and improved screen will show up on the iPod Touch, and surely they'll add the camera this year as well. You're likely to be able to get an iPhone-like device that will do what you want, with more memory (64GB), and probably for a couple hundred dollars less.
 

KeithAP

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Isn't the reason for the case design in the 4G iPhone because it incorporates antennas into the frame? If it is also more expensive, I wouldn't expect to see it carry over to the iPod Touch.


One thing I didn't see addressed, I assume that any bandwidth used by iAds in a app comes out of your data cap. I would imagine the amount of bandwidth would be small but I am sure at some point, someone will start to complain that iAds pushed them over their data cap.


-Keith
 

Craig S

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Originally Posted by Keith Plucker

Isn't the reason for the case design in the 4G iPhone because it incorporates antennas into the frame? If it is also more expensive, I wouldn't expect to see it carry over to the iPod Touch.


...


-Keith

Fair point, but the iPod Touch does have WiFi - I believe the WiFi as well as 3G antenna are part of the new iPhone 4 frame. Also, I think they may see economy-of-scale type savings by pushing the iPhone 4 HW upgrades (A4, frame, glass, display) to the iPod Touch line.


Just my opinion. We'll see in September.
 

DaveF

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Originally Posted by Shane D

wireless N on the iphone is only in the 2.4ghz band
win some, lose some :) Still an improvement.



Talked with my wife: she told me to get the phone color I wanted. She wasn't going to have me moping for the next two years about how she chose my color and now I'm stuck with the other one :D So I'll be ordering two 32GB black iPhone 4's.
 

Parker Clack

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Have them engraved with your names. Being the same color it would be easy to mix them up. I know I wouldn't want my wife messing with my phone as I know it would come back with all screwed up and I would have to be the one to fix it.
 

Craig S

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Apple does a good job with their engraving, but it does negatively affect the resale value of your device, so keep that in mind.


Another idea to tell the phones apart is to get "Bumpers" for one or both phones.
 

Ken Chan

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Originally Posted by DaveF :
Apple’s new phone has a lot of smart features that really work, rather than just flashy hardware specs designed to woo the bloggers who create matrixes of feature comparisons to radicalize their followers.
Consider video calling -- how did it work before FaceTime? I've never tried it. Apparently there were several apps on Android for the newer phones with front-facing cameras. Are they all compatible with each other? Do you have to decide in advance that you want to make a video call, and not a regular phone call (tied directly into the address book, missed call UI, etc.)? Does the person on the other end have to have the same program running in the background? Based on the demos and reviews, it looks like FaceTime works like this: you make a call as usual. If video calling is available -- currently both iPhone 4s on WiFi -- then there's a button in the phone UI that each person presses, and there is no step 3.
 

mattCR

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Just as a note (RE: Facetime) you're right, a lot of competing standards. Then again, qik, which is the EVO, is Skype compliant, and Skype has an insanely larger user base then facetime.. ie, a few million vs. 0.
 

TonyD

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I have the monthly insurance plan on my iphone from Best Buy, this might be the time to cash it in because my iphone seems to be acting up lately.

When does the new ios4 become available?
 

DaveF

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Originally Posted by Craig S for one or both phones.

Ding ding! :) I had an engraved iPod, which I liked, but was then unsellable. And I intend to sell these in two years for the new iPhone 6's with NeuralJack. Our current phones are identical and we tell them apart by where we keep them and also screen image. We're going to manage these phones the same way.


And my wife will probably get a case for hers. I don't think I'll get a case, and I don't understand the point of "Bumpers".
 

DaveF

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Gina Trapani says what I've been thinking: Apple is doing an incredible job of selling the highest-tech gadgets to people, to moms and grandmas, showing how it fits your life and does things you want to do. Verizon? Selling Android phones to dystopic-loving geeks?



http://smarterware.org/6190/lessons-from-apple-on-advertising-and-aesthetics


That's the thing about Apple marketing. They don't talk about how many gigabytes of memory or how many CPU cycles or how many apps (much). They aim for your heart, and show you how technology can make your life better during its most important moments.


Contrast this with the Droid ads, which actually scare my friend's two-year-old daughter away from the TV when they come on. The dark, rainy background, the spinning globe of glowing apps, the robot hands poking at them, nary a human in sight.
 

mattCR

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Originally Posted by Craig S to work with Apple to integrate FaceTime into Skype apps on Apple devices.

I'm sure they are! I would be if I were them. But at that point, there is no difference between the two. Android=Skype video chat / iPhone = Skype Video chat
 

Nelson Au

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This feels like the right time for me to jump in and get the iPhone. It's one of the few Apple products I don't have!

One thing is nagging at me and I hope you experienced guys can help me understand. Is AT&T really going to have their 4g network running in a year, what is the speculation for how much better a 4g iPhone could be?

Steve Jobs made no mention the iPhone 4 has 4g capability, and I am assuming it may not be capable by hidden bits inside or via software, are we stuck with a newly disadvqantaged phone? Or maybe AT&T won't have full 4g speed for a bit.

I don't have any real world experience with 3G, so maybe I'll be plenty happy with the 3g data speeds. And maybe for what I want do, it's fine. I have the iPad wifi model. It works well for me in wifi for email and web surfing. Plus I'll try to use the iPhone with wifi most of the time so I can use the minimum data plan.

4g's big advantage is much greater bandwidth and I assume, through put. So I would imagine streaming video would fly verse something simpler like getting email which doesn't need the speed.

It is very cool if Skype could join Apple for Face Time. I imagine that would work greater on 4g.

It just feels kinda odd timing for the 4g network to be coming so soon after the iPhone 4. But this I'm sure is out of Apple's control.
 

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