Today’s WWDC had Steve Jobs front and center again, announcing the latest iteration of Apple’s communication device : the Iphone 4.
Before i go on, … yes… i’ll be buying the new Iphone. reselling my old one will get me enough $$$ to buy the new one and leave me with some change afterwards. if i have to cancel later to jump ship to another carrier… the sale of that iphone, will get me enough to pay for the early termination fees at ATT. so, it’s a zero sum game where i don’t see why i wouldn’t upgrade.
Now… on to some of the key points i feel are important for me… and others… and more still… those comparing iphone to other phones on the market.
1) DESIGN – having both front and back glass is amazing. it adds a sleekness and chic design that stands out leaps and bounds above the competition. the metal on the sides? that’s an antennae! I’d expect better call quality from this thing than previous iphones…. as is the case with all iphones… you WANT to pick it up and hold it. I’ve looked at previous Android and other company competitors… and while they are interesting… none of them have that “I WANT TO HOLD IT” factor….
2) Video Calling – Apple is calling this FACETIME, and it stands to revolutionize video calling. many people don’t know this, but the technology to make video calls has been in cell phones for quite a few years now. I remember i bought a 3G sony ericsson that had a front facing camera 6 years ago… and it could do video conferencing. assuming the other person was on the same network, using the same phone, and had the same software / firmware running at the same time. yeah. all of a sudden, it starts to make sense why you don’t see too many advertisements about the video calling capabilities of phones. it’s just not there yet. It’s too complex. when was the last time you saw someone making a video conference call from their cell phone. trust me, it’s NOT cause the tech wasn’t there. It was. but too complex and unreachable for the masses. Apple, by branding it as their own tool, and advertising it as a “feature” of iphone, will allow them to position their tech without anyone complaining that it SHOULD work with other phones. and if someone does? the answer is simple. show me ONE phone that can do that? Show me ONE phone that can communicate across networks and across manufacturer and OS to other phones via video calling? didn’t think so. not yet at least.
The basic point, is that apple stands to bring this tech to the masses and make it a commercial success….. if things go as apple would want it… they’ll be first to market and synonymous with video conference calling.
Oh yeah, and it does front and back facing video calls. you can switch on the fly, and show people what your face looks like, followed by where you are standing…. and they can see what YOU see from your point of view.
3) Retina Display – Basically, this is a sharp screen. the human eye can only see up to about 300 dots per inch. the new Retina Display does well above that. meaning, that it looks indiscernible from NON digital clarity. Text and ink will appear as if it was physically in front of you on paper or a laminated surface…. minus the glare from the glass…. and the ATT warnings that you don’t have reception in your area. sorry couldn’t help taking a crack. This will be very useful for viewing photos, color quality, and increased sharpness and contrast in EVERYTHING you view. this will allow the new iphone to be the sharpest screen out there for consuming visual media.
4) Camera with flash – now that there’s a flash with the camera, this might JUST allow me to no longer need two cameras when i go bar hopping. that should be ENOUGH reason to be happy about it. but in honesty… this is NOT something new for phones… apple just playing catch up here. but still happy to finally see it.
5) Increased battery Life – that weird metal bar around the side? yeah, that is the antennae. by putting it on the outside, they’ve opened up MORE space inside, and allowed them to increase the battery size….
6 ) the camera – this is something not many people know. they’ve increased the pixel count to 5 MP from the old 3 MP. so what, right? no one cares…. people think that’s standard these days. However, what people dont’ normally realize is that by taking a 2×2 cm sensor, and DOUBLING the pixel count will 100% ruin your photos. unless you make other changes of course. if you increase pixels, you MUST increase the sensor size, or update the software to handle the different lighting conditions. most camera companies and phones producing high Megapixel camera-phones are doing this every day. they just shove more pixels in the same space. the market supports it cause they are naively unaware of the impact when you increase pixel count without taking the sensor quality and processing into consideration. kudos, apple for thinking about the photographers out there, and doing it right. Basically this will produce great shots. the previous iphone did good… this one will do better.
will this iphone 4 beat the new slew of Android phones out there? I don’t know. Apple is not revolutionizing much… if anything… they are simply making the basic cool stuff available to the masses. If the market wants it, it’ll buy it up. as has been historically trending for apple products… i feel it will be successful.
Your ball Google… let’s see what you got.
I’m sure I’ll buy it when i back to japan. Look forward!!!