iPhone 4

A few early observations on the new iPhone 4.

Construction

There’s no rounded plastic back like the previous two models, the 3G and 3GS. The front and back are flat, covered with a specially-engineered glass surface from top to bottom and a stainless steel frame holding it together. I think this new form factor looks much better, more solid and modern than the curved-back models. The weight is about the same as before, 4.8 ounces, but it feels heftier.

Screen Resolution

Apple calls it the Retina Display, and resolution on this screen is ridiculously sharp. It’s most noticeable to me when looking at text — there’s none of the jaggies or pixelated stuff we’re used to seeing on small screens.

Speed

This model feels much faster than my two year-old 3G. The 3GS was probably closer in terms of speed, I don’t know, but it’s a big improvement over the older model. Everything just feels faster and smoother, from app launching and switching to game performance.

Multitasking

Apple has worked out a way to allow multiple apps to run in the background (sort of) without putting an extraordinary drain on the battery. So you can stream music over Pandora while continuing to read email or browse the web, for example. What I like most about this feature is the ability to switch quickly between apps and pick up where you left off — it’s more like switching apps and less like quitting and restarting.

Folders

Folders are a great idea, and something that’s been needed since the App Store took off and people started filling their iPhones with dozens of apps. Instead of having several screens worth of apps you have to scroll through, you can group apps together in folders for quick access. I predict that many users will have a folder that’s the equivalent of the ‘junk drawer’ in the kitchen — a folder for those apps we thought we might use, and still could someday, but probably not, so we’ll just stick them in a random folder and forget about them rather than delete them.

Cameras

There are two camera lenses, one on each side of the phone, so you can shoot still photos or video from either side just by touching a button on the screen to toggle from one to the other.

Still Camera

The 5-megapixel still camera with LED flash shoots in 4:3 aspect ratio, and is probably good enough to replace many point-and-shoot pocket models, certainly good enough for casual use. It won’t come close to replacing my DSLR, but it’s not intended to, and sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you. Below is an unmodified shot from the camera.

Video Camera

It’s amazing to me that a little mobile device can shoot High Definition 720p video at 30 frames per second, but the A4 processor seems to handle it well. Shoots in 16:9 aspect. Short clip below to demonstrate the quality, this is unedited HD video straight from the phone.

Posted: June 24th, 2010
Filed under: Apple, Handheld, Hardware, Mobile, Software Tags: iOS, iOS4, iphone | No Comments »

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