879 replies to this topic

[CoRP]

I can't believe that it's a month before release (rumored for somewhere between October 7th and October 21st) and some Apple fanboy here hasn't started a new thread on the iPhone 5. You're all pussies. I'm starting one.

It's going to be thin

It's getting leaked/promoted in the same now unoriginal way.

And here's a rundown on the specs.

And it might look like this:



...if it only had a keyboard like my beloved 9900.

Edited by CoRP, 04 October 2011 - 01:30 PM.

[CoRP]

Maybe it wasn't a PR stunt after all.

Apple Investigators Allegedly Posed as Cops in iPhone Prototype Hunt

[Lefty on the Mound]

I won't be waiting in any long lines for one but will trade up from my iPhone 3G soon after it comes up.

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

Is this poll based on the ballot rules of the Soviet Union?

[phrenile]

Is this poll based on the ballot rules of the Soviet Union?

Nope -- secret ballot here.

[cgori]

I won't be waiting in any long lines for one but will trade up from my iPhone 3G soon after it comes up.

likewise from a 3GS. My battery is barely lasting a full work day now, I really hope it comes out in a month or so.

[jtn46]

likewise from a 3GS. My battery is barely lasting a full work day now, I really hope it comes out in a month or so.

That long? My 3GS needs 2 charges a day now. 1 long phonecall is half the battery.

I've been waiting for this phone to upgrade too.

Edited by jtn46, 06 September 2011 - 12:26 AM.

[NortheasternPJ]

i'm now on month 25 with the iPhone 3gs. I can't believe I actually have had a phone for this long. My wife and I are definitely going to try to get a 5 ASAP. I'm hoping we can do it online, I don't have time to sit in the nerd lines for hours.

Battery life is fine, my only issue is both of our phones have an issue where the silent switch won't stay on silent and toggles back and forth.

[Van Everyman]

i'm now on month 25 with the iPhone 3gs. I can't believe I actually have had a phone for this long. My wife and I are definitely going to try to get a 5 ASAP. I'm hoping we can do it online, I don't have time to sit in the nerd lines for hours.

Battery life is fine, my only issue is both of our phones have an issue where the silent switch won't stay on silent and toggles back and forth.

I've had a 32gb 3GS for about 21 mo. -- I was all teed up to by a Droid when my iPod serendipitously died the day before I was to get it. So I went w the iPhone and it is without question the best piece of electronic gear I've ever owned. The browse while you watch tv at the end of a long day after you put the kids to bed factor alone justifies the purchase IMO.

My experience is that you can control the battery life w a little judicious tweaking of the settings -- certain ones like location notifications can suck up power pretty fast. But the bigger point: I've never seen any electronic device charge so quickly -- I can recharge the thing from dead to 100% in about a half hour, forty minutes.

I'd love the 5 -- but right now can justify the cost given how well the 3GS still serves me and the fact that I will have 75-85% of iOS 5's functionality. At some point, I'm sure I'll break or lose the thing.

[86spike]

I'm on month 34 of my 3g... I'd stick with the old warhorse longer, but the battery isn't gonna make it much longer and I haven't upgraded the OS for a while so there are lots of apps I can't add to it.

I'm hoping the 5 will be my next true love.

[weeba]

I won't be waiting in any long lines for one but will trade up from my iPhone 3G soon after it comes up.

Same here. Won't be in line, but will try to get it within the first month (upgrade from my 3G)

[OCD SS]

If I have my way it will be issued to me by the company I work for. The con to this strategy is that I will probably have to wait to well after the release for it to make its way to corporate plans. The pro is that it will be completely paid for, service and all.

[sox311]

Reading some of you warriors 21+ months with the iPhone 3GS is impressive, and especially the 3G at 30+ months!

I am at month 17 with the 3GS. However, I had an iPhone 4 for a month, planned 28 days with it and return it before the iPhone 5 comes out. I also have carried a Windows Phone 7 and two different Androids as work phones during the time.

I will be getting iPhone 5 the second pre-orders start. Which I hope will be around 2am in the morning sometimes so the systems don't crash as always.

[Van Everyman]

Reading some of you warriors 21+ months with the iPhone 3GS is impressive, and especially the 3G at 30+ months!

I hope that's a joke. I actually was thinking just today that it's to Apple's credit that they don't develop so fast that hardware is rendered obsolete. It's almost hard to believe that some folks are still using 3g's w the Edge network and nothing else. It must be a bit of a challenge tho -- trying not to piss off loyal customers by pumping out the newest product line as fast as possible with the need to stay argue front of the pack in terms of innovation.

[Moosbrugger]

My 3G was at death's door last month so I was obliged to upgrade at that time. I was given a choice between the 4 or, instead, I could have chosen a 3GS for roughly 30 bucks.

I chose the 4 and am happy with the device. I hope I am enough of a grownup to not entertain any twinges of envy or regret when the 5 rolls out. However, if upon the release they start selling the 4 for under a hundy, I will be one sad panda.

[sox311]

I hope that's a joke. I actually was thinking just today that it's to Apple's credit that they don't develop so fast that hardware is rendered obsolete. It's almost hard to believe that some folks are still using 3g's w the Edge network and nothing else. It must be a bit of a challenge tho -- trying not to piss off loyal customers by pumping out the newest product line as fast as possible with the need to stay argue front of the pack in terms of innovation.

I don't really see what the joke would be.

However, plenty of people are still carrying the standard 3G, but it is a 3G phone, hence the name. I hope that was a joke.

Even still, there are some still ou there using the first generation silver back iPhone which runs only on Edge.

[weeba]

I use my iPhone 3G as a phone at this point. 90% of the apps crash or take to long to load to be useful

[Tony C]

I will be getting iPhone 5 the second pre-orders start. Which I hope will be around 2am in the morning sometimes so the systems don't crash as always.

Why get it the moment it's out? Aside from the hassle of waiting in lines/having servers crash, etc -- isn't anyone better served by waiting a month or two for any kinks in the first orders to be exposed and fixed?

I'm really happy with my IPhone 4, but my wife is in desperate need of a new phone and am waiting on the 5 for her. But I figure if she's waited this long why not give it to November. Or am I just inventing the notion that the first phones delivered have a greater shot at having flaws?

[mt8thsw9th]

Why get it the moment it's out? Aside from the hassle of waiting in lines/having servers crash, etc -- isn't anyone better served by waiting a month or two for any kinks in the first orders to be exposed and fixed?

I'm really happy with my IPhone 4, but my wife is in desperate need of a new phone and am waiting on the 5 for her. But I figure if she's waited this long why not give it to November. Or am I just inventing the notion that the first phones delivered have a greater shot at having flaws?

What are the flaws that could be worked out? The only thing I can see someone worrying about is with the OS, but they'll have 4 months of beta testing under their belt by the release date. I don't think manufacturers start putting together the phones to spec better after a few batches, so I'm not sure why you'd worry about that.

[B H Kim]

I'm happy with my iPhone 4 (after two years with the original Blackberry Storm, I'd be happy with a brick with numbers painted on it), so I won't be upgrading any time soon. However, I'm hoping that when the iPhone 5 is introduced, I can replace my wife's very long in the tooth Droid Eris with a (hopefully reduced price) iPhone 4.

[pedros hairstylist]

I have a 3G with 40 months on it. It gets hung up a lot, certain apps suck on it (Google, the MBTA bus finder) and the battery wears down in about 3 or 4 hours with data usage/talking. The hardware is fine, it's the functionality that makes me want to upgrade to i5.

[Seabass177]

I have a Samsung Motherfucking Rogue. It's a girthy phone. My contract was up in April but I've been waiting for the 5 to come out. My Rogue died about two months ago and I just had them send me a refurb.

So, yes, I'll be ordering as early as possible.

[zenter]

What are the flaws that could be worked out? The only thing I can see someone worrying about is with the OS, but they'll have 4 months of beta testing under their belt by the release date. I don't think manufacturers start putting together the phones to spec better after a few batches, so I'm not sure why you'd worry about that.

cough - antenna - cough

The second run of iPhone 4 corrected the "iPhone deathgrip problem". I have a 1st-run iPhone and "deathgrip" is best defined as "lightly touching a particular spot with any part of your skin". Not sure how exactly Apple corrected it with the later batches of iPhones, but they did.

[Tony C]

yep.

[luqin]

Got a Droid X I can't wait to get rid of. Been waiting anxiously for the iPhone 5 and will end up pre-ordering as soon as I can. I'm really surprised we haven't seen an announcement date confirmed yet, hoping it's not too much longer.

[weeba]

Already in its seventh developer beta, iOS 5 is supposedly scheduled to reach golden master status—the official version which will be available to end users—during the last week of September. This latest tidbit comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes Apple will unveil what is essentially an updated iPhone 4 model in mid-October.

http://arstechnica.c...ne-5-launch.ars

[FL4WL3SS]

I read, from the same source, that the new iPhone will have the same amount of memory as the iPhone 4 (512mb) which would be a major disappointment considering all of the competition has bumped up to 1gb and apple has waited a year and a half for an upgrade. I'm actually going to be pretty pissed that I waited to see what the new iPhone had to offer if it's just an upgrade to the iPhone 4.

[mt8thsw9th]

Yeah, I'm thinking they should downgrade.

[CaptainLaddie]

My old 3G lasted me from Sept. 08 through July 10 -- and then I gave it to my girlfriend to be used only in Airplane mode (with WiFi on) as basically an iPod touch. The sleep button at the top no longer works (which is annoying to say the least), but that only recently happened -- it made it about 30 months before that happened.

I'll probably upgrade to the 5 and my girlfriend will take over my 4 (and finally get a phone with GOD DAMN PICTURE MESSAGING).

[Yaz4Ever]

My old 3G lasted me from Sept. 08 through July 10 -- and then I gave it to my girlfriend to be used only in Airplane mode (with WiFi on) as basically an iPod touch. The sleep button at the top no longer works (which is annoying to say the least), but that only recently happened -- it made it about 30 months before that happened.

I'll probably upgrade to the 5 and my girlfriend will take over my 4 (and finally get a phone with GOD DAMN PICTURE MESSAGING).

Laddie - you should marry this chick. She's lasted that long with a hand-me-down and presumably won't get pissed with another when you get your new phone? She's a keeper. : )

I've got the iPhone 4 and unless the 5 is something truly amazing, I'll be passing on this generation. I leapfrogged the 3GS and didn't feel slighted (other than not being able to video my kids and send the clips from the phone). Besides, even if it is a big jump in specs, I'd rather have the rest of you beta the new hardware for me - once the bugs (if any) are worked out, I'll place my order.

[kneemoe]

I hope that's a joke. I actually was thinking just today that it's to Apple's credit that they don't develop so fast that hardware is rendered obsolete. It's almost hard to believe that some folks are still using 3g's w the Edge network and nothing else. It must be a bit of a challenge tho -- trying not to piss off loyal customers by pumping out the newest product line as fast as possible with the need to stay argue front of the pack in terms of innovation.

I'm still rockin a 4G 1st gen..... doesn't do everything but man its so retro.

[Blacken]

I read, from the same source, that the new iPhone will have the same amount of memory as the iPhone 4 (512mb) which would be a major disappointment considering all of the competition has bumped up to 1gb and apple has waited a year and a half for an upgrade. I'm actually going to be pretty pissed that I waited to see what the new iPhone had to offer if it's just an upgrade to the iPhone 4.

I don't agree. I mean, more RAM would be nice, sure. But even with their Bigger Numbers, "the competition" doesn't even begin to approach the iOS UX--Apple's competitive advantage is not eroded by the technical specs being inferior. So while it'd be nice-to-have, I don't think they need it. (There's an argument, too, that resource constraints force developers to make less shitty software--I've gone through and tightened up a lot of what I was porting and rewrote a large chunk of my memory manager because of memory pressure on the iPhone 4. The end product is much, much better for it.) Personally I'm much more interested in faster RAM bandwidth than I am having more RAM.

I still read the 512MB claim with some skepticism, though. I'm not sure it'll actually be the case. 1GB is not going to seriously increase the BOM for the device.

[NortheasternPJ]

[quote]
I don't agree. I mean, more RAM would be nice, sure. But even with their Bigger Numbers, "the competition" doesn't even begin to approach the iOS UX--Apple's competitive advantage is not eroded by the technical specs being inferior. So while it'd be nice-to-have, I don't think they need it. (There's an argument, too, that resource constraints force developers to make less shitty software--I've gone through and tightened up a lot of what I was porting and rewrote a large chunk of my memory manager because of memory pressure on the iPhone 4. The end product is much, much better for it.) Personally I'm much more interested in faster RAM bandwidth than I am having more RAM.

I still read the 512MB claim with some skepticism, though. I'm not sure it'll actually be the case. 1GB is not going to seriously increase the BOM for the device. [quote]

My 3GS still has almost no problems with any apps and its only got 256mb of RAM. As you said Apple's guidelines really keep memory creep down. The more memory available just creates lazy developers who don't properly clean up memory as its used and then no longer needed.

I do doubt the iPhone 5 will have 512mb of RAM though. Everything is out there from a device with an A5 that's exactly the same as an iPhone, to a device with a bigger screen, more RAM and a new form factor. I don't really believe anything that's out there right now. I'm hoping for a 4" screen, very little bezel and improved battery life. Those with IOS 5 will make me very happy.

My 3GS now thinks it has headphones plugged into it half the time. Time for a 5!

[Sprowl]

So how's the camera? Because the 3G camera sucks.

...if it only had a keyboard like my beloved 9900.

This. I would love to have an iPhone with a real keyboard. The Apple cognoscenti must all have thumbs that are thin and sensitive, like a good condom or an English poet.

Why get it the moment it's out? Aside from the hassle of waiting in lines/having servers crash, etc -- isn't anyone better served by waiting a month or two for any kinks in the first orders to be exposed and fixed?

I'm really happy with my IPhone 4, but my wife is in desperate need of a new phone and am waiting on the 5 for her. But I figure if she's waited this long why not give it to November. Or am I just inventing the notion that the first phones delivered have a greater shot at having flaws?

I am an instinctive late adopter -- wait until the first buzz' echo has reverberated. It only gets cheaper. It took a few months before the left-handers' death grip was fully defined, and lefties hate wasting money.

What are the flaws that could be worked out? The only thing I can see someone worrying about is with the OS, but they'll have 4 months of beta testing under their belt by the release date. I don't think manufacturers start putting together the phones to spec better after a few batches, so I'm not sure why you'd worry about that.

It's always something.

[FL4WL3SS]

I don't agree. I mean, more RAM would be nice, sure. But even with their Bigger Numbers, "the competition" doesn't even begin to approach the iOS UX--Apple's competitive advantage is not eroded by the technical specs being inferior. So while it'd be nice-to-have, I don't think they need it. (There's an argument, too, that resource constraints force developers to make less shitty software--I've gone through and tightened up a lot of what I was porting and rewrote a large chunk of my memory manager because of memory pressure on the iPhone 4. The end product is much, much better for it.) Personally I'm much more interested in faster RAM bandwidth than I am having more RAM.

I still read the 512MB claim with some skepticism, though. I'm not sure it'll actually be the case. 1GB is not going to seriously increase the BOM for the device.

While I agree with your premise, my point wasn't just about the memory, but the overall lack of advancement that the article mentions. Why wait a year and a half to pretty much put out the iPhone 4 with a few minor improvements? Also, don't fool yourself, the market is catching up to Apple faster than you give credit and Apple is feeling the heat, they're having trouble keeping up (see the recent lawsuits against Samsung as an example). There is too much competition (good for us, bad for Apple) and too many people gunning for them. Unlike the PC market (primarily Microsoft and Apple), the smartphone market is much easier to break into and the same model that Apple has followed for putting out their PCs is not going to work much longer for the phone market.

[mt8thsw9th]

Also, don't fool yourself, the market is catching up to Apple faster than you give credit and Apple is feeling the heat, they're having trouble keeping up (see the recent lawsuits against Samsung as an example)

So Samsung completely ripping off iOS with TouchWiz is an example of the market catching up? Even before any of the lawsuit stuff hit, I had given an iPod Touch to a friend who owned the Galaxy S. He was amazed at how similar the Galaxy was to the Touch.



edit - one thing I'll add is the iPad 2 has 512MB of RAM (and the same processor as the next phone), and I wouldn't ever call that thing slow.

Edited by mt8thsw9th, 13 September 2011 - 10:23 AM.

[FL4WL3SS]

It's an example that they're at least worried about the competition and they should be. Look, I understand Apple and the iPhone are the gold standard right now, there's no disputing that, but to ignore the fact that the industry is catching up to them is foolhardy. The meme that Android is clunky and not up to par with iOS is played out and lazy. It's taken years for Apple to offer features that Android has come with out of the box. Android isn't perfect and has it's downfalls, but the gap between Android and iOS is shrinking.

We have this same argument with Windows and OS X. Windows is clunkier and not as refined, but is more customizable and upgradeable. I buy windows machines because I'm not paying more money for less product by buying a Mac and the same argument is going to start cropping up in the phone market. Apple is following the same business model with their phones as they have with their PCs and I don't think it's sustainable in the much more competitive phone market.

[mt8thsw9th]

It's taken years for Apple to offer features that Android has come with out of the box.

A lot of stuff has taken years because Apple has shown they're not going to include every bell and whistle until the OS can actually handle everything without being a liability. People can crow about Android's true multitasking, but it can do it at the expense of memory and battery life. Like Windows, often times I found myself going in and closing down programs that were running in the background (because my phone would nearly lock up or slow to a crawl), and some tasks and programs would keep reloading after closing them over and over. I currently have over 100 apps on my phone and I'm using nearly all 32GB, and I never deal with slowdown on the phone. It just runs. Some people just like their electronics to work, others want flashiness and big specs with spotty performance. It's nice that people have that choice, though.

[Blacken]

It's an example that they're at least worried about the competition and they should be. Look, I understand Apple and the iPhone are the gold standard right now, there's no disputing that, but to ignore the fact that the industry is catching up to them is foolhardy. The meme that Android is clunky and not up to par with iOS is played out and lazy.

I own three Android devices for mobile dev and have just been loaned a Droid Bionic, which is played up as The Best Android Has, and even the Bionic not in the same league. It's not even AHL. The user experience is shit. The thing pauses at random, application startup and teardown is slow...it's just bad, man. "Clunky" is not just a meme.

It's taken years for Apple to offer features that Android has come with out of the box.

But are they features people care about? Serious question. Apple is good at providing devices that do what people want; Android seems interested in trying to get people to want things they don't already (which is a hit-or-miss strategy).

Android isn't perfect and has it's downfalls, but the gap between Android and iOS is shrinking.

Shrinking, yes, but not very quickly.

[deconstruction]

I own three Android devices for mobile dev and have just been loaned a Droid Bionic, which is played up as The Best Android Has, and even the Bionic not in the same league. It's not even AHL. The user experience is shit. The thing pauses at random, application startup and teardown is slow...it's just bad, man. "Clunky" is not just a meme.

But are they features people care about? Serious question. Apple is good at providing devices that do what people want; Android seems interested in trying to get people to want things they don't already (which is a hit-or-miss strategy).

Shrinking, yes, but not very quickly.

As said many times before here, many call iOS "clunky" because, even though the UI might be "simple," it's still inefficient--compared to Android--to navigate to important information. For example, from my Android homescreen, in ONE click/swype I can

• adjust the brightness
• call a number
• bring up a text message to a contact
• check what apps are using battery ("but you wouldn't need to do this on an iPhone!!!")
• toggle wifi and 3G
• toggle bluetooth
• toggle auto-rotation
• add an event to my calendar

Of course, this list doesn't even reference all the widgets that directly and indirectly provide information on the homescreen. Android fits my preferred user experience; iOS doesn't.

Edited by deconstruction, 13 September 2011 - 11:24 AM.

[FL4WL3SS]

I don't want to turn this into an Android vs. iOS debate any further, I've already derailed the thread enough. For me, and presumably a lot of other people, Android offers enough and is gaining enough traction on iOS that phone specs are starting to matter. If Apple follows through and releases a phone with inferior specs (we haven't even touched on processing power) for the next iteration of the iPhone, how far behind are they going to be in another year? Two years? I can't envision myself holding a phone with inferior memory and inferior processing power the day it comes out and then continue to hold that phone for another couple years while other manufacturers are doubling up.

I expressed my displeasure in a 'rumor' that the next iteration of the iPhone won't improve upon some of it's hardware specifications and I stick by that. If true, my frustration is in the fact that I could have bought an iPhone 4 instead of waiting so long and then having Apple not really upgrade.

[Blacken]

I can't envision myself holding a phone with inferior memory and inferior processing power the day it comes out and then continue to hold that phone for another couple years while other manufacturers are doubling up.

Why? What do Bigger Numbers mean, in and of themselves? What does RAM mean to your everyday use of the phone? What is really driving that need for more processing power (aside from maybe video decoding, which is accelerated anyway)? What do you actually get that you will notice in your use of the device?

Software drives and has almost always driven hardware. If you look at various builds of Android, there's an argument to be made that Android devices more or less require the hardware to get adequate perf (Honeycomb in particular is crap on most pre-Xoom devices), but there's to date no such need in the iOS ecosystem. Maybe iOS 5 will bring that need, but I haven't really seen it yet.

I mean, I'm a nerd too, I like seeing Bigger Numbers, but when I stop and think about it, I'm skeptical that they really matter so long as the UX is pleasant.

[FL4WL3SS]

Why? What do Bigger Numbers mean, in and of themselves? What does RAM mean to your everyday use of the phone? What is really driving that need for more processing power (aside from maybe video decoding, which is accelerated anyway)? What do you actually get that you will notice in your use of the device?

Software drives and has almost always driven hardware. If you look at various builds of Android, there's an argument to be made that Android devices more or less require the hardware to get adequate perf (Honeycomb in particular is crap on most pre-Xoom devices), but there's to date no such need in the iOS ecosystem. Maybe iOS 5 will bring that need, but I haven't really seen it yet.

I mean, I'm a nerd too, I like seeing Bigger Numbers, but when I stop and think about it, I'm skeptical that they really matter so long as the UX is pleasant.

It matters for a few reasons, but mainly because I can't predict the future. I want a phone/computer/whatever that will reasonably holdup over time. I want my technology to be able to handle what the future has in store for it. I'm not going to purposely buy an inferior performing phone in hopes that software will be appropriately designed for it's limitations, that's bullcrap and you know it. It's exactly the scam that Apple has been pulling on it's customers for years - "buy our inferior technology, but you can only use our software on it, otherwise nothing works... oh and we're going to charge you more for it". It's perception vs. reality and Apple is really good at making you perceive their stuff is better. How do they do that you ask? They've locked their device and control everything that goes onto it, so of course everything is going to work flawlessly, but they've also gotten you to ignore all of the other stuff you're missing out on because you're device just works so damn well. Believe it or not, you're making sacrifices when buying an iPhone (GASP) just as you are when buying an Android device.

[FL4WL3SS]

Look, I've really got no dog in this fight, I know the iPhone is awesome I currently own one, but I am expressing displeasure that Apple reportedly will not be releasing a phone that is up to par with the rest of the phones on the market. You can try to convince yourself all you want that it doesn't matter, but at some point it will, no matter how awesome you think the software is built. And for someone that is due for an upgrade and is looking at all of the options, it's a factor in my decision.

I'm disappointed, that's all - you don't need to convince me that the iPhone is awesome.

[kneemoe]

It matters for a few reasons, but mainly because I can't predict the future. I want a phone/computer/whatever that will reasonably holdup over time. I want my technology to be able to handle what the future has in store for it. I'm not going to purposely buy an inferior performing phone in hopes that software will be appropriately designed for it's limitations, that's bullcrap and you know it. It's exactly the scam that Apple has been pulling on it's customers for years - "buy our inferior technology, but you can only use our software on it, otherwise nothing works... oh and we're going to charge you more for it". It's perception vs. reality and Apple is really good at making you perceive their stuff is better. How do they do that you ask? They've locked their device and control everything that goes onto it, so of course everything is going to work flawlessly, but they've also gotten you to ignore all of the other stuff you're missing out on because you're device just works so damn well. Believe it or not, you're making sacrifices when buying an iPhone (GASP) just as you are when buying an Android device.

So are you a Creative Zen or a MSFT Zune type of guy?
I've always shied away from the Apple product line, but I think you're pretty far off base here.

Geeks like options and great hardware specs, most regular people just want the damn thing to work, and to be easy, they don't want to invest time figuring out how to operate a device. This is what's made Apple so successful in the past ten years - you're whole 'inferior hardware' line of argument is wrong too - who else makes anything like the Air right now? And why has Intel placed such a bounty on a Wintel clone?

I run linux, I like options, but I also realize *most people* aren't like me in that regard. We all make sacrifices, many make the sacrifice of a little cash up front and maybe a little less latitude in use, in order to be able to use the device easily. Its a tool after all, its just an aid for you to get shit done, and different tools work for different people/mindsets - just because you think one way doesn't mean everyone else does.

[Blacken]

It matters for a few reasons, but mainly because I can't predict the future. I want a phone/computer/whatever that will reasonably holdup over time. I want my technology to be able to handle what the future has in store for it. I'm not going to purposely buy an inferior performing phone in hopes that software will be appropriately designed for it's limitations, that's bullcrap and you know it. It's exactly the scam that Apple has been pulling on it's customers for years - "buy our inferior technology, but you can only use our software on it, otherwise nothing works... oh and we're going to charge you more for it". It's perception vs. reality and Apple is really good at making you perceive their stuff is better. How do they do that you ask? They've locked their device and control everything that goes onto it, so of course everything is going to work flawlessly, but they've also gotten you to ignore all of the other stuff you're missing out on because you're device just works so damn well. Believe it or not, you're making sacrifices when buying an iPhone (GASP) just as you are when buying an Android device.

It's not buy our inferior technology, it's buy the device that does what you need to do and does it well. "Inferior performing" only matters so far as it impacts the user experience of what you want to do on the device. Bigger Numbers do not guarantee, or even necessarily benefit, that the device will do what you want and with a good user experience. As I said, I have a number of Android devices. What I'm "missing out on" by using the iPhone as a daily driver really doesn't matter to me, because the pluses vastly outweigh the minuses. (And if I really care about Missing Thing X, I can jailbreak it as there's probably a Cydia equivalent floating out there. To date the only things I've used for this are SBSettings and RetinaPad, though.)

You're smarter than this. Start drinking. Or stop drinking. I'm not sure which, but you're not drinking the exact right amount.


EDIT: And, yeah, kneemoe nailed it. Inferior technology my ass, the Air is the best laptop I've ever owned and its oh-so-fucking-holy numbers are worse, across the board, than the Thinkpad I sold to buy it. To date, I haven't noticed a problem, even when bootcamped into Windows and with five VS2010 solutions open at once. Because we've reached the point in computers where the numbers barely matter, and basic quality controls in iOS obviate the need for ever-increasing jiggahurtz and jiggabytez.

Edited by Blacken, 13 September 2011 - 12:29 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

Because we've reached the point in computers where the numbers barely matter, and basic quality controls in iOS obviate the need for ever-increasing jiggahurtz and jiggabytez.

Computers - yes, phones - no. The smartphone market is still immature. I have a three year old laptop that runs like a top, I have a three year old phone that can barely run on the latest iOS release. It's not comparable and it wasn't fair of me to bring up Mac's (but my point about their business model still stands, IMO it wont' hold for the phone market).

[BillMuellerFanClub]

don't jump down my throat, this is just my opinion.

as some of you know, i work pretty closely with both platforms, i use both in my personal life, and my income depends on the consumerism of all things mobile technology. with that being said, there will always be a market for the iphone, regardless of what android has in its back pocket - not that i think anyone is arguing that - and will always offer things that androids cannot. all the knocks on the iphone, the bullet list of things an iphone cant do it one swipe or click specifically in this point, are being rectified in an updated version of the OS and you didn't even think to touch on the things that the android platform doesn't have the capability to do. generally, as perceived value goes up, cost concern goes down. vertical integration with apple products is about push more revenue through apple than anyone is realizing. the notion that software drives hardware is completely spot on. android and windows platforms offer limited integration and sync capability to the average user. for those that can program and dev on these devices, this is not you. however, any schmuck can pick up an iphone 3GS, 4, or 4.5/5 running iOS5 and use their mac/ipad/PC to mindlessly sync every bit of information they want for a nominal fee. this is the biggest selling point to an apple. beyond efficiency and user friendliness, the capability for compatibility across devices and platforms will always offer something to consumers that will be tough for other manufacturers to duplicate.

i am also positively WET for airplay mirroring with an appleTV.

[MannysDestination]

My iPhone 3G is on death's door. I had a ton of music on it and my old music hard drive died, so if I wanted to update the OS I'd have lost all the music; much like Spike I can use about 1/4 of the apps on the app store. First I waited last spring when friends told me "it'll totally come out in June", then with the Japan earthquake I got "it'll totally come out by the end of summer", now it's mid- to late-October... I'm getting very close to saying F-it and switching to a Galaxy 2S, is there a reason I shouldn't? Is this thing really coming out soon? Why does that front page picture look so freaking flimsy?

[Foulkey Reese]

Why does that front page picture look so freaking flimsy?

Yea is that imagine at all confirmed? Because it really does look incredibly flimsy.

One of my favorite aspects of the iPhone 4 is the solid, squared body that it has.