Has the iphone changed much since its release?

I hate these threads. I hate the haters, I hate the haters of the haters. I hate myself...

I have a genuine question, born out of genuine curiosity. I would like a completely non-biased answer, preferably by someone who has used an iPhone 4 and any other comparable smartphone.

My understanding is that the iphone 4 has brought Apple pretty much up to the standard a smartphone should be at in terms of hardware, features, apps, GUI and so on. Prior to the iPhone4 it was always slated by what it lacked. So my question is - What is it lacking now? Is there anything it still doesn't do? Or is it finally at parity?
 
Redmelo said:
We, my colleagues and I, enjoy reading your post and proving you wrong every time. I hope you dont get too frustrated being exposed like this.
So, I shall not "troll off" just yet :)

Tell us more. Dont be shy, give us more of your fun iPhone facts. Let the fun continue!
Click to expand...

Are you serious (or a bit mental)? :rolleyes:

Anyway for the sake of everybody I would suggest we ignore you (and your 'colleagues' :rolleyes:) moving forward.............
 
EgonSpengler said:
I hate these threads. I hate the haters, I hate the haters of the haters. I hate myself...

I have a genuine question, born out of genuine curiosity. I would like a completely non-biased answer, preferably by someone who has used an iPhone 4 and any other comparable smartphone.

My understanding is that the iphone 4 has brought Apple pretty much up to the standard a smartphone should be at in terms of hardware, features, apps, GUI and so on. Prior to the iPhone4 it was always slated by what it lacked. So my question is - What is it lacking now? Is there anything it still doesn't do? Or is it finally at parity?
Click to expand...

No such thing as unbiased on the internetz....

However previous iPhones were always compared to a range of other handsets not just one single handset hence why there has never been a true 'iphone killer'.
 
n111ck said:
No such thing as unbiased on the internetz....

However previous iPhones were always compared to a range of other handsets not just one single handset hence why there has never been a true 'iphone killer'.
Click to expand...

I still (probably naively) believe the 'internetz' isn't full of keyboard warriors with nothing better to do than to troll and start flame wars and I'm certain that there are some very knowledgeable and unbiased people on these boards who can answer my question.

Also my question had absolutely nothing to do with an iPhone killer, neither did it seek to compare against one individual handset, in fact I worded the question so that it would be compared to the mass market in general.
 
n111ck said:
No such thing as unbiased on the internetz....

However previous iPhones were always compared to a range of other handsets not just one single handset hence why there has never been a true 'iphone killer'.
Click to expand...

Thats not what he asked for...You are defending the iPhone while EgonSpengler isnt even attacking it (true signs of a fanboy). Please stop with these irrelevant posts.

To answer the question EgonSpengler:
It appears that Apple has managed to get all the basic features into this latest iPhone. One thing people are wanting is video call via the network and not WIFI (currently its only supported via WIFI on the iP4). But as the past has taught us people dont really use video call anyways - which is why a lot of smartphones no longer support it and why this shouldnt be a deciding factor for purchase or not of the device.
It could also be argued that the iP4 lacks 4G support, but since 4G is not exactly wide spread yet, this shouldnt be a dealbreaker either.
 
EgonSpengler said:
I still (probably naively) believe the 'internetz' isn't full of keyboard warriors with nothing better to do than to troll and start flame wars and I'm certain that there are some very knowledgeable and unbiased people on these boards who can answer my question.

Also my question had absolutely nothing to do with an iPhone killer, neither did it seek to compare against one individual handset, in fact I worded the question so that it would be compared to the mass market in general.
Click to expand...


Your question was poorly worded - how can it bring the Iphone up to 'feature parity' when there isnt a phone with all those features? :confused:
 
Hmm... it seems redmelo had no trouble understanding it. Are you deliberately being a pedant?
 
OK, you're a pedant.

I think feature parity is a good enough description for most people, not everyone will take it quite as literally as you.
 
Concorde Rules said:
Yes but whats the better way? It takes < 2 seconds to get to the app I want to use, it's about speed for me and there isn't any quicker way TBH! *Slide* *Tap* *App is open* lovely :D
Click to expand...

Having a nice homescreen(s*) that you can modify in almost any way you want then having the dozens of programs hidden away with a quick click.

WinMo - Home screen with weather, missed calls, appointments etc

Android - Same as above but you can slide back and forward and have different home screens.

For apps/programs:

WinMo - Press start button, choose program
Android - slide up, choose program

;) Or is that single extra press a backbreaking feature?

n111ck said:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/33476/iphone-4-vs-htc-desire

Conclusions

Choosing a phone is never a cut and dry decision for someone else to make on your behalf, but if you have to make a call on these things, then one would say that the iPhone 4 is a better phone than the HTC Desire. It's better shaped, has a better screen, you can fit more on it and, arguably, it looks better too. That doesn't mean that the HTC Desire is some kind of inferior mobile because it's not. It's just different. 90 per cent of the planet would prefer to have an iPhone 4. It will suite their needs better, but there's going to be plenty of folk out there who'd rather have the flexibility, the cheaper price and the higher level of originality that HTC, Sense and Android offer. What you have to ask yourself is which is the one for you.
Click to expand...

Actually I'd disagree with that. iPhone4s are a lot better looking than the Desire, however the screen is better on the Desire and the it's better shaped.

90%? You sure? :p So you still insist that so many people only chose the Desire because it was (very marginally) cheaper?

EDIT: Lets clarify a bit more... The screen quality is almost identical (colour etc.), the resolution difference is minimal compared to what we used to have (old iPhone resolution compared to 800x480). That extra 160 pixels on the height would be better for web browsing as it would mean fixed 800 px websites would have a bit of space round them but it's really not enough to worry about. The "retina" display marketing is just a gimmick, so that doesn't really make any difference (the X1 has over 300 dpi as well). Screen size... Those extra .two inchs on the Desire do however make a difference (oddly, quite large for such a small number) and that along with the reduced power consumption of the OLED means that takes it.
 
Last edited:
EgonSpengler said:
I hate these threads. I hate the haters, I hate the haters of the haters. I hate myself...

I have a genuine question, born out of genuine curiosity. I would like a completely non-biased answer, preferably by someone who has used an iPhone 4 and any other comparable smartphone.

My understanding is that the iphone 4 has brought Apple pretty much up to the standard a smartphone should be at in terms of hardware, features, apps, GUI and so on. Prior to the iPhone4 it was always slated by what it lacked. So my question is - What is it lacking now? Is there anything it still doesn't do? Or is it finally at parity?
Click to expand...

Pretty much. The increased resolution and inclusion of a (basic) multitasing has really helped it. It's not really missing anything now (even the camera is up to scratch) so it really is just whether you like the UI and hardware more than the phones running Android, WinMo, Symbian, WebOS and soon to be WinPho7. :)

Funnily enough though, both have received a very good reaction from a lot of iPhone users. Quite a few (i'm talking specific people I knew of before and after the release) used to say that both were pointless and the old iPhones were just as good with what they had, now they have them they have changed their tune and stated how good it is... :p
 
Last edited:
meh these threads are pretty gay and you posted it in the apple section - so all your going to get is fanboys, it hardly warrants a discussion you might as well just get one now since youv shot yourself in the foot.
anyway 3 time iphone fanboy me, but now im with the andriod crowd....iv moved on and im happy. iphone 4 added very little to warrant the stupid price point and silly contracts.

iphone hardware might not be lacking anymore, but its OS is still miles behind.
 
Redmelo said:
Share of 2010 Q1 smartphone sales to end users by operating system, according to Gartner is as follows:

Symbian 44%
RIM 19%
Apple 15%
Android 10%
WinMo 7%
Linux 4%
Other 1%

FYI

Smartphones sold in 2009

Nokia 67.7 million
RIM 34.5 million
Apple 25.1 million <--- not on top :p
HTC 8.1 million
Samsung 5.7 million
Click to expand...

Interesting stats there, but of course they don't tell the full story.

I wonder how many of those 67 million Nokia Smart phones are actually used as a smart phone? How many were free upgrades for contract customers? My sister had one, couldn't get on with it and stuck it in a drawer and went back to her old phone.
 
You see, I have had the choice of a few Android phones and was using a HTC Desire for while (not my own, a friends) and that is a great phone, the best Android phone I have used.

But i still upgraded from my 3GS to an iPhone 4. People need to get it out of their head that people can like the iPhone for different reasons than they look for in a phone.

When it comes to software, hardware and all this - Open source, Open systems, Open standards are something I love to champion not only due to the principles behind them, but the often benefits they bring. Just, I don't think I've seen those benefits enough to bring me over to such a system, especially when the iPhone is like it is. If it were a tablet, I'd pick an Android device over the iPad any day - due to the type of usage I would have for that kind of the device.

But for a phone, It isn't something I spend a considerable amount of time on at a single time, I'll pull it out of my pocket, look something up on a website, check email, twitter, maybe look through the guardians or engadget's application and that is it for regular usage. Of course, I do other things on it too - but they're not something I religiously do all the time on the phone.

So for such usage, it has to be quick, clean and simple. Something the iPhone, for me excels for beyond any other phone I have used. The Interface is clean, consistent, fluid and makes complete sense, everything works as you think it should. Which is the most important thing for me.

So you could look at the core OS and compare it to Android and think there hasn't been much progression in comparison to Android, but the iPhone started off quite a bit ahead of everyone else, at least in terms of interface, usage and all this, So it hasn't had to make many big steps.

The hardware itself, was always something that was lacking, with exception of their multi-touch glass, but that may also be a software thing. But with the iPhone 4 it is a big step up, the 1Ghz A4, 512MB of RAM (for the already extremely well optimised OS), 5MP camera that takes fantastic images (beating rival 8MP Cam phones, for obvious reasons), front facing camera.

And of course, the gorgeous new physical design.
 
Amp34 said:
Having a nice homescreen(s*) that you can modify in almost any way you want then having the dozens of programs hidden away with a quick click.

WinMo - Home screen with weather, missed calls, appointments etc
Click to expand...

Weather - look at it very rarely, one slide to the right and its there when I need it in app form.
Missed calls - can see anyway
Appointments - Notifications

Nothing I miss there ;) :P
 
Concorde Rules said:
Weather - look at it very rarely, one slide to the right and its there when I need it in app form.
Missed calls - can see anyway
Appointments - Notifications

Nothing I miss there ;) :P
Click to expand...

Yet you have to click to see all of them instead of being just there. ;)
 
Amp34 said:
Yet you have to click to see all of them instead of being just there. ;)
Click to expand...

thats the lamest plus point ever.

Its one less click !!! I can think of several plus points the Desire has over the iphone 4, being able to get the weather with one less click isnt one of them lol.
 
Excellent thread, I have enjoyed reading everyones opinons.

Isn't it great that we all prefer different things, Can you imagine a world where we all have the same car, TV, phone, Computer, trainers, pants etc etc :eek:
 
Amp34 said:
Yet you have to click to see all of them instead of being just there. ;)
Click to expand...

Well no, seeing what the weather is today is pointless, I can see it out the window.

The app gives me the next 7 days which is actually more important...

Other two points are irrelevant and doesn't add anything to the argument :p
 
Amp34 said:
the screen is better on the Desire
Click to expand...
The screen is bigger but that doesn't make it better.
On an iPhone 4 you can read a web page full screen but on the Desire you can't because the text is eligible.

I sit next to two people at work with a Desire and they are constantly moaning about battery life.
They both have their screen brightness set to minimum and still get 2 days less battery life than I get on my iP4 (with very similar usage).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom