Discourse on iPhone 4S & iOS 5.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

It's interesting that there is a bit of a "meh" sentiment hanging over this release. Every single aspect of this phone except the case is new:
- New OS w/significant new functionality (Siri)
- New CPU
- New GPU
- New wireless chipset/antenna system
- New Camera incl 1080p video and hardware image stabilization
- 2x storage available vs the 4 (64 GB)

And yet, a not-insignificant number of people aren't super excited. Would Apple have been better off to take all this stuff and shove it in a new case just for the sake of a new case? Maybe..

The reason for the meh, is that most of this stuff simply gets them close to the best android phones (spec wise) that are out now.

Also, A lot of the ios 5 features are also things android already has.

There are android phones coming out in the next month that will have much superior displays, CPUs,radios etc. Battery life is about all the apple guys can brag about any more.

I am typing this on my iPad, so I am not completely anti apple. Do wish I had my swift key keyboard though!

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

The screen still has higher pixel density than anything Android has to offer, but I suspect that will change shortly. However, I also predicted that after the iPhone4 was released, and I was most definitely wrong.

So basically, iTunes, the Retina display, and one heck of a phone camera, would be my 3 biggest reasons for someone to pick an iPhone over Android right now.

LG will be challenging the iPhone display shortly

http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-ann...korean-markets

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

LG will be challenging the iPhone display shortly

http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-ann...korean-markets

Pixel density isn't everything. The samsung amoleds are the best looking phone displays right now, IMO.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Pixel density isn't everything. The samsung amoleds are the best looking phone displays right now, IMO.

agreed. pixel density means nothing when your screen is one of the smallest ones out there and you're still sitting at a 960-by-640 resolution. and i laugh at the battery life jabs being thrown at Android users by the Apple faithful. ignoring the minor tweaks i can make to get great battery life, the one thing i could always do to get twice the amount of juice of any iPhone is carry around a spare battery in my pocket. no Apple device can do that

[photon]

I don't want a big screen, some of the newest ones look like pieces of plywood held up to the ear.

[Cheerio]

I'll be getting one of these I think. It looks really great and it will be coming out around the same time as I can upgrade. Also anything will be better than the chewed up Blackberry Curve 8330 I'm using right now.

[Lithium]

Do HTC/Samsung/etc. update their droid OS on the same day yet?

That'd be really annoying if I owned an HTC and someone with a horribly made phone (samsung, every product they make is trash) had a newer OS than me.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

LG will be challenging the iPhone display shortly

http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-ann...korean-markets

Life is always great until you get an LG.

Those things are cheap garbage.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

So basically, iTunes, the Retina display, and one heck of a phone camera, would be my 3 biggest reasons for someone to pick an iPhone over Android right now.

Wait- you mean there are people that actually like using iTunes?

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Pixel density isn't everything. The samsung amoleds are the best looking phone displays right now, IMO.

Retina is the best looking display. I had the phone you mention. Not even close to Retina.

AMOLED is a marketing term Samsung uses. Like Retina display it means nothing. What is real is comparing text on both devices side by side. You will see how much sharper the iPhone is. Video is misleading, since a 1080p TV has a lower resolution than even the cheapest smartphones.

Retina allows for a smaller screen to be easier to read than a large one. Less zooming offsets screen size, and a smaller screen improves battery life.

I think Andriod, a year later needs to roll out a phone that is equal to Retina with a bigger screen. Then Android will be able to argue about screen sizes being a big advantage. None of this "almost as good" garbage.

That is why Apple was in no rush today. They mitigated Androids hardware advantage enough, that combined with Retina, and software still makes it the best overall phone out there. Android can keep it's 3D screen and 5.1 surround speaker gimmicks.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Pixel density isn't everything. The samsung amoleds are the best looking phone displays right now, IMO.

I have a Samsung Omnia 7 with the Super AMOLED screen running Windows Phone 7 and it is honestly one of the best phones I've ever had.

And I have an iPhone 4 as a work device. I'd take WP7 over it any day.

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Retina is the best looking display. I had the phone you mention. Not even close to Retina.

AMOLED is a marketing term Samsung uses. Like Retina display it means nothing. What is real is comparing text on both devices side by side. You will see how much sharper the iPhone is. Video is misleading, since a 1080p TV has a lower resolution than even the cheapest smartphones.

I have the two phones side by side and I'd take the Samsung's screen every time.

[bomba]

For me it comes down to replacement support. I hate everything that Apple represents, but own an iPhone because I will admit that they have an unreal replacement policy.

I am extremely hard on my phone and don't use a screen protector or case. And over the last two years I have probably taken it back to the Apple store 7-10 times. Each time it was a matter of explaining to an apple nerd my frustrations (battery, little glitches, etc) and they would give me a new refurbished unit on the spot.

I will never go back to the other model of taking the phone to a Telus store, given a loaner phone for 2-3 weeks, wait for the original phone to get fixed, go back to the store to swap back.

So needless to say my extended Apple warranty it up so its time to get the 4S regardless of it is superior or not to previous models.

[bluejays]

I was totally upset as a shareholder that they never just called it the 5 and made some tweak to the case given it's been a longer wait than usual. But when you get past that, you do see a pretty substantial change from the 4 to the 4S when all is said and done. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get my first Apple product when it comes out in a couple weeks. So far those media who've tried out Siri have been shocked that it isn't a gimmick and actually works glitch free, so that's another cool thing about it.

Personally I was sure a few days back that the rumors of a 4S were true simply because of the choice of the October 4th date. That spoke volumes, and once the stock started inexplicably dropping under $400, it kinda made sense that something was up. I read one blog that mentioned about the reason why the teardrop shape wasn't adopted was the uneven feel when handled in landscape. I thought about that for a second and was stunned that I never considered that...it's true though, it would make for an odd feeling. I'm sure the 5 will come out by July 2012 though.

I was close a few months ago to going over to the HTC Desire, and more recently the Galaxy S2, but honestly, while I really like the 4" screen size, I'm really not a fan of the clutter of the Android OS. It's not complicated, it's just a little messy whereas the iOS is a single button to open an app. No messing around through folders and such really. I'll likely get this sucker though as initial reviews have been very positive.

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by fleury

I'm really not a fan of the clutter of the Android OS. It's not complicated, it's just a little messy whereas the iOS is a single button to open an app. No messing around through folders and such really.

What?

I've never used a folder to launch an app. You can set it up exactly like an iPhone, if that's what you wanted.

Android has its issues, but I've never heard someone call an OS where you can customize the layout any way you like "cluttered." If its cluttered, unclutter it...

[Captain_Obvious]

I am with Bell and have been eligable for a hardware upgrade for some time now so I am going to take the plunge and pick up a 4S.

Anyone have any advice on the best way to get it?

If I want to do it through Bell as a hardware upgrade (making the price of the phone as cheap as possible) is going to the Apple Store an option?

Or does that force me to go to the Bell Store?

Apple's Cdn website says Oct. 7 for pre-orders... trying to figure out if I should to to a Bell or Apple store on Friday?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Bertuzzied]

This is going to make an easy short of apple stock. Seriously? 3.5 inches still...

[fundmark19]

I really don't understand why so many people want a cell phone to have a bigger screen. Iphone with a case on it is as big as anything I would want in my pocket. Iphone 4 without case is the perfect pocket size. If you want something with a big screen buy a laptop or a tablet. I for one don't want to have the whole side of my face covered by a phone when I am trying to talk. I get the world likes to revert to retro but the big cell phones of the 80's are gone for a reason!

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Retina is the best looking display. I had the phone you mention. Not even close to Retina.

AMOLED is a marketing term Samsung uses. Like Retina display it means nothing. What is real is comparing text on both devices side by side. You will see how much sharper the iPhone is. Video is misleading, since a 1080p TV has a lower resolution than even the cheapest smartphones.

What are you talking about? Retina is a marketing term. Amoled is a completely different technology than LCD. Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode, so no backlight. Blacks are black and colors are more accurate. Resolution being equal, you'd be hard pressed to find someone claiming LCD to look better than super amoled. http://www.oled-display.net/retina-d...ple-vs-amoled/

A 1080p tv has 3.375 times the resolution of the retina display. Not sure what point you are trying to make there.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

What are you talking about? Retina is a marketing term. Amoled is a completely different technology than LCD. Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode, so no backlight. Blacks are black and colors are more accurate. Resolution being equal, you'd be hard pressed to find someone claiming LCD to look better than super amoled. http://www.oled-display.net/retina-d...ple-vs-amoled/

A 1080p tv has 3.375 times the resolution of the retina display. Not sure what point you are trying to make there.

How about I back my post up with facts.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/i...-amoled-fight/

"The one standout differentiator between the two will have been apparent by gazing upon our gallery: the Retina Display really whoops on the Super AMOLED on the pixel level. Definition still looks ridiculous on the iPhone 4, and Samsung simply can't match it there."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._pixel_density

1. iPhone4 326 ppi vs Nexus S SAMOLED 235 ppi

2. Pioneer KURO Pro, considered the best 1080p TV ever made: 44 ppi.

3. Please scan through the list of other standard display sizes by 1080p and tell me any single 1080p TV that meets the Retina display.

[QuadCityImages]

Comparing a phone to a TV makes no sense, because you don't hold a TV up to your face. So 44ppi looks terrible on a phone, but great on an HDTV sitting 8 feet away.

And to those saying that a bigger phone is silly, I think you'd be surprised how nice it can be. When I had my Moto Droid, same size as iPhone basically, I thought the same thing. Then my wife got a 4.3" screen DroidX, and I was kind of like, hmm..... Now I love my 4.3" Thunderbolt screen.