[Ben]

It's official, the 'next big thing' in mobiles has a name, and it's iPhone 4.

Apple's official press release is here: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/06/07iphone.html

“iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.”

FaceTime is Apple's new take on video calling. The idea is that you should be able to initialise video from within any regular call - a bit like when you fire up video during an IM session. Apple is getting around the fact that none of the networks support this feature by doing it all over WiFi, but some preferred partners may well feel the pressure to get on board with this new 'standard'. Will video calling work this time around? Maybe. Just maybe.

Everything else is what actually interests me. The "Retina" display, so-called because, held at 'normal distance', the pixels are denser than the human retina can actually make use of. In theory, it's therefore the ultimate mobile phone screen - unsurpassable. Apple are still snubbing OLED, but I think we can expect that in the future as the technology matures.

The increased battery life will come as a welcome gift for many, myself included. The camera, if it's as good as Steve Jobs himself has made out, should radically improve the quality of my iPhoto library, and HD video puts the iPhone 4 with some other handsets at the front of the tech spec pack. The optional iMovie software should take it well past them - IMHO it really should be included.

iPhone 4's new antenna arrangement appears to have picked up our prayers for better reception. Only time will tell whether this idea works.

Then there's the glass front and back. This is Apple, so we already know the device will feel fantastic to the touch, but I can't help but think that this device is going to reek of exceptionally high quality. Again, fingers crossed.

What are the highlights for you?

[DBMandrake]

Well, after all the leaked photos and rumours floating around, and despite the fact that we received pretty much what we expected with very few surprises, I'm quite satisfied with the new model and think it's a substantial upgrade, especially for those still on a 3G or earlier. (Not so much for those of us already on a 3GS)

About the only let down was the name - iPhone 4. Is that the best you can do Apple ? :p

First the physical design.

When I initially saw the leaked photos I didn't believe they were real, and when it started to look like they were real I was wondering what on earth Apple was thinking with "that ugly thing". Well, it has grown on me, and now that we've seen the real photos and videos of the finished product I think it looks stunning. There are a few small embellishments since the leaked prototypes, such as the volume buttons having an engraved plus and minus symbol (nice touch) and the fact they have chosen to go with the screws at the bottom, albeit 5 point torx heads, presumably to keep prying fingers out, yet still make disassembly for battery replacement easy for Apple.

I was initially sceptical of glass on the back, but after seeing the video on the Apple site where they show the construction of the phone I was very impressed by the glass they've used - some kind of special glass alloy, and they showed a strain testing machine bending the glass close to 20 degrees along it's length without breaking - this is no brittle easily cracked standard glass! It looks to be tough against scratching, and yet flexible enough to avoid cracking and shattering if dropped.

I'm one of those who has never been happy with the physical construction of the iPhone 3G and 3GS - after the original iPhone which was very solid and sturdy, the 3G seemed like a backwards step - easily scratched plastic back, (albeit there for the good reason of better signal reception) cheap and tacky "chrome" ring around the front edge - which is actually just chrome plated plastic and very easily scratched, flimsy ringer and volume switches, which again, are just chrome plated plastic.

I've actually had two ringer switches break on the 3G - my first 3G was replaced under warranty after 3 months when the ringer switch simply fell off, then the ringer switch on the replacement did the same in only 3 weeks - this time I decided to fix it myself with a spot of super glue and it's still fine a year and a half later :o but it sure leaves a bad taste in your mouth to have such an expensive phone fail in such a poor way where flimsy construction is the culprit.

(Apparently Apple were well aware of the problem because as soon as I told them the ringer switch had fallen off, they agreed to replace it without question...)

I've never felt comfortable using the 3G or 3GS without a fairly protective case (The Switcheasy Colours) because I'm convinced that the first time I dropped it without a case something would be seriously damaged.

The iPhone 4 is the first iPhone that I wouldn't be completely afraid to use without a case, thanks to what appears to be extremely tough glass, and a sturdy stainless steel frame. Yes the frame may dent and scuff slightly if it landed on the floor, but I think it would survive moderate drops with no significant functional damage.

The volume and ringer switches look to be actual metal and sturdy as well - those that have handled it report a very satisfying click and positive action to those controls, so I think that will be the end of broken ringer switch returns, which must have been a huge source of warranty claims for Apple.

In short, the industrial design and solidity of construction looks outstanding, although I will reserve final judgement until I've handled one myself.

As for the shape and styling - completely flat on both sides with a flat edge to the frame, initial photos made it seem fat compared to the current models with their tapered edges, but the truth is it's a full 4mm narrower than the old models, and a whopping 3mm thinner.

One thing that always annoyed me with the 3G and 3GS was the extremely curved back - good for looks maybe, but not very practical. Before that I was used to the flat back of my 1st gen iPod touch, and frequently typed on it with two fingers while it sat flat on a desk. On the 3G and 3GS it's impossible to do that because it rocks around like crazy. With a rubber case on it's not so bad, but without a case it's a nightmare. I can see this new model sitting flat on a desk so you can rapidly type an email in again without it wobbling all over the place.

Another big problem with all previous iPhone's is that they're just too slippery to hold without a case - largely due to the curved edge and the fact it's smooth shiny plastic - another reason I'm afraid to use my 3GS without a case.

I don't know how many people drop theirs while using it on a call, but it must be a lot. Although the flat metal band around the edge on the new model may not suit everyone's sense of style, reports are that the new shape is very good to hold and not in the slightest bit slippery - not just because it's flat brushed metal, but because the glass is very slightly recessed that will give a slight edge for your skin to bite into.

From a styling point of view, when I first saw the leaked photos I did wonder whether the look was a lot more "masculine" than the 3G and 3GS and might turn off women a bit, (who seem to love the current design, and almost outnumber men in ownership) but as soon as my girlfriend saw pictures of the final release white version she's instantly taken by it, although she doesn't like the black version. (Despite having a black 3G now)

One bit of remaining scepticism for me is the claim of using the casing edge as antennas to improve reception. Although I'm willing to be proven wrong, I think this claim is bogus, just as it was for the previous generation phone where they claimed the ring around the headphone jack, the camera, and the front chrome bezel were used for antennas. (When clearly they were not - they're all loops, and they're not connected to anything...)

First of all, the lengths of the metal are not even close to the correct length for the frequencies they're trying to transmit - they're actually too long for 2100Mhz for example, but the biggest problem of all is the fact that you are touching the supposed antenna when you hold the device. Any RF engineer can tell you that if you make electrical contact with an antenna by touching it, it seriously detunes it to the point where any improvement that you might have had from the antenna being external will be lost and then some.

Even if they coated it with a thin non conductive layer, the close proximity of your hand would still have a serious effect on the tuning and performance of the antenna, as even conventional internal antennas in phones which are held at least a few mm away from your hand suffer from significant performance loss from the proximity of your hand, and this whole issue of hand proximity is one of the biggest challenges in antenna design in mobile phones.

So until proven wrong I call BS on Apple's claim of improved reception by using the frame as antennas. If there is an actual improvement in reception then it's more likely to be the glass back (which is far more transparent to 900-2100Mhz radio signals than ABS plastic is) or an improvement in the internal antenna designs, or different radio chipsets, or a combination of the above.

Ok, so that's the physical design, now onto the hardware specs and features, more specifically, the improvements over the 3GS.

For me there are 3 main improvements which are most relevant - the better screen, the noise cancelling mic, and the new HSUPA chipset.

The screen is what most people will probably notice first, and I think it's one of those things like the iPad that you can't fully appreciate until you see it yourself. Basically at 326 dpi even if you hold the phone close to your face you won't be able to see any dots. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but for those of us with 20-20 vision the ability to resolve small writing on zoomed out web pages is limited not by our eye sight but by the resolution of the screen itself. At over 300 dots per inch you're looking at printed quality text, especially when that text will be anti-aliased.

Apart from just the resolution though, they've gone from a TN LCD to an S-IPS LCD, same as the iPad and Apple Cinema displays. This is just as significant I think.

A TN screen has a large change in the gamma, colour balance, contrast, and backlight bleed as you change viewing angle, and is only correct when viewed square on. This is not so much of a problem for a phone, as you can adjust the angle to the optimum, however it's a big problem for accelerometer based games where you are constantly tilting the device around relative to your viewing angle - and it becomes quite difficult to see. With an S-IPS screen there is almost no change in the image even out to extreme viewing angles.

The other difference is an S-IPS screen has 8 bit RGB colour definition compared to 6 bit for a TN screen, which means TN screens have problems with colour banding and poor colour accuracy unless dithering is used. Together with the higher resolution, this means images should look stunning, with very accurate colour - as good as the iPad, but even sharper.

So why didn't Apple go with AMOLED like the Nexus one ? I think the main reason was outdoor visibility - current AMOLED screens are almost unusable in direct sunlight. Maybe not such a problem in blighty, but definitely a problem in places where the sun shines a lot, like southern California :D From the photos I've seen taken by bloggers getting hands on time with the device, the screen looks very bright indeed, even at very wide viewing angles.

Although AMOLED is the current poster child for "cool" the fact is that a high quality S-IPS LCD screen with LED backlighting, such as the one on the iPad is still incredibly high quality, and in fact has better colour accuracy than current AMOLED screens, (which tend to be over saturated) so I think Apple made the right choice here.

[End part 1]

[DBMandrake]

[Part 2]

The second major point for me is the noise cancelling mic - although I haven't used a phone with one before, I have used radios with noise cancelling mics and it is just brilliant. You can be in a noisy environment with trucks driving by, or at a noisy party etc and the person at the other end of the call can hear you perfectly with almost no background noise. Without a noise cancelling mic you could be almost unintelligible once the voice codec has made a complete hash of trying to process the background noise.

The Nexus one and a few nokia phones have noise cancelling mic's, so Apple aren't first here, but it's great to see it included on what will be a widely adopted phone. I think the placement of the second mic is very clever - the Nexus one puts it on the rear panel near the top - almost exactly where I place my index finger when making a call, so I could see problems with it being covered by your finger. Apple's position next to the headphone jack makes it very unlikely to be obstructed by fingers or anything else. My only concern is people attempting to poke paper clips down the hole thinking its a sim eject hole... hopefully there is some protection against that, such as offsetting the microphone to one side at the bottom of the hole...

The third thing that appeals to me is the obviously new UMTS chipset, which now supports 4, or even 5 bands, depending on whether you believe Apple or the FTC.

Not only does this new chipset support long overdue 5.8Mbit HSUPA, but it now also supports 3G on 900Mhz, making it ready for any 900Mhz 3G rollout in the UK :) I'm sure those in New Zealand, Australia, and certain European countries who have had 900Mhz 3G for years now will be extremely pleased too.

It annoyed me no end in New Zealand that I couldn't make use of the rural 900Mhz 3G coverage on my iPhone 3G, while cheap feature phones did support it...

According to the FTC filing the chipset also supports 800Mhz 3G, which could be good news if the UK frees up those frequencies for 3G as well, although it's unclear why Apple would not list this frequency range if the device does indeed support it.

All in all although this is an evolutionary update rather than revolutionary, I think it is a very worthy upgrade indeed. :)

(And that's the first time I've ever had a forum tell me my post was too long! :) )

[gorilla]

I've just ordered the Desire. I think that speaks volumes!

Face Time: wasted on me as I wont know anyone that I would use this "feature" with. I'd like to, but that's not the point!

Retina: I'm sure it'll look great, but I'm happy with the 3GS and the Desire has a better screen than that, therefore I don't feel I need more pixels.

Camera and HD video: these are features I rarely use because when I want to take photos it's usually inside a dark pub. I don't see these enhancements making photos taken in poor light any better.
iMovie: well this is not something I want on a phone.

iOS 4: I'm running it at the moment and it's good, but I'll not know how good until we get 4.0 apps. Which brings me to multitasking. The iPhone switches between apps pretty quickly anyway that I don't miss multitasking at all.

All in all the new iPhone is an improvement and it will surely be a major success, but it's just not for me. The OS has gone stale for me and I want a new challenge.

I was going to wait to see what price they would command, but as I'm looking a sim free phone I doubted that the iPhone would become available unlocked and so ordered the Desire now. I'm not in a long term contract and if I want an iPhone later, I can sell the desire and buy the iPhone.

[Ben]

Reading some comments around the web, on Trusted Reviews for example, I think expectations for this device were way, way too high. I even thought you were pushing it, DBMandrake, with some of the things you were hoping for!

I'm blown away that Apple seems to have made so many improvements. Proper HSPA and support for lots of frequencies, great optics improvements for the camera, that screen, noise cancellation (which I've never had), and truly stunning design. It just seems like such a leap forward, plus we get iOS 4 to keep Apple's phenomenal touch-OS ahead of the pack.

I snubbed the original iPhone not just because of the lack of 3G but also due to the look and feel of the thing. I didn't like it. The 3G/S, however, I have always considered an excellent design and can understand why Apple stuck with it for as long as they did. That neither my 3G or 3GS fell to bits probably has a lot to do with my fondness of them - I've also never used them in a case, so get the full effect of that tapered back, which I think feels amazing. I found it hard to imagine how Apple could improve upon this design given the constraints that they're working to, but it seems that they've gone as far as developing their own processor in order to do it, not to mention their own grade of stainless steel! Oh, and I'm glad it's steel, brushed aluminium on little mobiles just doesn't look right.

Ok, maybe I can't claim it's revolutionary, but it's a substantial update and I'll be moving 3GS -> 4 in the blink of an eye. No hesitation as with the 3G -> 3GS!

[miffed]

Yeah , I think I'll be having a go on this one !

Can't see me getting another contract as I have 3 at the moment , ... Assuming pricing is similar to the current structure I'll get one on PAYG. .... only thing is the Micro SIM issue , I like to swap around - so unless someone invents a Micro SIM to SIM adapter , I won't really want to cut my current SIM cards up ! ..this is another reason why I decided to go with the Wi-fi only iPad , I already bought a Mi-fi anyway

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it eh ?

[hecatae]

Also on June 24, a new iPhone 3GS 8GB model will be available for just $99 (US).

Will the above from the Press Release make it to this side of the Atlantic?

[solo12002]

Miffed


Happy to help: http://microsim-shop.com/

[miffed]

Cool ...Cheers !

I wonder what impact this will have on The Networks ? ...People asking them for Micro SIMs , ..or cutting they full sized SIM's down and messing it up , so needing a new one .... or people buying iPhone 4's on Contract , dropping them , and then wanting a full size SIM to put in a new phone ?
Huge potential for a dogs dinner to be made of this tranisition !!

[Ben]

I'm a bit worried about the micro SIM thing, too. I was hoping to stay on my tariff 'cus I'm kinda in love with it, and just buy iPhone 4 on PAYG. I don't want to cut my SIM card up :/

Either I need to ask Vodafone for a micro SIM, which could be tricky given that I need my number 24x7 and there's no room for messing things up, or I forego my SIM-only iPhone tariff and see if Vodafone will let me 'upgrade' from it onto a regular iPhone one. I see no reason why they'd prevent me from doing that, but it'd probably mean I can't pre-order, online at least.

So yeah, at the moment I'm not sure what to do. I guess I'll worry about it once the networks have released additional details.

[3GScottishUser]

What is quite amazing is that Apple have installed a 2nd camera and have stated Videocalling will be a major new feature on iPhone V4.

Has nobody told them that bombed years ago even when it was offered at the same price as voice calls (by 02)!

Still at least the new device can multitask and looks good.

Need to see what the tarriffs are in comparison with other devices and take note of the 'fair use' policies which are rumoured to be less generous than the current offerings for data use.

[DBMandrake]

What is quite amazing is that Apple have installed a 2nd camera and have stated Videocalling will be a major new feature on iPhone V4.

Has nobody told them that bombed years ago even when it was offered at the same price as voice calls (by 02)!

I'm sure they're well aware that previous attempts at video calling have bombed, and to be honest I think they're still a little bit early for it - hence the priviso that it's Wifi only for the moment, but that they're "working with carriers" to get it implemented. (Code speak for, we've put the camera on the phone, developed the app for it, and now we're going to pressure the carriers into supporting it)

What I think you're forgetting is that Apple is not the first to do anything (well almost anything) new on the iPhone, as all the Apple haters are always quick to point out - what they're the first to do is to integrate everything together and package it up in such a way that it (more or less) "just works" for the average non-technical user, and is easy and enjoyable to use with a minimum of hassle, and while that doesn't impress some geeks, who are more impressed by checkbox feature lists, MB and Mhz etc, it's more or less essential for the average user to accept and embrace a new technology.

That, plus the fact that many new technologies take a certain amount of momentum to overcome inertia and resistance before they can become successful, and I think video calling falls in that category. (And prior to the iPhone, the Smartphone category itself was in that situation - the iPhone wasn't the first smart phone by a long stretch, but it's the first smart phone that non-business users really WANTED to have and use)

Who is interested in making a video call if no-one you know has a video call capable phone ? If a few handset makers here and there throw out a few models of phone that do video calling with no real coherant push behind it, of course it's going to fail. (Especially if the UI is clunky and the networks unreliable)

If one of the fastest selling and easy to use smart phones on the planet comes with a video chat camera and app built in, from a company like Apple who has a LOT more sway with the networks than any other handset maker in co-ercing them to co-operate with new technologies, then I think it's a pretty sure bet that by this time next year the majority of networks will be co-operating.

Don't forget that the cameras are accessible by third party apps like Skype as well, so I think we'll see a Skype client for it if nothing else - whether that Skype app will be allowed to make video calls over 3G is another question though, but I think Skype video over Wifi is a sure bet within a few months.

[miffed]

Yes , I am pretty sure Apple are aware that Postage stamp , awful quality , unreliable , barely usable Video calling has been done before !

Just like they were aware that Touchscreen devices , with awful resistive technology and UI's that hadn't been given a moments thought had been done before , or they knew that Web browsers that no one in their right mind would attempt to browse the web with had been done many times before !

The old saying "It ain't what you do , its the way that you do it " springs to mind , Apple don't invent things , they re-invent them , exposing their predecessors as the complacent , procrastinating monkeys that they were !

I mean , look at the Marketplace stats the nice Mr Jobs was talking about yesterday - Apple have paid $1billion to App store developers since the store opened in mid 2008 !! - Did Apple invent the Phone or the Apps ? NOPE ! ... Were people making apps before then ? YES .... Were they trying to make a living from it ? YES INDEED !! - This is not a Market Apple cornered or invented - it is a market that Apple simply reached out and TOOK because everyone else was stood scratching their balls ! - Nokia , Microsoft , Palm , RIM ....ALL could have done it , .... but they didn't .

Apple are the only company with any class IMO , - I imagine , if at Nokia , during the development of their wonderful software someone stood up and said - "Hey , lets get this interface beautiful , lets get these fonts perfect so it creates a work of art ..." they'd be sacked on the spot ,after all ,all that is required is basic functionality ...right ? WRONG !!!

So yeah , It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Apple pulled yet another thing the others failed miserably at (Video calling) , and made a huge success out of it ! ...Wouldn't surprise me at all !

[The Mullet of G]

Reading some comments around the web, on Trusted Reviews for example, I think expectations for this device were way, way too high. I even thought you were pushing it, DBMandrake, with some of the things you were hoping for!

I'm blown away that Apple seems to have made so many improvements. Proper HSPA and support for lots of frequencies, great optics improvements for the camera, that screen, noise cancellation (which I've never had), and truly stunning design. It just seems like such a leap forward, plus we get iOS 4 to keep Apple's phenomenal touch-OS ahead of the pack.

I snubbed the original iPhone not just because of the lack of 3G but also due to the look and feel of the thing. I didn't like it. The 3G/S, however, I have always considered an excellent design and can understand why Apple stuck with it for as long as they did. That neither my 3G or 3GS fell to bits probably has a lot to do with my fondness of them - I've also never used them in a case, so get the full effect of that tapered back, which I think feels amazing. I found it hard to imagine how Apple could improve upon this design given the constraints that they're working to, but it seems that they've gone as far as developing their own processor in order to do it, not to mention their own grade of stainless steel! Oh, and I'm glad it's steel, brushed aluminium on little mobiles just doesn't look right.

Ok, maybe I can't claim it's revolutionary, but it's a substantial update and I'll be moving 3GS -> 4 in the blink of an eye. No hesitation as with the 3G -> 3GS!

Did they actually develop the CPU? As it seems a lot like the Hummingbird that Samsung and Intrinsity created, Apple subsequently acquired Intrinsity, but I suspect saying that Apple developed the CPU is probably stretching it a little. I could be completely wrong here though.

[Hands0n]

I'm a bit worried about the micro SIM thing, too. I was hoping to stay on my tariff 'cus I'm kinda in love with it, and just buy iPhone 4 on PAYG. I don't want to cut my SIM card up :/

Either I need to ask Vodafone for a micro SIM, which could be tricky given that I need my number 24x7 and there's no room for messing things up, or I forego my SIM-only iPhone tariff and see if Vodafone will let me 'upgrade' from it onto a regular iPhone one. I see no reason why they'd prevent me from doing that, but it'd probably mean I can't pre-order, online at least.

So yeah, at the moment I'm not sure what to do. I guess I'll worry about it once the networks have released additional details.

The easiest way to address this is to walk into any Vodafone store and ask them to replace the SIM there and then.

What they do is get out a new SIM, scan it into their computer terminal, ask you a set of questions and hand it over to you. By the time you've slotted it in to your handset the SIM's IMSI (thats the 20-digit number printed on the SIM) will have been associated with your telephone number. Job done.

Now the only question is whether or not they will be allowing the free exchange of SIM for Micro SIM. I can't see why not, they'll probably be able to sell you one of those adapter dohickeys that solo12002 has kindly linked to. I can see that being quite a marketable item in the stores.

[DBMandrake]

Did they actually develop the CPU? As it seems a lot like the Hummingbird that Samsung and Intrinsity created, Apple subsequently acquired Intrinsity, but I suspect saying that Apple developed the CPU is probably stretching it a little. I could be completely wrong here though.
Well I think "developed the cpu" is a matter of definition - obviously they didn't manufacture it themselves, as they're not a chip foundry, but neither did they buy an off the shelf already available chip that anyone else could have bought, and stick it into the iPhone/iPad as is.

The ARM cpu architecture is extremely modular within the die itself, and is based on "building blocks" designed primarily by ARM holdings and licensed out to licensees, who are then free to modify and adapt those designs for production. Samsung is one such licensee as is intrinsity. (And there is an unproven rumour that Apple also have a license of their own)

In my opinion the most likely thing that happened with the A4, is that Apple worked closely with Samsung and Intrinsity to get a custom System on a Chip (which includes CPU, GPU, ram, IO etc all on the same chip) made to their desired specifications - for example leaving out every module/building block that wasn't strictly necessary for the iPad, as the more generic SoC designs have everything including the kitchen sink thrown in especially IO ports, and that wastes die space and power consumption.

Intrinsity's contribution is most likely their power saving and clock speed increasing technologies.

So did Apple design the A4 chip ? Well yes they did, in collaboration with Samsung and Intrinsity, in a similar way that you could say a castle built out of lego pieces is designed. Did they design the lego pieces themselves ? No, but they assembled them in such a way that it did exactly what they want, and they may have had some custom lego pieces designed for them as well.

That's the closest analogy I can think of.

[DBMandrake]

I'm a bit worried about the micro SIM thing, too. I was hoping to stay on my tariff 'cus I'm kinda in love with it, and just buy iPhone 4 on PAYG. I don't want to cut my SIM card up :/

I saw on one of the tech blogs, someone is already selling a SIM cutting device that looks a lot like a small hole punch - pop your SIM in, press down the handle and it's cut perfectly to size. It also includes some standard SIM size adaptors to place your newly created Micro-SIM back into a normal device after it's converted to a Micro-SIM, if you need to. (For example temporarily putting it back into your old phone)

Although the two SIM sizes are certainly an annoyance, I think this will become somewhat of a non-issue soon, especially if networks get on board with supplying Micro-SIM's.

[miffed]

Bah ! , trying to register my interest at o2 - it won't accept the form !

It bounce back highlighting the word "KENT" , saying "Please enter a valid county , for example "Hampshire" "

....Not sure what they are implying ..... cheeky twats !

[Hands0n]

Bah ! , trying to register my interest at o2 - it won't accept the form !

It bounce back highlighting the word "KENT" , saying "Please enter a valid county , for example "Hampshire" "

....Not sure what they are implying ..... cheeky twats !


This is a sign Miffed. O2? There will be tears :D

[Ben]

O2 don't do Kent. Like how they don't do 3G ;)

Think I'll have to make up my mind about what to do once the networks make their move. Shouldn't be too long now. Surely they won't make us wait until pre-order day.

[miffed]

I am getiing pretty festive and excited WRT this product launch - I think its because I know I am going to buy one this time whereas before I have umm'd and arr'd about it for a few days.
I might even do the queuing up at 5am thing !

[Hands0n]

I might even do the queuing up at 5am thing !

LOL, I really have never done that before. Before the iPad that is :D

Will I do this with the iPhone 4? I really don't know, but it may just find me being all daft like that :D

[miffed]

Perhaps we should schedule the first ever Talk3G meet for 5am 24th june , Bluewater ? LOL !

[Hands0n]

And why not? We could blog and Twitter it :D

[MrBriz]

I might end up pre ordering this time around. I've done the whole waiting at the store for the last 3 launches, and while it is fun, it always takes an age to sort out because of first day jams on the computer systems....

I'm also not sure if I'll go for a payg or contract this time around. I'm tempted by an 18 month contract as i think it ends up working out around the same price anyways

[DBMandrake]

Three to sell the iPhone 4:

http://www.three.co.uk/Phones/iPhone

With T-Mobile's recent announcement, that means all 5 networks will have the new iPhone :)

[MrBriz]

The question is, now all 5 networks will have the iPhone, which one should I go for??!?!??!

I want OK customer service (I don't usually call them, so....)

What is most important is good 3G signal everywhere in MK. Any guys in MK on a network other than O2? If so what's the 3G like?

[Ben]

Great news about iPhone 4 being available on all 5 of the UKs networks. I'm hoping we'll see an erosion of the retail price and increased operator subsidies to increase adoption. It feels like Android is growing rapidly here in the UK, but we're also a very strong market for Apple - this wider availability may be enough to keep growth strong.

[MrBriz]

Arghhh... has anyone see the O2 tariff yet? It's craptasticly crap! http://shop.o2.co.uk/new-iphone/tariffs.html

:( 500MB data cap!!! WTF?

[@NickyColman]

I hope that the increased network availability doesnt reduce the amount of handsets available.

Im really hoping to pre-order my iPhone on 3 on the 15th as they are the only ones to announce the option to pre-order. Hope they've got enough in stock!! :S

[miffed]

I must admit ... if I were looking to go "contract" , I'd be VERY tempted to go with Three !! (based on the assumption that they won't be as tight with data as (seemingly ) everyone else !

... Although TBH my instinct is to cling on to my existing "unlimited data" iPhone tariff for dear life !

[Ben]

O2's new tariffs seem pretty awful :/ But I believe the iPhone will be free, at least on upgrades. Time will tell.

I have a feeling that Apple's ongoing revenue may have ended or been dramatically reduced? If we start seeing greater operator subsidy on new phones then that'll be why... but we'll see.

[The Mullet of G]

Did they actually develop the CPU? As it seems a lot like the Hummingbird that Samsung and Intrinsity created, Apple subsequently acquired Intrinsity, but I suspect saying that Apple developed the CPU is probably stretching it a little. I could be completely wrong here though.


Upon further reading it would seem that the CPU core was designed by Intrinsity for Samsung, its the core used in the Samsung Wave and Galaxy S, the A4 also uses the same PowerVR SGX 535 3D graphics coprocessor as the Wave and Galaxy S, so all in all a pretty similar setup. Which is actually good news, as I saw some performance figures for the Galaxy S and to say they were impressive is an understatement.

Onto the matter at hand, I finally watched the Keynote last night, and it'll probably cost me about £500 fricking Steve Jobs. Wish they would hurry up and announce prices, especially interested in SIM free or PAYG. :)

[Ben]

Yes, it looks like we'll see a similar, if not identical, chip in some Samsung's. The core does indeed appear to be identical.

Mhm his keynotes aren't good for the wallet, are they? What iPhone are you considering?

[DBMandrake]

O2's new tariffs seem pretty awful :/ But I believe the iPhone will be free, at least on upgrades. Time will tell.

Maybe they've just given up on trying to retain iPhone customers now that the other 4 networks have it, and have decided instead to squeeze as much money out of the existing customers they can ? :p



I have a feeling that Apple's ongoing revenue may have ended or been dramatically reduced? If we start seeing greater operator subsidy on new phones then that'll be why... but we'll see.
From what I understand the revenue sharing model only ever existed for the first generation (EDGE) iPhone, and from the 3G on it was always a standard operator subsidy model. (With Pay&Go unit's unsubsidised)

[DBMandrake]

Upon further reading it would seem that the CPU core was designed by Intrinsity for Samsung, its the core used in the Samsung Wave and Galaxy S, the A4 also uses the same PowerVR SGX 535 3D graphics coprocessor as the Wave and Galaxy S, so all in all a pretty similar setup. Which is actually good news, as I saw some performance figures for the Galaxy S and to say they were impressive is an understatement.

Just came across this detailed article about the A4 chip:

http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225700447

The summary seems to be yes it's custom silicon and is different to the Samsung chip, but it's based on most of the same building blocks, eg both the Samsung chip and the A4 are made from the same building blocks, but each have selected to omit different blocks.

[DBMandrake]

A lot shorter and more succinct article, including a photo of the two chip dies:

http://9to5mac.com/one_of_these_chips_is_not_like_the_other

[Ben]

Well, it's the 22nd and I'm still on "Not yet shipped" - anyone else having more luck than me?

I'm really hoping that delivery takes place on the 24th - I'm not here this weekend and I don't think I could bear the thought of iPhone 4 being here and me being elsewhere!

[The Mullet of G]

Yes, it looks like we'll see a similar, if not identical, chip in some Samsung's. The core does indeed appear to be identical.

Mhm his keynotes aren't good for the wallet, are they? What iPhone are you considering?

I'm thinking a 16GB white one, I'm struggling to justify paying an extra £100 for another 16GB, I refuse to bend over the barrel and let Steve J just have his way with me, seriously 100 bucks for 16GB in this day and age is absolute robbery of the daylight variety. Maybe iPhone 6 or 7 will have a MicroSD slot. :)

[blush]

Mine show not shipped too Ben so not just you. I am going on holiday on Friday and will be gutted if it doesn't show before then as I won't be home for two weeks.

[@NickyColman]

+1

My order on Apple.com is showing as Not Yet Shipped, however, on the iPhone app 'Touch Deliveries' its just updated to 'Preparing for Shipment'.

Maybe the app accesses some info Apple dont display front end?

[blush]

Mine says prepared for shipment now in the touch deliveries app. The delivery date shows as six days though, well up to six days.

[Ben]

Oh my God! Shipped!!

Having difficulty sitting still :D

[blush]

Me too Ben, like being covered in ants! The UPS doesn't seem to work though.

[Ben]

Same here, doesn't look like they'll be arriving a day early like the iPad did! I got TNT.

[DBMandrake]

Oh my God! Shipped!!

Having difficulty sitting still :D

At least you're not sitting there with a numb face after a vist to the dentist...oww.... :D

Looks like the CPU on the iPhone 4 is roughly 31% faster than the 3GS:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/23/iphone-4-is-faster-than-3gs-and-slower-than-ipad-in-early-benchmarks/

But still slower than the iPad. Makes sense, as it's most probably an under-clocked A4 running somewhere between 600-800Mhz, not the full 1Ghz of the iPad, to conserve battery life when running off the relatively small (compared to an iPad) battery. In an iPad the main power guzzler is the huge screen, and therefore there is a huge battery to run it - which makes the CPU's percentage of battery use comparatively small compared to a phone. (Same reason the iPad leaves the Wifi on in sleep and the iPhone doesn't - it's such a small percentage of total drain on an iPad with it's monster battery)

So while the iPhone 4 doubles the iPad's RAM, the iPad is still probably around a further 30% faster in the CPU stakes...and therefore the fastest iOS device. To be perfectly honest, even after a year of using the 3GS I still find it more than fast enough for all but the most intensive 3D games, so anything faster than already damn fast is good :)

(The latest version of real racing for iOS 4.0 enables FSAA on the 3GS and it looks stunning while still running with silky smooth framerates - and apparently they have high res graphics for the iPhone 4, so it could be a good showcase game for the iPhone 4's new screen)

[Ben]

Oh I absolutely agree WRT 3GS speed, it seemed blisteringly fast compared to the 3G when it was released, and it still feels blisteringly fast now on iOS 4.0. Imagining faster performance isn't actually that easy, but I suppose we're about to witness it for itself tomorrow.

Hope your teef are ok!