iPhone 4 Review
PrintWe try to keep our Apple coverage to a minimum, as we know that it's not the favorite company of most of our readers. That’s why you generally won’t see a review of a new MacBook or iMac on this site even though these machines are, for all intents and purposes, personal computers.
All the same, we’ve always covered new iPhone releases, and we’re not about to stop with the release of the iPhone 4. It’s not that we’ve suddenly developed an affinity for the House That Steve Built. Nope, our motivation is based purely on comprehensiveness: It’s simply impossible to cover smartphones in any authoritative way while ignoring the biggest single player in the field. You can read about what the critics are saying about iPhone 4 here. That’s why we trundled out to the local mall in the black of night and lined up for the iPhone 4. Here’s everything you need to know about the device, and how it’s going to change the mobile landscape.
Photography by Ambika
The Hardware
Even if you somehow managed to ignore the entire, ridiculous Grey Powell brouhaha, it would have been hard to avoid seeing pictures of the new phone online, thanks to Apple’s unstoppable marketing juggernaut. So it probably won’t be much of a revelation when we tell you that the iPhone 4 has a flat, glass-covered back surface instead of the domed plastic back of the previous two phones. The edges of the phone are similarly de-curvified, with a flat metal band connecting the front and back. The new model is a bit more functional-looking than the older versions, but is exquisitely designed all the same. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Apple, but you’d be very hard pressed to pick up the iPhone 4 and play with it without being impressed by its looks and build quality.
There are, however, two issues with the physical build of the iPhone 4. First, because both the front and back surfaces are flat panes of glass, setting the phone down means laying the glass flush on top of whatever surface you're dealing with -- wood, Formica, concrete, or whatever else your resting platform might be made of. Although glass doesn’t scratch anywhere near as easily as the old plastic backing, it’s still a little unsettling to just toss the phone onto a countertop.
Second, and more damning, is an easily replicated issue with the aforementioned metal band around the outside of the phone. That band is also the iPhone 4’s antenna, and there are widespread reports that if you hold the phone in a certain way, it loses its signal. We tested this ourselves, and sure enough the reports are correct. Every time we held the case with a finger touching the lower left-hand part of the band, the signal strength would drop by up to four bars. This is a huge issue. Simply holding the phone in a common, natural way is enough to cause slower browsing and dropped calls.
Fortunately, there’s a common solution for both problems: get a case. The official Apple bumper case, in particular, looks very nice, lets you access all the buttons on the side of the iPhone, and completely resolves the antenna issue. It also gives the front and back of the phone a slight lip, preventing the glass from scraping against surfaces. More than any other version of the iPhone, this one needs a case. Especially given the issue with dropped signals, Apple really should give out bumpers for free to anyone who buys an iPhone.
The Screen
With Android heavy-hitters like the Nexus One, the Incredible and the Evo 4G starting to make the iPhone 3GS look like a low-res toy, it’s no surprise that Apple included a screen upgrade in the iPhone 4. What is a surprise is how far they went. The iPhone 4 has—simply put—the nicest screen you can get it a smartphone right now. Its 3.5-inch so-called "retina display" manages to display a maximum resolution of 940 x 640 pixels, for a pixel density of 326 ppi. That handily beats the Droid Incredible’s (already fabulous looking) 252 ppi screen, and makes the iPhone 3GS’s 163 ppi screen look like garbage. To get an idea for how dense the iPhone 4 screen is, click on the following image to view the full screen one (assuming your browser window is large enough to view a 640 pixel-wide image) and notice how much screen space it takes up on your screen. Then, imagine all that display space shrunk down and packed into a screen that’s just a bit larger than a business card. Pretty wild.
To fully appreciate the screen quality of the iPhone 4 you don’t even have to go past the home screen. Certain app icons, like the contacts list, turn out to have details that weren’t visible before. What we had always thought were simply tiny dots running down the right side of the contacts list icon are actually fully formed letters, perfectly visible on the iPhone 4.
And an even more dramatic example is the web browser. You can load up nearly any page, maximally zoomed out, and read every word on the page. Of course, unless you enjoy reading nearly microscopic, ridiculously crisp letters, you’ll still want to zoom in, but the effect is still dramatic.
The only problem with the iPhone 4’s high-res screen is that developers are taking their time in upgrading apps to take advantage of it. As of today, only some 10 percent (if that) of the 3rd party apps we have on our iPhone have been updated for the iPhone 4. This is an easy calculation to make, as un-upgraded apps still have the old, low-resolution app icons, which looks positively ugly on the high-res desktop.
The Guts
The iPhone 4 comes with the same 1GHz A4 ARM Cortex chip found in the iPad, and 512 MB of RAM—double that of either the iPhone 3GS or the iPad. The hardware is pretty much the same as other top smartphones, like the Droid Incredible, but as before, Apple is the best at leveraging that hardware to provide a completely smooth experience when using the phone. The iPhone 3GS was already incredibly fast, smooth, and responsive to use, so it’s hard to see much of an improvement in the iPhone 4, but the fact that it keeps that same smoothness while quadrupling the total number of pixels being rendered is a big achievement.
A gyroscopic sensor has also been added to the iPhone, allowing for true 6-axis motion control. There are very few apps out that can take advantage of this new functionality yet, but the few there are (such as Ngmoco’s Eliminate: Gun Range, seen below) feel very precise.
Camera
The camera in the iPhone has received an upgrade, as well. The new 5 megapixel camera is complemented by a VGA-resolution frontward facing camera and an LCD flash. The main camera is capable of recording 720p HD video, using the same touch-to-focus functionality used when taking photos.
Although the iPhone 4’s camera doesn’t pack the sheer number of pixels found in, for instance, the Evo 4G’s 8 megapixel camera, it takes full advantage of the pixels it does have, capturing excellent photos in all lighting conditions. The flash is pretty decent (though of course it sometimes leaves photos blown-out or with an orange tint) but is rarely used, as the camera takes great pictures in even dim conditions.
This picture of one Dr. Pepper the cat was taken in very low light.
A final, greatly appreciated update to the camera is in its capture speed. Where on the 3GS there was a gap of more than a second between hitting the capture button and the phone being ready to take another picture, on the iPhone it’s almost instantaneous. If you’re the type that likes to take lots of pictures at once and hope that one turns out alright, the speed is a godsend.
FaceTime
Remember the VGA-quality front-facing camera we mentioned before? There’s a reason it’s there. The biggest entirely new feature in the iPhone 4 is FaceTime, a built-in video calling feature that lets you talk, face to face, with anyone else using an iPhone 4. The feature only works if both parties are on a Wi-Fi network, but when they are the quality is surprisingly good.
Most of the time the framerate stays above 10 fps while making a video call, and the lag isn’t very noticeable. The image is pretty clear, although there are some compression artifacts visible. Supposedly, Apple’s using all open standards in FaceTime, so other companies will be able to use it as well, but who knows if any will choose to do so. Video chatting isn’t really our thing, but if you’re the type that it appeals to, this could be a major selling point.
iOS 4
The iPhone 4 comes with the newest version of the iPhone OS, now called “iOS 4.” Most features of the operating system have been available to all iPhone (3G and 3GS) owners for a few days now, but they’re worth repeating here, as they address many of the issues people have had with the iPhone in the past.
Most significantly, iOS 4 now provides for a (limited) form of multitasking. If you’re using one app, and would like to switch to another without closing it, you just double-click the Home button. A switcher bar pops up at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to choose another app to switch to. Tapping the Home button once takes you back to the home screen, as usual, but now the app you were on is added to the background bar, not closed entirely. Some functions work while the app is in the background (music playback for instance) but most don’t. As such, the background bar is more frequently a sort of suspended animation that you can put apps into, so you can come back to them later. It’s not true multitasking, but it’s enough for most things you would want to do on a smartphone.
Other OS features include folders for organizing applications and customizable homescreen backgrounds. Nothing Earth-shattering there, but nice all the same.
The Bottom Line
With the iPhone 4, Apple has done what was necessary to retain its title as manufacturer of the most polished, most full-featured smartphone on the planet. They took care of most of the lingering criticisms about the iPhone (such as lack of multitasking) added a couple of features that people have been clamoring for (a front-facing camera for video chat, for instance) and wrapped it all up in a fantastic-looking and wide-ranging hardware upgrade.
The problem with dropped calls is a real one, and its surely something Apple knew about before the launch. But it’s easy to fix with a bumper or a case—something you should probably have anyway, to protect your investment. The right thing for Apple to do would be to offer a free bumper to everyone who buys an iPhone 4. Until they do that, consider the price of an iPhone 4 to be $30 above what it says on the price tag.
Apple’s oppressive app store policies are as much of an issue as ever (though the phone is already easy to jailbreak), as is the fact that the phone is tied to AT&T’s spotty coverage and stingy data plans. We’re not going to dwell on these issues here because we figure by this point you know whether they’re enough to keep you from picking up an iPhone. If you can get past those hurdles, the iPhone 4 is an incredible piece of hardware, and has set the bar high for the rest of the industry.
Apple iPhone 4
Smartphone
Unparalleled screen quality; high quality camera; (sort of) multitasking
Featurephone
Needs a case to function properly; can only run approved apps; stuck with AT&T
8
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Comments
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wirehedd
August 21, 2010 at 3:00pm
okay, not a mac fan and never have been. Owned every flavour of PC there is and will always be a PC user. Started with MPC when it was boot#1. Did my first water cooled rig with a pentium 90. Started with a heath kit then Commies, trash 80s and a Timex Sinclair. Moved up with 8088s and the rest is history.
Up here in Canada we got the iphone4 last day of July and I got mine the same day. Not a single complaint yet. Does everything I need and want and does it all EXTREMELY well. No AT&T crap to deal with either.
No dropped calls. No BSOD (total BS). Excellent clear and consistent calls.
Tethering is amazing if you need a little more screen real estate than the retina display but most folks will be just fine.
Plays Doom and Duke 3D just amazing. :)
To the mac haters I say don't let your hatred blind you to an excellent phone. I am glad I got it and even though I had a Droid in my hand the same day I side by sided them both and the iphone 4 won out and I'm glad it did.
Of course, it was jailbroken within 90 minutes of purchase but that's another story. :)
morty7197
August 01, 2010 at 10:16am
Many of you have great comments and while I enjoy the facts, I'm not sure all of them are laid out here. As such I thought I'd add one more...
You don't have to pay for the case/bumper. It is free. http://www.apple.com/iphone/case-program/
Probably some of you have this website blocked out.
That being the case, you many never get all the facts.
I'm an educated adult. I think I can get through the bias and other comments from any publication or article. You extract the facts and make your decision from that. But you have to get all the facts...
beauty salon so...
July 21, 2010 at 12:48am
My dear friend, I agree yes, distance and culture doesn't separate anybody, thank you for the visit, new day of happiness and successes.Iphene is a most popolar phone.this phone mony people use that.Iphone sound and video maxmum quelaty.
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SkykingUSA
July 06, 2010 at 9:04pm
The most amazing thing about this article is that Alex actually found a woman who would talk to him on the phone. hahahaha.
Just kidding dude, nice article.
blessnjoe2006@y...
July 06, 2010 at 6:54pm
I don't have the new I-phone4 yet, but I plan on getting one, soon. One thing that I've noticed about human beings is that, New items that we don't like mean nothing to us, hence, we complain and bad-mouth and destroy other peoples' hand work and a commitment to product improvement. The fact is that no matter the products, not everyone will like them. It could be a new house, a new vehicle, new clothing style, new rules, new websites, new company..whatever these new things are, there will always be pros and cons, supports and critics, lovers and haters. That's just the way life is. For those who don't like the new I-Phone, return it, sell it, exchange it or give it away. There are also those who don't like other phone brands, that is their problem. I've never liked Apple products (Computers, actually), but I love the I-phones. My problems, yeah I know :), same goes for those who don't like the I-phones.
For those who are reading this or other reviews, don't let the reviews, good or bad, influence your decisions, because we all have different tastes, but try the phone or any phone, yourself, then draw your conclusions. We all do different things and applications with our phone. Whatever phone you purchase should be able to handle your projects and tasks. If not, look for another phone that can fulfill your needs.
As for me, right now, it's Apple phone. Thank you, MaximumPC, for your unbiased review, as it is open-minded.
Michael Ellis
July 15, 2010 at 1:03am
What about the hard work people put into earning money to buy these things just to find out they are pieces of crap. Sorry dude, but Apple should be criticized for this.
HP Pavilion Elite e9280t AW020AV-ABA
dmfisher2007
July 04, 2010 at 3:49pm
This is a place to comment on the article, not advertise. and if you're going to advertise, you should at least spell the name of your products correctly.
Zanthexter
June 30, 2010 at 8:28pm
I was disappointed in the review, because I think it made excuses that wouldn't have been made with other products from other companies.
In particular -
1) iPhone 4's new features aren't as robust as the similar features on other phones:
a) Video calling - Fring+Skype on an EVO means video calling to Mac's, PC's, and other phones, over 3G, 4G, or WiFi and was available before the iPhone. The iPhone 4 can only call...the iPhone 4, and that only over WiFi.
b) Multitasking - Um, still not caught up?
c) Fine screen - Yes, it's very sharp, looks great held close to your face. Big EVO screen - Works great as a GPS, readable from a convenient viewing distance, etc.. A matter of preference,
d) What other new feature did it have again?
2) When you buy a cellphone in the United States, it is tied to the carrier. They are a package. Pretending the problems with AT&T don't exist would be like not rating a PC poorly because it shipped with Vista almost a year after Windows 7 was out. Except that you can at least upgrade vista, you are stuck with AT&T. The problems with AT&T, by themselves, should bump the phone down to a 6. The antenna problems reinforce that.
Further, AT&T's new data plans really affect whether or not you even use the phone. No tethering, no video calling, limited VOIP calling, etc. AT&T (and eventually Verizon) should definitely be part of the review.
3) Fundamental design flaws - if the "bumper" case is more or less required, and the battery isn't removeable, and it requires a special charger cable rather than cheap generic USB... those are all serious negatives that wouldn't have been passed over with other products.
I'm going to guess that the EVO would have rated an 8, because while it does have some real issues (4G killing the battery) but also some major pluses and it did break new ground (4G, video calling, and hot spot ability.) I love my EVO, but I can be honest that it's got flaws. I didn't like your review, because it dismissed the iPhones flaws, and failed to put its strengths into proper perspective.
fry
June 29, 2010 at 3:51pm
The fascinating thing about OS X is it has very little appeal to the intermediate user market, while being very appealing to both novice (or deliberate know-nothing) users and uber-geek power users. Trust me, if you have to spend a lot of time in the UNIX/Linux world, OS X is great. Having a laptop OS that is stable, offers modern features, integrates well with its hardware, and is essentially just a nice GUI running on top of fully POSIX-compliant *ix is piceless.
Of course, this thread is about the iPhone and iOS4. Neither of which I have any interest in paying for. Apple's restrictive policies have guaranteed I'll never own an iPad or iPhone. The high PPI screen is the one thing I really find interesting...and I'm sure HTC will release an Android phone featuring a screen of the same quality within a couple of months.
WGAnubis
June 29, 2010 at 7:57am
Ill get it out there right now. I hate Mac and everything that has to have a lower case i for the first letter of its name and when I heard about the iPhone 4 I could care less until I heard about the issues the phone has. I honestly can not believe that a company that supposively prides itself on quality would let a phone get past the prototype and testing phases with such a glaring issue such as how you hold the phone itself will degrade the signal strength and then say to solve the problem is to go and BUY a case for the phone. To me, this plainly sounds like the company is trying to squeeze an additional $30 or so dollars from people who have to have the latest thing. Surely someone at some point (ie a left handed employee) took hold of the phone and noticed the bars dropping off one by one like land in an hour glass, right? I suppose in the end its another thing to add to my list of things to throw into a mac fanatics face when they start bashing PC style electronics.
cashboxxer
June 29, 2010 at 5:23am
2 nights ago I was talking to my friend and the speaker made a really loud pop sound and when I looked at the screen it was the EXACT same blue as a BSOD!! It lasted for about 5 seconds and went dead. Will not reboot. I even took it apart and removed the battery and put it back in. 2 small screws at the bottom releases the back. Nothing. I had to drive a hour and a half for a replacement. They handed me a new one. Not a good way to start a 2 year relationship with a phone.
R01010100
June 27, 2010 at 6:45pm
my wife and i just upgraded from the iphone 3g to the iphone 4. we have both observed the signal bars lowering, but have not seen any change in the phone calls quality. we haven't had any dropped calls, and we haven't noticed any trouble at all with our phone calls. if we didn't look at the signal strength on our phones, we wouldn't know that anything was happening at all. as for facetime, WOW!. what an awesome feature to have on a phone. there really isn't anything i can say to describe it, you just have to experience it yourself. just wanted to put in my two cents, since i actually own the phone and can comment on it from first hand experience.
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net_neutral
June 28, 2010 at 4:39pm
You don't have words to describe skype on a phone ? WOW. On a separate note, I'm glad you're a satisfied customer, after all is said and done, that's what it's all about.
Hi there sheep.
bluetorino1973
June 27, 2010 at 11:08pm
What's the point of using Facetime if you can't use your cell service to transmit the signals? You need to be connected to a WI-FI network to use it. That's a bunch of crap. I used my buddy's iPhone 4 for a couple of hours and it just sucks monkey balls. Sorry its just a piece of shit in my opinion. Not worth the money or the shitty service of AT&T.
TacoT
June 27, 2010 at 3:24pm
People say the Droid has clearer sound... but nobody’s serving
apple iCrepes outside the Droid store like these people did at the Apple store in
Phoenix. Hilarious stunt! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXxmzGiUROE
mini6090
June 27, 2010 at 1:10pm
Any true gadget enthusiast will agree that a company that releases a device that has major issues like this, which directly prevent the device from doing what it's supposed to do, should officially be called a piece of shit.
I was about to buy a Buell motorcycle and i could not stand the controls on the handle bars, so i told my friend, if i got it, i'd change them... he said, do you really want to buy something you aren't happy with in the first place. i think the same idea applies here, you're looking to buy a complete product, not something the creator scoffs at and gives you a seriously asshole comment in return.
I'm the kind of guy that uses what works, i own a Mac Mini to do senseless things because it's quiet and small, even though i got ripped on the price and the sales people suck hairy nuts, also i needed to learn the the ins and outs about them to help out clients of mine, but the OS is just horrible. I own a Palm Pre because the multitasking just kicks ass, even though i get very jealous of the speed of the iphone and the screen of the evo, but i need physical buttons and the ability to do multiple things... not play games
how people can invest in a product they know will be a replaced in a year, is beyond me. I rebuild my computer every 2-3 years, just throwing small parts in every now and then if i see a good deal, and that's still too quick of a turn time for me. i can really get the most out of my hardware for another 3 years... apple treats there customers exactly how they are, like morons... you spend too much on hardware, and you buy a new one every year with minimal upgrades, some which hurt the performance of the product... stupid mac fanboys, that's just nonsense
Altek
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net_neutral
June 27, 2010 at 7:02am
Hey Alex, I got a car for you to review here, 400hp, great looks and curves, all the comfort of a modern sedan. It just has a little yellow blur running across the windscreen and the engine cuts off if you try to make a left turn. Outside of that I give it an 8. Just don't turn left OK buddy ?
Hi there sheep.
blue_moon
June 27, 2010 at 9:45am
... But you can easily make the car turn left by putting a piece of tape in the bottom left corner of the wheel, or by buying a cover for the wheel.
bluetorino1973
June 27, 2010 at 11:51am
So how much tape are we talking about here? Does it need $30-$40 worth of tape to make it go left?
persondude
June 27, 2010 at 5:49am
I personally don't mind the iPhone. Yes there are things that other smart phones do better than the iPhone. But at the same time there are things the the iPhone does better than other smart phones. I do personally believe that the limitation to AT&T is crippling how well the phone could be doing, and Apples business strategy of "Can we control it?" Third Party Vendor: "Well, no it's open-" APPLE: "LALALALALALALALALALA We don't like you! LALALALA!" is not conducive to popularity in any way.
As of right now, I have an iPhone 3G that is surviving through a deployment in Afghanistan. I don't use it as a phone right now, but other than that i've had no issues with it at all. This is not my first iPhone either. My first one had an odd software/hardware issue that even the Apple Store people shrugged helplessly at. I was promptly given a free replacement on the spot (the current iPhone I have now). I had bought the phone used and didn't have the choice of having product insurance. So I have to give a bit of a kudos to Apple on that.
Any other gripes that I have comes down to formatting issues of Apple themselves, the fact that they doomed themselves to AT&T for 5 years, and that they don't like to admit that they f***ed up on anything. (i.e. the antenna issue that Steve Jobs told people to just hold the phone a different way and other issues that are non-iPhone related) It's all just general Apple-ness and the network.
___________<("<) <(" )^ ^( ")> (>")>__________
I respect your opinion, however wrong it may be.
pseizure2000
June 26, 2010 at 4:52pm
Doesn't the new, harder screen make it like 20 times easier to break? especially with the back also being glass too?
Platypus
June 26, 2010 at 4:48pm
I think you should review Apple laptops, as well as iPhones, because these are two of the things that Apple is known for (the third being the iPod), and they are PCs.
hans1791
July 07, 2010 at 11:05am
Then maybe you should read magazines called MacWorld and Maclife. You are retarded. How many articles are they doing about PC's. My guess is NONE as they are not PC magazines! Hi, have we met I'm called Google you should use me every once in a while and research stuff. Nice post anus.
Carpnter
June 26, 2010 at 2:57pm
The antenna problem alone should make the max score no higher than a 7 and possibly a 6. Having to purchase a case separately from the phone to eliminate the problem (other than holding the phone as Apple recommends) is enough to make me not want to upgrade my 3GS when I am eligible next year.
djremix71
June 26, 2010 at 1:50pm
Just to put my comment in perspective. I use whatever technology is best. I had a Macbook only because I got it for $300 bucks when it was worth $800. When the Alienware m11x came out, I went there and sold my Macbook. I like the Macbook, but the operating system sucked. I would consider myself a fan of Android and will hopefully be picking up one of the new Droids for Verizon soon.
That being said, I think that Alex's review is accurate. Sure, there is the problem with the antennae, but you have to be left handed and it is easily fixed by a case. I saw reviews for the Evo 4G which gave it an 8 out of 10 and they had to charge that thing three times in a day. You can't fix that with a case. The new iPhone is a great product. I wouldn't want it, but come on. It's screen resolution beats that of electronics twice it's size (think Droid X). It's got 10 million apps and more coming down the pipes. Personally, I think it's web browser trashes Androids, but that is my own opinion.
Great review MPC!
tapple
June 26, 2010 at 9:55pm
"Personally, I think it's web browser trashes Androids, but that is my own opinion."
The Browser in the iPhone, Android, and I believe Palm Pre are all Webkit based. Minus a few little interface differences, they are all roughly the same. And depending on which android your talking about, they include Flash or Flash Lite. iPhone will never have that.
bluetorino1973
June 27, 2010 at 11:00am
Actually the Palm Pre's Web OS is not webkit based. My buddy's son works for Palm and he is one of the lead designers of the software. I'll ask what exactly they based it on but I know he told me it was not Webkit based.
bluetorino1973
June 26, 2010 at 6:07pm
So if I get an IPhone 4 you are going to buy me a case for it? I'm right handed but I hold my phone like I'm left handed so I should be blamed because of the way I hold my phone that's just fucking utter bullshit. Steve Jobs needs to get his head out of his ass and design a phone that anybody can use no matter how the hold the damn thing. Man I think the shittyness from AT&T is starting to rub off on Apple. Oh and the web browsing I guess you never tried out Palm's Web OS. Yes I know there are really no apps but the OS is more intuitive in my opinion but whatever Apple needs to fix their shit and stop blaming the user.
TechJunkie
June 26, 2010 at 4:48pm
I have the EVO, Revision 002 with the Novatek screen. First off, My batt life lasts 14-16 hours with moderate use, and that's from day one. You do have to dig into the apps though and stop the services from running at startup and others from starting on thier own. It's also apps people download that consistantly use data services such as facebook, google talk, etc. Once you stop them from running in the background, batt life goes way up. It's been talked about in forums all over such as www.ppcgeeks.com that eleviates the problem. Also, crapple only has 150,000 apps in it's market at the moment. So before you run your trap about the EVO, do your research.
Also, NO ONE should have to purchase ANYTHING for thier phone to work correctly. Especially comming from a doorknob CEO that says to "Hold it a different way". Such a fucktard statement. Turning off a few services to get better batt life is MUCH better than having to spend an extra $30 out of pocket.
I have to PooP!
GaryPSU
June 26, 2010 at 11:36am
I have four Windows PCs at home and one at work - no Macs. I bought an Apple II in 1980 because there were no PCs then. However, I love my iPhone. Why? The many, many apps. That's the same reason that I have stayed with PCs since 1982. Software variety and availability. Is Jobs cocky? Yes, but Apple makes a fine product. Have I bought an iPhone 4 yet? No. I'll wait a month for some tweaks to the software - and maybe the hardware - but I'll definitely buy it. I have no problems with AT&T where I live (Southern NJ).
Silencer
June 26, 2010 at 11:06am
Very informative. I can see why you gave it an 8, which seems a 'little' charitable. It's a great piece of technology, (with the case.) I do agree a harsher verdict would also have been 'fair', considering the antenna issue. I think after reading your review, because of that, I'd give it a 6. Thank-you for the article!
bart3385
June 26, 2010 at 10:31am
I don't know about you guys. But just for technical reasons, if i phone can't stay with a signal properly when held in the most common way most people hold a phone, the rating should basically be a big fat ZERO (0). No matter how flashy, exquisitely built, full of top brass specs. It's just plain ZERO for being a proper phone.
Or maybe a ONE (1)... because sometimes, when held in an odd way, it works!
Just for technical reasons. Nothing about person choice stuffs.
Pureoverclocking
June 26, 2010 at 6:18am
let face the fact boyz iphone 4 sucks and also those apple, funny still on AT&T Garbage network.
makius
June 26, 2010 at 2:20am
Really? Honestly? A verdict of 8!? How is that even possible? I don't care how amazing a phone is and how many amazing features it has, if I'm not allowed to hold it in any way I see fit that is an automatic fail in my book. I don't care if its Apple, Microsoft, Motorola whatever! That is complete and utter bullshit and you all know it. And don't give me this, "well all you need is to buy a case for it to work properly"... what!!?? I... I mean really!!?? I've never been a fan of cases for any of my phones and I should NOT be required to use one in order for it to work properly!
How can you guys write this:
"Every time we held the case with a finger touching the lower left-hand
part of the band, the signal strength would drop by up to four bars.
This is a huge issue. Simply holding the phone in a common,
natural way is enough to cause slower browsing and dropped calls."And then go ahead and give that product an 8!!!??? How can anyone? MPC isn't the first to do it, but certainly was the last ones I would expect to swallow this horse shit.
What if Ford came out and said, "Hey guys the new F-150 is going to be awesome the only thing is you cant sit in driver seat while driving or it will die on you. But don't worry we have a solution, all you have to do is buy some seat covers and your good to go!" Would you still expect ANYONE to give that truck an 8 out of 10 rating? HELL NO!!! So why in the hell are you guys doing it for the iphone... for ANY phone for that matter!!??
Sigh... Thats just depressing. I'm not even an Apple hater. Apple does a lot of things very well. I will admit that I am a giant PC fanboy, but I respect Apple's products and those who chose to use them. But this is rediculous... a phone that wont work out of the box gets an 8... really guys?... Really?
rlynker
June 26, 2010 at 9:21am
Wow! This poster is PISSED off.....and I completely agree with him. The only way I would accept this "8" verdict is if the last lines went something like this:
The new Apple iPhone4 is the most perfect product we've tested in years. It exceeds our expectation in every way. It truly deserves a "10" with a "Kick Ass". However, the antenna issue is quite serious and as a result it loses 2 whole points to receive a score of "8".
Of course I'm being a bit sarcastic here as the phone without the antenna problem is STILL not a 10. I think I would have been happy if the score was 7 though. Just my opinion.
TheElite1x721987
June 26, 2010 at 9:12am
I love MPC reviews, but I have to disagree on this. When I buy a phone, regardless of how many things it does, I expect it to be a decent phone. If the PHONE I just bought hardly works outa the box under normal usage, then its a piece of garbage. I realize that some people buy these devices and actually hardly ever make phone calls on it (I believe Nathan said that about himself on the podcast?) and for those kinds of people, I guess this is excusable. But my Cell phone is my only phone. I don't care of it has 100k apps attached to it, if it can't make decent phone calls, its a paper weight. I think it sad when we got these super advanced devices these days, and the PHONE part of the devices is given 2nd class status...
makius
June 28, 2010 at 1:10am
Thank you! I'm glad you guys understand what I was getting at! :)
And I'm the exactly the same way "TheElite1", my cell phone is my only phone and reception is my number 1 priority, not how cool facebook looks on it.
MaximumMike
June 25, 2010 at 11:10pm
Ok, Maximum PC I am very disappointed with this article, but not because you chose to write about an Apple product. I'm disappointed because this seems to be the same mindless drivel I read on pro-Apple sites all over the internet. I am disappointed because of the justifications you give for the article and the seemingly biased conclusions you come to.
1. You say of iMacs and Macbooks that "these machines are, for all intents and purposes, personal computers."
Thank you! Seriously, thank you. The Mac versus PC debate is like the car versus automobile debate, or the woman versus human being debate, or the rotweiler versus dog debate, or the letter versus document debate... absolutely ridiculous. Thank you for getting it. Macs are PC's and I am sick of listening to Apple and just about everyone else in the PC community say other wise. This is a magazine that writes on news in the PC community, and I want to hear news on all the players, including Apple. However, you have a sister magazine that writes exclusively on Mac's implementation of the PC platform, so I do prefer to see MAC articles kept at a minimum. But that's not the point because mobile devices are by no means pc's, and that goes doubly for mobile devices that run Apple software. So, your statement seems a little disengenuous. Nonetheless, wireless routers aren't PC's either, but they have a significant impact on PC's and I want to know about them. I feel the same way about mobile phones, so I'll give you that one. I know it seems that I am getting knit picking here, but the overall article sat completely wrong with me, and I'm just getting started.
2. You said, "We try to keep our Apple coverage to a minimum..."
Seriously, three articles in a row on the iPhone? When have you ever posted three articles in a row on any other smart phone? And the article on Facetime... who cares? That's exactly the kind of stuff you should leave up to MacLife. Am I to next get an article when Apple changes the font set in Safari? But I do I get it. When the Apple product has a significant impact on the market, I want to know too. But you guys don't think this is over kill? This is exactly why I felt you were so disengenuous on my previous point.
3. You posited the following ridiculous statement. "It’s simply impossible to cover smartphones in any authoritative way
while ignoring the biggest single player in the field... Here’s everything you need to know about the
device, and how it’s going to change the mobile landscape."Really? Ok, in numbers of raw sales of a single model handset, the iPhone is the number one seller, but Android is the largest and most influential platform. Both selling more handsets and existing on every major carrier, easly making it the biggest player. That's not to say that I don't still want some rudimentary understanding of the impact that the iPhone is having, because I do. However, how is it that you think the iPhone 4 is changing the mobile landscape? For the most part it is last year's news. A 5 megapixel camera is paltry on a flagship device. And so are many of the other specs, like the lack of a memory card slot and the gimped multitasking. And you say all this in light of the HTC EVO which runs on the only 4G network in the country and dwarfs the iPhone in almost every category except for screen resolution and the gyroscope. Yet, the EVO has a noticably larger screen and still very high quality resolution. So, that's a toss up for many people. So is the ability to have six axis of rotation the BIG acheivement you think is going to transform the way the world looks at smartphones? Watch out Nintendo you've got some serious competition. Seriously though, the iPhone wasn't even in the market place first and so they can't even try to boast about that. In all fairness to your stance on authoritatively reporting on smartphones, why didn't you stand in line for an EVO? Where were all the articles that reported on every trivial facet of Sprint's release of this truly ground breaking phone that is in a class all of its own? Don't you realize the impact this device is having right now; that it has a built in wifi access point; that it offers HD streaming to the internet; that (atleast to my knowledge) video calling works over the wireless network and does not require a wifi connection; that Sprint completely restructured its pricing plan and annihilates the competition with its data packages and content; that this device is delivering wireless services that you can't get anywhere else and at a cheaper price than the competition? This is the device that is "going to change the mobile landscape." Why only two paragraphs on the specs of this phone?
4. This statement is probably the most absurd and dishonest statement in the entire article and made me want to puke: "With the iPhone 4, Apple has done what was necessary to retain its
title as manufacturer of the most polished, most full-featured
smartphone on the planet."How can you possibly come to that conclusion in light of your own words? In every single section of your article you point out a gaping flaw in the phone: not as scratch resistant as it is purported to be, the antenna issue (a serious design flaw with one of the worst hacks and most expensive workarounds I have ever heard of), only a 5 megapixel camera on a flagship phone with video calling that only works over a wifi network, and gimped multitasking. Even in the two places where the phone is said to really shine, resolution and gyroscope, there are issues which although they are not really Apple's fault and will be resolved over time were still present on launch day. The overwhelming majority of apps have not updated to take advantage of the resolution, so much of the graphical experience can still be poor.There are very few applications available that take advantage of the gyroscope, making it a non event for the time being. And you call this a well polished phone? As compared to what, the 3GS? That was practically the only phone you dared to compare it to.
And then Verizon just announced the Droid X which is almost identical to the EVO with the exception of the front facing camera. Neither Verizon or Motorola have announced whether this phone will be compatible with Verizon's 4G LTE network which it will roll out later this year. But if this phone is not, you can bet there will be a flagship phone with even better specs to go along with the launch of that network. Although their markets have very little to do with ours, it bears mentioning that Korean and Japanese devices are far more advanced than any in the US. And we are not likely to see another iPhone offering for atleast another year. The iPhone 4 is most certainly not the "most full-featured
smartphone on the planet." Furthermore, it is not even likely to continue to be very high end for much longer. T-Mobile has been upgrading its 3G network and purportedly is getting speeds comparable to and sometimes better than Sprint's, although T-Mobile's network is not officially 4G. We are yet to see their high end offerings which will undoubtedly come. Lest AT&T fall behind, I imagine they will have some better offerings whenever they roll out their 4G network as well. In know that this last bit is highly speculative, but not without good reasoning. And besides, the presence of but one phone that is demonstrably better than the iPhone proves my point, and I already have 2 examples.There are only two reasons I can think of for this article and neither is pretty, either blatant bias or blind ignorance and lack of research. Both are evidence of poor journalism. I really do love this magazine, but wake up guys. You have been writing lots of articles here lately trying to convince your readers that you don't have a secret bias for Macs. Why do you think that is? Are all you readers paranoid Mac haters? I doubt it. I hate Macs, but not because of blind hatred for Apple. I hate Apple products because they are notorious for producing sub par products and selling them at a premium price and then having disengenuous aritcles like this one over hype them. I hate Macs for the same reasons I hated Microsoft and Intel throughout the 90's. Microsoft has since produced Windows XP and Windows 7 and some other excellent products. In light of Apple's over the top antics, my disdain for Microsoft has seriously lightened. Intel now manages to wow me so often that my jaw regularly stays locked open. I still consider myself an AMD fanboy and really hope in my heart they will return to dominance, but until they do I will run Intel processors. I hate Macs because I see the kind of idiocy in this article diaplayed everywhere I go and it rubs a raw nerve with me. This article is the kind of tripe I would expect over at Mac Life where the opinions have a good reason to be biased.When Apple up and decides to do something I can get excited about my opinion will change. Infact, my opinion already has changed. I had a much better opinion of Apple when I didnt know anything about them and I was just hoping that anybody with some clout would come along and give Microsoft a run for their money. I really hoped Apple would do that. Sometimes getting what you wished for is worse than what you have, as is the case with Apple.
But Maximum PC is my refuge. I started reading this magazine because it is notorious for getting into the nuts and bolts of things, for breaking down all the technical aspects of technology, for delving deeply into specs and performance numbers that only the geek of geeks could understand. Side by side comparisons of products were a very regular thing (and still are thankfully). There were few mentions of Linux (although I wished for more) and even less of Macs (although I wished for none). The occasional smartphone review was a true rarity. I realize the market has changed drastically since I started reading and much of this is now relevant, but thats all the more reason for some good traditional nuts and bolts analysis, some side by side comparisons and benchmarks. These recent Apple and iPhone articles seem to be a break from the norm. I still love you guys, but come on. Help us to understand these emerging markets in our industry of choice instead of seemingly trying to covertly indoctrinate us. I expect more from you guys.
Carey
July 02, 2010 at 11:58pm
Thank you for taking the time to write that massive comment, I agree with you %100, as I'm sure do many other MaximumPC readers.
dmonkyking
June 29, 2010 at 9:18am
You sir, managed to sum up what MANY of us MaxPC readers feel in such a well written and articulate comment. Thank you!
knexkid
June 25, 2010 at 11:46pm
Holy shit you just wrote an 1844 word essay! How long this take you?
BuLLg0d
June 25, 2010 at 11:41pm
The absolute BEST reading from this website to date - A very well written argument. Even better than most articles submitted. Thank you sir! I'm of course talking about MaximumMike's submission, not the article.
ulatec
June 25, 2010 at 9:20pm
Come on you have to be kidding me... Why have the Apple Fanboy Alex review this "Piece of Shit".
How about for once you let Gordon review it. This, for me is supposed to be the Anti-Apple. If I keep seeing this, I will leave my subscription from MaximumPC.
Bizarre
June 25, 2010 at 10:10pm
This, for me, is supposed to be objective coverage with a lessened focus on Apple products, not mindless anti-Apple hate speech. If you want that to happen, you're no better than the apple "fanboys" who drove us here in the first place.
peteyj222
June 25, 2010 at 9:09pm
i do not follow. i do not eat flat white apples. i will not own an iPhone. i do not do things or own things because they are popular and told its what I want.
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