iPhone 4 First Impressions
Picked up an iPhone 4 Thursday, after reserving one at the Burlingame store about two weeks ago. Just when I began to wonder if I should have ordered online instead, I got an email saying the iPhone was in, and reserved for 24 hours. At the store, there was a moderate line of about ten people, resulting in a half an hour wait. The employees were checking people in on an iPad. A few passers-by asked what we were waiting for, and our response was met with slight confusion (still?).
The Good
- The solid, flat edged, rounded rectangle “brick” design feels like a glass bar; like in iMac in one’s pocket.
- Huge speed difference over my iPhone 3G (with iOS 4); everything from app launching, camera, keyboard, and games. Comparable to iPad.
- The gorgeous Retina Display screen is most evident when reading small type on websites, where previously I’d find myself tapping and pinching to make out pixellated words. App folders containing nine tiny icons are now recognizable. And suddenly, I can make out pixels on the iPad screen, which once looked so gorgeous. Someday, when Retina Display comes to Macs proper, heads will explode.
- Camera is very responsive. Still pictures and video look great. The LED flash is much appreciated, plus you can turn it on when the camera is in video mode to use your iPhone as an extremely expensive flashlight.
- Gyroscope: NOVA — rotate your body to change the direction the character is facing. Awesome.
- Free case via the iPhone 4 Case Program.
- MobileMe transferred contacts, email, calendar, and browser bookmarks seamlessly.
The Bad
- Yes, I can drop bars by placing a finger over the lower left corner. And I still get crappy reception at home. Will take a few weeks of use to see how big of an issue this is.
- Multitasking in practice is rather underwhelming. Pandora’s audio played in the background, while audio from Public Radio Tuner and This American Life didn’t. I guess said apps need updating.
- Not that keen on the glass back. The way the iPhone and iPad’s glass touch screens attract fingerprints is a constant irritant (resulting in daily “wipe downs”); now the same problem is extended to both sides of the iPhone 4. The identical feel of the front and back makes it harder to discern sides when in a pocket, and you must be mindful of what surfaces you place the phone on, either to avoid scratches or dreaded slipping (do not place iPhone 4 on iPad). A case is a necessity.
- App icon arrangement and information weren’t transferred over when I did an iTunes sync, so lots of passwords had to be re-entered and icons rearranged. Maybe I should have done a restore from a 3G iPhone backup.
- Yet another set of Apple stickers and headphones / cat chew toy (minor complaint).
Conclusion
All in all, very happy with the iPhone 4 after just two days. Battery life, reception, and Face Time will be evaluated over the next few weeks, as well as what to do with the old iPhone. Maybe it will become the most expensive universal remote / cat toy ever.
Hey, Jason!
Congrats on your new purchase!
I checked out the new iphone at the Apple Store, must say I agree that the new form factor is not the best tactile experience for usability.
It seems like it is hard to hold naturally in my hand, the grip is unstable and felt like it would slip out of my hand at any moment.
I am definitely not enamored with the glass back, I find it is an odd industrial design choice.
Now you have to worry about accidentally smashing/cracking/scratching BOTH sides of the phone!
The Retina Display is amazing, however.
Still hesitating on picking one up for me and the missus, may wait until these start shipping with OS 4.1 installed and antenna redesign solution is in place.
Will watch your feedback over the next few weeks on everyday usage issues, hope your reception improves with this new phone!
Yes, that hand slippage feeling is a constant. Just ordered the free case; seems like a requirement for the glass back and the reception issue.
Was initially trying to wait (as you probably remember) but just caved. Guess my wife will get to experience the future iPhone (her contract isn’t up until December).
I can’t believe you guys would call a case a requirement. I don’t get the impression of fragility or slipperiness with my iPhone 4 at all. At least not any more slipperiness than my old 3Gs. If anything, the metal sides are easier to grip for me.
From what I’ve read, the back glass doesn’t really crack that easily, either. Unless you are unlucky, and it hits just the right way. And the back of my phone is less scratched now than my previous iPhones, which is nice.
By the way, Jason, you had to re-enter your passwords for good reason. Security feature. That way, if someone steals your laptop, they can’t just plug in any iPhone and restore from your backup file to get all your passwords. Why the icon placement didn’t work, I’m not sure. Mine remembered my icon arrangement, I think.
I still feel the glass back is a negative (that’s the only big negative I can come up with, really, so look on the bright side). I can’t tell which side is the front or the back when the phone is in my pocket, and am therefore find myself subconciously feeling for the camera to orient the thing. The fingerprints are driving me crazy, and I’m still worried about dropping it.
Maybe it’s new Apple gear paranoia. I remember obsessing over the metal back of my first iPod, trying really hard to keep it scratch-free, and then after about a year I said to hell with it. I think a set of keys made some really interesting squiggly marks on it after some time…
Still, I don’t see the point of the glass back. Personally, black plastic or aluminum would have been preferable. Maybe this is a precursor to having a touch-screen on the back; that’s all I can think of.
As for the passwords, good point that it’s a security feature, but it was still a chore to re-enter everything. Maybe I have too many apps that need passwords (Simplenote, eBay, Dropbox, Foursquare, Twitter, Mint, etc. etc.), not to mention all the news apps that require a Twitter password to share a link.
But re-typing passowords didn’t take as long as re-arranging all 200+ iPhone app icons into app folders. I split it up between iTunes and manually dragging and dropping everything. Good thing I have a long commute.
Re: “new Apple gear paranoia”, yep, I totally had that when I first got my iPhone 4, not wanting to put down the phone on any bare surface, for fear of scratching it. Bought the bumper mainly for screen/drop protection, not because of antenna issue. In general, I get better reception here at home than with my 3G, being able to make/take calls on the first floor when I wasn’t able to before. However, the bumper case took away from the nice industrial design of the phone, so now I’m not using any case. I slip the phone into my pockets without worry, set the phone down wherever (though I do tend to set it down on pieces of paper or “softer” surfaces where available). I ordered a clear Incase case via the free case program, so we’ll see if it still lets the industrial design show through the hard plastic. I mainly want the case for drop protection. The new design is easier to hold, but that doesn’t account for clumsiness/accidents.
Getting a ton of use out of the iPhone 4; don’t regret the purchase one bit.
Good to hear the scratch paranoia dies down. I ordered the black incase — clear one was my second choice!
[…] this case arrived after about a month where I’ve been using the iPhone 4 unprotected, meaning I’m no longer of the opinion a case is a necessity. No drops, scratches, or cracks. But I still am into using a case for two reasons 1) I’m sick […]