iPhone (not) 5

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » October 4, 2011, 7:54 pm

The fanboy nerd rage on the internet regarding the non-event that was the iPhone 4.5 had me in stitches.
Decent specs bump on the device though.

Looking forward to iOS 5 in 8 days.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 4, 2011, 8:12 pm

That is pretty funny.

Fanboi crowd will still buy it though!

masteen · Post by **masteen** » October 4, 2011, 8:17 pm

Not just the fanboi crowd. Dual band and upgraded processor!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 4, 2011, 8:52 pm

With developer acct, I'll get final iOS 5 tonight. It's a sweet upgrade. People will like it.

That's the biggest part of this thing although it was announced back in June.

As for the new phone, I doubt I'll get it although the processor is a nice upgrade and the new 8mb camera is supposed to be fantastic with it's backlit something or another and fast refresh (haven't read up on it yet!)

For Sprint customers it will rock. A lot more graphics power and CPU and already good camera improved to be the best for phones, combined with the new voice stuff and iOS 5.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 4, 2011, 9:37 pm

iOs5 has some really nice upgrades for 3GS and 4 users. The i4.5 doesn't seem worth it for current i4 owners. I'll wait until next year to see if I want to stick with Apple phone or not.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 4, 2011, 10:01 pm

It's hilarious how much the number 5 means to people, lol. All they had to do is call it the iPhone 5 and no one would complain. I have a 3GS so I am upgrading. If I had a 4, I wouldn't be. It's as simple as that.

Nice specs on the phone. I think I'll get a 64GB model.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » October 4, 2011, 10:12 pm

If, like me you don't like to wait...

http://cydiahelp.com/download-ios-5-gm- ... pod-touch/

The link to iTunes beta 7 has a Windows copy of the software.

The IPSW is located inside to layers of compression. You have to extract it from the 800MB file located in the DMG. 7-Zip will extract both easily.

I've installed it on mine. The install was fast, re-syncing all my shit of proving time consuming. The OS has some really nice bits. The new notificqation tray is slick but clicking through and finding oneself in the same stocks and weather that have been part of iOS since version 1 is jarring. They really need to update those stock apps.

The best part of the whole thing is that my 4th gen iPod Touch hasn't gotten slower with the major upgrade.

I REALLY like that you can still browse around while syncing. I won't be trading my Windows Phone for an iPhone however. Loving Mango.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 4, 2011, 11:38 pm

The new camera info:

Why should you care about the iPhone’s new camera? Let’s go down the list and make sense of the new features.

8 megapixels. Well. This one is self-explanatory, but really the least important. Other phones and small cameras have high megapixel counts, and really, you don’t want or need that many. The thing is all those tiny pixel wells have to be packed into such a small place that you end up with image quality problems. In this case your best photos will look better and it probably won’t affect other shots negatively.

1080p. As above, not really amazing in itself; other devices this size and smaller shoot 1080p. We’ll have to see how it looks in action, but I’m guessing you’ll be seeing a lot of distortion during camera movement due to the rolling-shutter effect on smaller sensors. 1080p resolution doesn’t mean 1080p quality, but if the sensor supports it, there’s no reason not to enable it. I’m just hoping there will be hacks to enable some better framerates.

“73% more light“. The new sensor features “next-generation backside illumination,” an upgrade to the upgrade that made the original iPhone 4 camera much better. We won’t know for sure who makes the camera until the teardown comes, but Omnivision did the last one and they have a newer version (the OV8812 OV8830 pictured) with the exact resolution specified. It’s in the EVO 4G as well. The improved sensitivity probably isn’t the jump from 3GS to iPhone 4, but better low light performance is always welcome. Backside illumination essentially flips the sensor over so light strikes the light sensitive bits without having to navigate a forest of circuitry.

Faster picture-taking. The new sensor was described by Schiller as being “1/3rd faster,” which is a phenomenally vague description, but I’m guessing the onboard electronics are able to offload the image data 30% faster. But with these small sensors, what matters isn’t getting the image off the sensor but getting it processed, encoded, and displayed to the user. The A5 processor is still something of a mystery, but it’s no secret that a major focus was on graphics enhancement. As I suggested in that link, having a chunk of the CPU entirely dedicated to JPEG processing is a given. Chances are the next iPad will have similarly enhanced photo-taking abilities. So the combination of a faster sensor and an expedited pipeline for that image data to go through makes the iPhone 4S camera twice as fast as the competition (i.e. about a second faster by their measure, your mileage may vary) at making the shot happen. It also allows for more accurate white balancing and color tweaking, so your shots won’t look like they were taken next to a bunch of lava or under a blue sun.

Improved lens. The most important part of a camera is… the photographer — but right after that is the lens. And the lens of the iPhone 4 was already pretty solid for a camera phone: F/2.8 (apparently limited to F/3) at about 30mm equivalent focal length. The new one is f/2.4, about half a stop better, which doesn’t sound like much but at this point of the aperture scale counts for a lot. It’s a pretty big increase in the total amount of light hitting the sensor. The focal length wasn’t specified but Schiller mentioned it was “super wide,” which if wider than 30mm equivalent starts putting the iPhone into true wide-angle territory (starts around 24mm equivalent if you ask me) — but he may have been referring to the aperture. At any rate the half-stop improvement is real enough.

Real-time stabilization. This is a nice feature for small cameras, since, lacking heft, they tend to wiggle around a lot. I’m assuming it’s not optical stabilization, since that would require more space than they’ve got, so it must be electronic stabilization based on live image analysis. Again this is the A5 at work. By designing the camera’s image processor around the hardware (and vice versa), they can do this kind of heavy graphical analysis without taxing the battery too much.

Based on the specs it’s probably the best camera system attached to a phone on the market right now, though real-life tests will have to be performed next month to determine image quality and evaluate the veracity of Apple’s speed claims. The changes aren’t superficial, though, and the camera should be on the short list of reasons to consider upgrading.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 5, 2011, 12:20 am

Pretty good specs for a phone camera. i4 is impressive as well. Still though, you can do much better for the price in your modern point and shoot cameras. Of course, the idea is to have the convenience of having it onboard the hone, since most people do not carry cameras around!

Low light...well, here is where you can only go so far. I have a Canon G11, which is a very solid compact camera, with really good low light capabilities. At the end of the day though, you simply cannot beat a D-SLR for low-light, or any situation... it's all beside the point, once again, going back to convenience.

It is certainly a HUGE bump from the 3G or 3Gs, of course. There lies the "realistic" upgrade market. If upgrading from a i4, it makes no sense at all unless you really do have huge amounts of disposible income. If so, good for you!

I say this because even if you are are "upgradeable" from the Telco's standpoint, that is still $200, and do you really want to spend $200 for a slightly better camera and faster phone processor? I suppose for some, that is just fine. Just does not seem practical to me. Of course, it is easy for me to say that since I do not shave my pubic hair into the Apple logo nor wear a faux-hawk.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 5, 2011, 12:42 am

Upgrade from an iPhone 4? No

Upgrade from iPhone 3G, 3GS or any other phone on the planet? Yes!

Its just like the 3G to 3Gs upgrade. I didn't do it but the 3G did get pretty damn pokey right before the 4 hit. The A4 chip is fast enough to not need an upgrade to the A5 unless you are gaming on your phone.

No larger screen, no upgrade for me.

Any Sprint customer should be shitting their pants with joy not that they can finally get the iPhone, and a supercharged 4 at that which most current 4 peeps won't upgrade to so you'll have bragging rights until a 5 hits. If the 5 for some unspeakable reason does not have at least a 4" screen, I'm outtie.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 5, 2011, 8:28 am

The Sprint announcement on their commitment to iPhone purchases seems a bit overblown, wonder who they plan on taking the customers from?

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » October 5, 2011, 10:14 am

I have a really slow android phone, so I was hoping Sprint picking up the iphone would drop prices on the really nice android phones like the galaxy S, etc...still hoping for that...

So, if any of you Sprint people get an iphone4s, I'll buy your old android phone that's better than mine for an extremely low dollar value!

Chidoro · Post by **Chidoro** » October 5, 2011, 2:44 pm

I don't see the big deal either to be honest. most contracts are two years anyway so most that would be upgrading will not be from iphone 4 owners. It's not as if many are going to switch. And with the old iphone 4 being it's new low price, it will still be very competitive in the new smartphone buyer as well.
I have an android phone, and would be extremely unlikely to switch phone types, but even I don't see it as a big deal. Sure, android phones are already better than this iphone and will only continue to do so over the next year, but they have to be better to compete.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 5, 2011, 4:44 pm

It's a pretty clear pattern.

First year 3G

Next year 3GS

Next year 4

Next year 4GS

Next year 5

You're either a first adopter 2 year cycle or an "S" improved version cycler.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 5, 2011, 5:05 pm

Pretty clever. Always going to get a new round of people fresh off of contracts.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 6, 2011, 1:42 am

Hitler doesn't like the 4S

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxn6Ag0mmhs

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 14, 2011, 5:29 pm

I got my 4S today. I'm pretty happy about it. A clear and powerful upgrade over my 3GS. Media looks spectacular and it's zippy as fuck. It makes my 3GS seem like a relic. The worst part was transferring my Blizzard Mobile Authenticator, but even that only took a minute or 2 within my Battle.net account. I've decided to trim down the amount of junk on my phone, so I only have a handful of apps and games on the device now. Also, the camera is a huge upgrade.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 18, 2011, 1:44 pm

Apple revealed just yesterday that it sold a record four million iPhone 4S's since the mobile went on sale last Friday. That's over twice as many as the original iPhone 4 managed—a then-record 1.7 million during its summer 2010 opening sales salvo—and at least one million more than the most optimistic analysts predicted the 4S would do during its launch weekend.

Not bad for a phone that looks exactly the same as the previous version. I guess it's not all about the looks!

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 18, 2011, 3:00 pm

I'd be really interested to see the breakdown between contract and non-contract buyers. I can see it in the off contract scenario, sort of.

Our local news was interviewing those who stood in line to get a new one. I'd be embarrassed to show that level of emotion & excitement over a phone... unless I was the one selling it or maybe had helped design it.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » October 21, 2011, 11:35 pm

Kluden wrote:I have a really slow android phone, so I was hoping Sprint picking up the iphone would drop prices on the really nice android phones like the galaxy S, etc...still hoping for that... So, if any of you Sprint people get an iphone4s, I'll buy your old android phone that's better than mine for an extremely low dollar value!

Just went with a HTC Panache today to upgrade from EDGE to 4G. Pricing for some of the androids has dropped pretty significantly for 3G models. I could have gotten the Galaxy S for $99.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 30, 2011, 12:54 am

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » October 30, 2011, 1:27 pm

Just wanted to add - 100% of Windows Phones sold in the last year have been updated to the latest OS(Mango) as well.

miir · Post by **miir** » October 30, 2011, 3:04 pm

How many pointless graphs can winnow find?

*yes, that's a challenge*

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 30, 2011, 4:54 pm

What's pointless about it?

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 30, 2011, 9:00 pm

Winnow wrote:What's pointless about it?

It's comparing penguins to coconut marmosets?

Seriously, I get the attempted point of the chart, but it intentionally overlooks Apples' closed, proprietary model vs a semi- open ecosystem. If you aren't an iZealot the chart is dumb, if you are it demonstrates a glorious achievement by the benevolent makers of all that is good.

Might as well brag that all Macs run an Apple OS too.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » October 31, 2011, 12:18 am

How many people with Android OS actually leave the default system on it to be upgraded?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 31, 2011, 1:30 am

Kilmoll the Sexy wrote:How many people with Android OS actually leave the default system on it to be upgraded?

Most users have no clue how to upgrade. Believe it or not, people on this board are a little above the average when it comes to tech stuff. Android's market is not uniform. That's not a good thing despite your sissy linux arguments, the majority of you people use windows as your OS for a reason.

I still don't understand the problem with a walled garden, especially with a portable OS where ease of use is important. It's not like you're being deprived of much and for you silly people that argue about rooting phones, jailbreaking iPhones is also not illegal. As an Android developer you need to program for the lowest common OS while with iOS you know every phone from the last 3 years can run iOS5 and can be easily updated to it. For most Android phones, there no support at all for upgrading unless you root your phone which the common user will not be doing.

Android is shit but Windows mobile has a chance to cut into iOS because it lays out some standards for it's new phones. Walled Garden = good for mobile.

The point is, with an iPhone, you know it will be good for three years, if you aren't one to upgrade often.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 31, 2011, 9:20 am

I think the point is that nobody really gives a banana if Apple crap is better. Sometimes, folks just don't want to be pandered to. OH LOOK AT THE GRAPH!!!1!11

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 31, 2011, 10:24 am

I still don't understand the problem with a walled garden, especially with a portable OS where ease of use is important.

Walled Garden = good for mobile.

To a point yes. Apple crosses that line regularly and consistently. There's a difference between protecting the platform and brand and being a sanctimonious douche.

Richard Stallman put it a little strong (as usual) but he's essentially correct:

The important thing about Jobs is what he directed Apple to do to those who are still living: to make general-purpose computers with digital handcuffs more controlling and unjust than ever before. He designed them to refuse even to let users install their own choice of applications — and installing free (freedom-respecting) applications is entirely forbidden. He even tried to make it illegal to install software not approved by Apple.

Jobs saw how to make these computers stylish and smooth. That would normally be positive, but not in this case, since it has the paradoxical effect of making their controlling nature seem acceptable.

Much like the republican party, my problem is with Apple in reality, not Apple as advertised. Their attempt to extort more money out of Amazon and publishers recently is a good example.

The point is, with an iPhone, you know it will be good for three years, if you aren't one to upgrade often.

My droid too, what's your point?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 31, 2011, 12:43 pm

Aabidano wrote:
The point is, with an iPhone, you know it will be good for three years, if you aren't one to upgrade often.
My droid too, what's your point?

The point is there's an excellent chance you'll be running an outdated version of Android if you're a normal user.

edit: Charts rock but it's just a chart. Don't stress too much over it!

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 31, 2011, 1:25 pm

Similar to excell charts are frequently just "managerware".

Winnow wrote:The point is there's an excellent chance you'll be running an outdated version of Android if you're a normal user.

And?

Define "outdated"? No security or usability issues in the existing SW load, everything I want or need to do is accomplished on the phone already either via apps or by the OEM functions.

"Outdated" would be if my handset maker released new software version that required me to upgrade my device to take advantage of, or failed to correct security or usability issues. Or perhaps prevented me from doing X on the handset without shoveling some money their way or jailbreaking it.

My only Android issues are driven by my carrier's actions.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 31, 2011, 1:36 pm

You might be stuck on Chocolate Chips while your friends are enjoying Triple Chocolate Thunder with s p r i n k l e s!

miir · Post by **miir** » October 31, 2011, 1:41 pm

Winnow wrote:

You might be stuck on Chocolate Chips while your friends are enjoying Triple Chocolate Thunder with s p r i n k l e s!

That child is eating it wrong.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 31, 2011, 2:58 pm

miir wrote:
Winnow wrote:

You might be stuck on Chocolate Chips while your friends are enjoying Triple Chocolate Thunder with s p r i n k l e s!
That child is eating it wrong.

iFork will help @ $139.95 each, all are keyed to each users DNA; all DNA samples & code become property of Apple Computer, associated squishy bits may only be accessed & maintained by iDoctors equipped with current revision iProbe.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » October 31, 2011, 3:03 pm

iPhone 4S owners report dramatic battery drain

Apple's new iPhone 4S is running through its battery at a prodigious rate, according to reports on the company's own support forum.

A long thread dedicated to the problem now has more than 2,300 messages, runs 160 pages and has been accessed more than 160,000 times, all huge numbers for an Apple support discussion.

"I've had the 4S since the launch day, and I've been pretty pleased with battery life," said someone identified as "andyfromsomerville" on the thread early Monday. "Until this weekend. My phone just went from a full charge to empty within <14h standby time and about 95 minutes of light usage."

Others, however, said that the fast-battery-drain issue had been there from the start.

"Seems to lose 1% every 3-4 minutes, even when locked/asleep," noted John Goldman on Oct. 15, the day the thread debuted.

miir · Post by **miir** » October 31, 2011, 3:10 pm

iOS5 has killed the battery life on my phone and ipod.
I used to go a week+ between charges on my ipod and since I did the iOS5 upgrade, it's under 20% after 4 days.

And I still haven't figured out what's causing the 5 second UI stutters and why 25% my album artwork is now missing.
But it's probably my fault because I'm not using icloud or because I turned off location based iAds.... or some other stupid shit like that.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » October 31, 2011, 3:26 pm

From what I'm hearing, the battery drain is because of a bug in location services. Turning that off apparently helps.

The battery in my ipod still does a LOT better than the one in my phone however.

miir · Post by **miir** » October 31, 2011, 3:34 pm

Animalor wrote:From what I'm hearing, the battery drain is because of a bug in location services. Turning that off apparently helps.

The battery in my ipod still does a LOT better than the one in my phone however.

I guess I'll turn off all location services on the ipod and see if that helps.
Thanks for the tip.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 31, 2011, 4:29 pm

This is not the correct thread to make iOS support inquiries!

miir · Post by **miir** » October 31, 2011, 4:47 pm

Winnow wrote:This is not the correct thread to make iOS support inquiries!

My bad.
I'll post all future iOS questions in the PSVita thread.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 31, 2011, 5:02 pm

miir wrote:
Winnow wrote:This is not the correct thread to make iOS support inquiries!
My bad.
I'll post all future iOS questions in the PSVita thread.

Please include a chart to help explain the issue as well.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 31, 2011, 5:48 pm

Here's article on some battery saving tips. it's for the 4S but should work for all iOS 5 devices mostly.

http://gizmodo.com/5854933/how-to-save- ... py-battery

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 31, 2011, 5:54 pm

I wish I could contribute one way or the other on battery life but my phone is on a charger 90% of the time. While I am sleeping, driving, and working it is on a charger!

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 31, 2011, 7:49 pm

Reading the article it reinforces Apple's dilemma, it even has a chart:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... one-growth

Please keep in mind I've never said Android was a better OS, some of the handsets are comparable to Apple HW. I don't suspect most users with an iPhone will switch either. I do suspect that cheap, functional Android handsets are what is winning the sales war.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » October 31, 2011, 8:58 pm

I haven't noticed any change in battery life on my iPhone or iPad since the ios5 update. I could probably go two days of moderate to heavy use on my phone before needing to charge it. I have cloud off and location services on.

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » November 1, 2011, 4:28 am

Aabidano wrote:Reading the article it reinforces Apple's dilemma, it even has a chart:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... one-growth

Please keep in mind I've never said Android was a better OS, some of the handsets are comparable to Apple HW. I don't suspect most users with an iPhone will switch either. I do suspect that cheap, functional Android handsets are what is winning the sales war.

My droid handset isn't cheap, but in some areas I'm not sure it's as good as an iPhone.

That said, 1) I was never keen on batteries that aren't user servicable, 2) will never buy another Apple product until they stop driving the patent war.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 1, 2011, 12:11 pm

I wouldn't get too excited over this 4s battery issue. Apple has the best batteries out there. This is a software glitch that's fixable. Android batteries just suck in general. You don't know what you're going to get with each phone but you can be sure the battery life will be less than an iPhone.

My Android EVO battery would have run out faster than I could post this message.

Recent iOS device batteries have been outstanding.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » November 2, 2011, 12:50 pm

Location services don't seem to be the problem on my iPod Touch. I'm going to turn off iCloud (Only have ProtoStream and Documents and Data on) next.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 17, 2011, 10:31 pm

Don't disappoint your kids!

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » November 17, 2011, 10:40 pm

Window wrote: disappoint your kids!

/snicker