Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Preparing 'Thinner and Lighter' iPhone for Third Quarter Launch
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
But but but... It's still relative, it's still fractions of a gram, it's still a heavy material, and it could still be lighter.
It all depends on locality. I've seen LTE be faster, WiMax be faster and HSPA+ be faster (but never AT&T's, only T-mobiles).
Nor should anyone expect them to, as LTE advanced is years out.
Doesn't change the fact that HSPA+ is a dead-end. Why delay upgrading your towers for LTE when it's clearly the future?
I've seen no clear consensus on that. For instance, HSPA+ here in Los Angeles is no better than any other 3G variants. I never see speeds on my inspire 4g higher than what I did with my iphone 4.
Thinner, I don't care, but lighter would be awesome!! That's a big reason why I switched to Android, because Samsung made lighter phones. That would make me really tempted to switch back. However, I agree with other posters: they really need to make this thing LTE...
you didn't get used to the thinness? i had the same issue as you but got used to it...
Then you will be disappointed. HSPA+, and CDMA. 4G ain't ready for the masses. Needs another year. Like Sept 2012.
LTE as implemented today is just as much a dead end. It is just a dead end that sucks many more electrons.
You may be looking at a place where they have upgraded to the HSPA+ software, but not the backhaul. The software upgrade is easy. Giving the tower the bandwidth to use it requires upgrading the infrastructure. The same upgrade that would be required for LTE.
If you think a device is too thin for you, put a bumper or other case on it that's big enough to make it comfortable enough for you to hold
Can't do that if a phone is already too thick.
And if a phone is exactly the right size, then any protective case will make it too big. So a bit on the thin side gives users more choices to customize it to their liking.
I am looking forward to the upgrade, if for no other reason, I want to pull Lojack, (The cell phone I have wired into my car electronics to play music and find my car) out and put in my iP4 with it's bigger battery. Phone of the Dog lasts longer, so I can check on my car when I am out of town.
Perhaps a case that is also a big battery.
Perhaps a case that is also a big battery.
No, because the deployment of LTE technology for towers serves as structure for future LTE upgrades. This is not the case for HSPA+. Talking dead-end for the consumer is kind of pointless since consumer devices usually only last 1-2 years.
That's my point. If current HSPA+ implementations don't have the backhaul to support them, it doesn't have a clear advantage over LTE.
so many 4 owners on here that cant stand the next one is coming out and they will have the "old" one because of their two year contract
thinner = bigger screen
the only reason the galaxy s II is so thin is because they can spread out the parts over a larger area because of the big screen.
batteries arent magically gonna become that much better in a year so the only way they can make the iphone 5 noticably thinner is by making it bigger like the s II.
besides that i also expect its back to be curved towards the edges like the current ipod touch and ipad 2 to make it even more svelte. my money would be on liquidmetal to make it lighter and not have it interfere with reception.
i think all the rumors about "almost identical" phone might stem from an iphone 4s that's slightly faster, and made more affordable (less storage, maybe no front cam?)
the only reason the galaxy s II is so thin is because they can spread out the parts over a larger area because of the big screen.
batteries arent magically gonna become that much better in a year so the only way they can make the iphone 5 noticably thinner is by making it bigger like the s II.
besides that i also expect its back to be curved towards the edges like the current ipod touch and ipad 2 to make it even more svelte. my money would be on liquidmetal to make it lighter and not have it interfere with reception.
i think all the rumors about "almost identical" phone might stem from an iphone 4s that's slightly faster, and made more affordable (less storage, maybe no front cam?)
Actually, AT&T often moves upgrade dates up, and given that the span will be 14 months rather than 12 this time, many iphone 4 launch purchasers will likely be able to upgrade immediately if not before Christmas.
Even if they couldn't, iPhone resale value is high enough to where their iphone 4 could finance most of the early upgrade cost for an iphone 5.
The backhaul upgrade for HSPA+ is the same backhaul upgrade for LTE. Much of the LTE hardware may need to be ripped out for the next version of LTE. The only part of the HSPA+ upgrade that does not port is the USB thumb drive you plug in to jack up the software.
LTE upgrade, is a backhaul upgrade and a bunch of hardware that might need to be ripped out for the next version. HSPA+ just needs the backhaul that will be needed either way. You are also forgetting the LTE battery suck problem that HSPA+ does not have.
Agreed.
Backwards compatibility of LTE-Advanced was one of the (albeit small) strengths that helped it become a strong candidate for 4G ratification by the ITU-R.
Not all of us. I still happily run a G3 at home for an internet browsing system. The iPhone 4 is plenty fast for me as a cell phone.
.
The advantages of HSPA+ are still irrelevant when AT&T specifically doesn't update backhaul to help it along. It's clear they want it for the 4G name only. LTE, on the other hand, they've demonstrated to be in the 20 MB/s (at least in the lab), and they have actual hard numbers to compete with from Verizon for that technology. T-Mobile's faster HSPA+ isn't a threat when they can't even grow their install base, particularly when you're about to buy them anyway.
Higher LTE power consumption isn't an issue relevant to prospective iPhone users right now. When it does come (likely in the form of a 28nm process radio from Qualcomm), improvements will have been made. This radio also supports HSPA+, so theoretically one could turn off LTE and rely on 3.5G HSPA+ (i.e., best of both worlds).
There's an iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S II on my desk right now. They are the same thickness. The Galaxy has a significantly larger screen, but is significantly lighter because the case is plastic instead of glass and steel. Maybe the battery is smaller too.
The iPhone has better button placement, build quality, display quality, etc., but the Galaxy has me wishing Apple would make an iPhone with a larger display.
The iPhone has better button placement, build quality, display quality, etc., but the Galaxy has me wishing Apple would make an iPhone with a larger display.
You think the iphone 4 beats the display? Pixel density, sure, but the galaxy s II should meet or beat in nearly every other metric.