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The display is the exact same size as the original, and is the best display on a phone out there - best size, best resolution. So no, it doesn't bother me.
 
I also like the new look, the black bars don't bother me at all, I have the touch now and I think it looks great, the thinner bezel looks better too. I really like the look of the bottom of the iPhone as seen on the video walk through released yesterday, the speakers look way better than on the original iPhone and I even think the screws add a bit to the look.

I also like the black plastic back as opposed to the old two-tone look, the aluminum would worry me because I prefer to carry my electronics naked and I would have had to get a cheap minimal co-zip case to cover up the back if they would have left the aluminum back, just like I have on my touch. I'm glad I waited for the second generation iPhone.
 
Which black part are you talking about? I'm talking about the actual plastic bar on the side of the screen, not the TINY portion of the screen that isn't illuminated with the rest.

Oh. I see what you mean. Okay, then.

Replace "in direct sunlight" with "all the time" and "the iPhone is on" with "you look at it". The rest of my post stands. If anything bothers me, it's the little bit of screen area around it that isn't screen and shows contrast in sunlight. But I can live with it. Because it's an iPhone.
 
Sure... screen right to the edge would be nice, and looking at the comparisons you can tell the difference. But with that said... I highly doubt, when I have the iPhone in my hands, it's going to be bug me. Like, "OMG, this thicker bezel is SOOO annoying and totally detracts from my enjoyment and usability!!!111" :eek:

There is pedantic, and then there is just completely over the top. I mean, I see people are complaining about screws now??? Gawd...
 
i think the 3G looks hell-a cheap all around. plastic all over, visiable screws, wider black frame. the phone is, imo, disgusting to look at after being graced with the gorgeous version 1 iphone.

but, since i have never personally owned an iphone and this will be my first...i have no choice to deal with the crappy look of it. after all is said and done, i'm buying it for the awesome UI and OS.....not the butt ugly design.

YOU SIR HAVE IMPECCABLE TASTE!

AS most of you know and are probably sick of me saying it this new iphone 3G is CHEAP! ITS BUDGET! That however is only the case when being compared to the original. If I did not have the original I would still go out and be excited for this new product. The new 3G is clearly a cheapened version of the original. WHile a uniform color in back could look nice it is definitely a step down when you go from aluminum to plastic. Having the screen come closer to the edges always looks better than a wider bezel or frame area. All this combined with a very cheap looking plug and now no included dock is further evidence that Apple has gone the cheap route in it's attempt to mass market there iPhone. The original was nicer looking to be sure. I would be very accepting of this new model provided they come out with the proper iPhone II with better design, materials and upgraded everything. To those that will be quick to point out 3G speed, better reception due to plastic and GPS, well 3G is the norm now and everyone I know who has an iPhone never complained about signal quality who really needs gps on a phone????

X-
 
AS most of you know and are probably sick of me saying it this new iphone 3G is CHEAP! ITS BUDGET!

X-

You are losing your touch. It took 33 posts to hear how BUDGET this improved product is over your original.
 
YOU SIR HAVE IMPECCABLE TASTE!

AS most of you know and are probably sick of me saying it this new iphone 3G is CHEAP! ITS BUDGET! That however is only the case when being compared to the original. If I did not have the original I would still go out and be excited for this new product. The new 3G is clearly a cheapened version of the original. WHile a uniform color in back could look nice it is definitely a step down when you go from aluminum to plastic. Having the screen come closer to the edges always looks better than a wider bezel or frame area. All this combined with a very cheap looking plug and now no included dock is further evidence that Apple has gone the cheap route in it's attempt to mass market there iPhone. The original was nicer looking to be sure. I would be very accepting of this new model provided they come out with the proper iPhone II with better design, materials and upgraded everything. To those that will be quick to point out 3G speed, better reception due to plastic and GPS, well 3G is the norm now and everyone I know who has an iPhone never complained about signal quality who really needs gps on a phone????

X-

:rolleyes:

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion as far as aesthetics go but calling the iPhone 3G "CHEAP! ITS BUDGET!" is stepping into the crazy fanatic area. I'm glad Apple didn't include a dock because they would just add the price of it onto the phone and it would cost more. I personally only have a MBP and not a desktop so the dock doesn't make a lot of sense for me and I imagine there are plenty of others like me. Why make us pay extra for things we don't need. Really this iPhone should be more expensive than the previous generation, 3G and GPS chips aren't free.
 
why not have GPS on a phone?...

I don't have it in my car...so I think having it on your phone is better than getting a regular portable GPS, because then you can have it whether you're in a car...on a boat on a lake, or camping. (granted you have service in those areas)

Now, depending on the quality of the GPS...this could be debatable. I could eat my words later.

:)
 
I also like the black plastic back as opposed to the old two-tone look, the aluminum would worry me because I prefer to carry my electronics naked and I would have had to get a cheap minimal co-zip case to cover up the back if they would have left the aluminum back, just like I have on my touch. I'm glad I waited for the second generation iPhone.

:confused: ????? I'm confused are you actually saying that the plastic back on the 3g iPhone is less damage prone?? I think (anyone let me know if they disagree) that the aluminum is much more "rugged" I have dropped my iPhone quite a few times (no case, just naked) and the aluminum backing IMO is the only thing that has saved my phones life. Yah, it has a few dings and scratches on it, but it has still survived. I'm guessing if I dropped the 3g iPhone the back would crack/shatter.
 
YOU SIR HAVE IMPECCABLE TASTE!

AS most of you know and are probably sick of me saying it this new iphone 3G is CHEAP! ITS BUDGET! That however is only the case when being compared to the original. If I did not have the original I would still go out and be excited for this new product. The new 3G is clearly a cheapened version of the original. WHile a uniform color in back could look nice it is definitely a step down when you go from aluminum to plastic. Having the screen come closer to the edges always looks better than a wider bezel or frame area. All this combined with a very cheap looking plug and now no included dock is further evidence that Apple has gone the cheap route in it's attempt to mass market there iPhone. The original was nicer looking to be sure. I would be very accepting of this new model provided they come out with the proper iPhone II with better design, materials and upgraded everything. To those that will be quick to point out 3G speed, better reception due to plastic and GPS, well 3G is the norm now and everyone I know who has an iPhone never complained about signal quality who really needs gps on a phone????

X-

Fresh from time-out and you're already going on about how the iPhone 3g is budget again? Well then why does the unsubsidized version cost $599/699? AT&T is heavily subsidizing the price. This phone is more expensive than the first iPhone. The solid back looks much better than a half-assed, plastic aluminum combo. The only part that is scratched on the back of mine is the aluminum...which is also dented. The plastic is fine! Whats wrong with the new plug? Its so tiny! I love it. The iPhone 3g is now slightly wider so it feels better in hand. Everyone who has held one so far says that it feels better in hand than the original. It doesn't slip out easily now. The plastic material also allows for a better signal reception. My girlfriend's budget Dell gets better wifi reception than my brand new aluminum MBP. Aluminum kills reception. Thats a fact. I live in a smallish college town, and the reception on the iPhone was much worse than my old motorola. My friends who have AT&T usually have 1-2 bars more than I do in a given area. Sometimes when I have my hand over the plastic part I can't even get edge service and I have to rotate it and try to hold it up higher. When i go home to the city, it isn't a problem. So people who live in smaller towns would have more of a problem where the signals are weaker. Also, 3g and GPS probably can't fit into the same area on the motherboard as the cell radio, bluetooth and wifi chips. This would have required them to make the back, IMO, at least about half plastic and half aluminum since they need more wireless surface area. Can you imagine how weird that would look? GPS signals also come from straight into the sky, which would be blocked. In addition, it also has a standard headphone port, and according to Apple's video walk through posted yesterday, much improved speaker and microphone audio quality. It also has a higher capacity battery pack. Those are all big improvements, since those were some of the major complaints with the original. Its also 3g...about 3x faster than the original. It also has GPS which is better than the half-assed cell phone tower triangulation that the previous one used. In every area the new iPhone meets and in most cases exceeds its predecessor. If you can't see that, then don't buy one. But for the love of God stop posting in every forum how it's "BUDGET BUDGET BUDGET!" The iPhone will never be perfect. Its impossible. Lets face it, we're all here posting because we love the device, so instead of putting down every flaw that we can in no way change, how about we be glad that Apple improved anything at all about the device, especially since we weren't even expecting it to be updated until the end of 2008. Be happy for the advancements that have been made, I'm sure Apple's engineers know what they're doing, and these changes can only lead to more advancements with future versions. If you aren't happy with these updates, then wait for the next version.
 
:confused: ????? I'm confused are you actually saying that the plastic back on the 3g iPhone is less damage prone?? I think (anyone let me know if they disagree) that the aluminum is much more "rugged" I have dropped my iPhone quite a few times (no case, just naked) and the aluminum backing IMO is the only thing that has saved my phones life. Yah, it has a few dings and scratches on it, but it has still survived. I'm guessing if I dropped the 3g iPhone the back would crack/shatter.

I don't understand why you guys think the iPhone 3G back will be so fragile. Have you ever owned another phone besides the iPhone? Almost every other phone out there is made of plastic and when they do drop, they don't SHATTER or crack! You guys think Apple is really that cheap?

And macduke, don't worry about xploit. He is a known troll just let him do his thing but don't give him any attention. We have tried to explain to him numerous times of why the 3G is not 'budget' but he is as stubborn as a mule. Just don't feed the troll :)
 
:confused: ????? I'm confused are you actually saying that the plastic back on the 3g iPhone is less damage prone?? I think (anyone let me know if they disagree) that the aluminum is much more "rugged" I have dropped my iPhone quite a few times (no case, just naked) and the aluminum backing IMO is the only thing that has saved my phones life. Yah, it has a few dings and scratches on it, but it has still survived. I'm guessing if I dropped the 3g iPhone the back would crack/shatter.

So when you dropped it, it never landed on the plastic part? Everyone forgets that the original iPhone is about 1/4 plastic on the back. Thats the only part on the back of my iPhone that still looks really nice, and I've had it naked since iDay 2007.
 
I don't understand why you guys think the iPhone 3G back will be so fragile. Have you ever owned another phone besides the iPhone? Almost every other phone out there is made of plastic and when they do drop, they don't SHATTER or crack! You guys think Apple is really that cheap?

And macduke, don't worry about xploit. He is a known troll just let him do his thing but don't give him any attention. We have tried to explain to him numerous times of why the 3G is not 'budget' but he is stubborn as a mule. Just don't feed the troll :)

Finally, somebody with some sense!! Sorry, I'll try not to, but its just so plain to see that I figure if I explain things he will understand. I guess I'm confusing being misinformed with being a troll.

I, for one, can't wait to carry around my iPhone 3g next semester. It is so sleek. I think this time I'll also get a case for it, since I'm saving so much money. I will say this though: the headphones on the iPhone are super budget. Those things break at the drop of a hat. So getting some fancy headphones is also in order. Time to break in that standard headphone port!
 
i think the new 3g looks better as well, but they are both the best looking phones on the market. i agree that the wider glass will make tapping the edge a bit easier. maybe the screws on the bottom will allow you to take off the back case without damage, unlike the old iphone. battery replacements would be less daunting.......
 
:confused: ????? I'm confused are you actually saying that the plastic back on the 3g iPhone is less damage prone?? I think (anyone let me know if they disagree) that the aluminum is much more "rugged" I have dropped my iPhone quite a few times (no case, just naked) and the aluminum backing IMO is the only thing that has saved my phones life. Yah, it has a few dings and scratches on it, but it has still survived. I'm guessing if I dropped the 3g iPhone the back would crack/shatter.

I tend not to drop my electronics, I have had the same phone for the past two years and the Touch for ~8 months and I haven't dropped either one of them (knock on wood). I am more concerned about scratches, fingerprints, and scuff marks. I know the plastic case will get these too, but they don't bother me as much as they do on metal, probably because glossy plastic is easily cleaned by wiping the device on my slacks and minor scratches can be buffed right out. And like the others have said, modern plastics don't just shatter when dropped from a reasonable height they usually just get a few pockmarks. My wife drops her plastic Samsung phone all of the time and it still looks pretty good.
 
I tend not to drop my electronics, I have had the same phone for the past two years and the Touch for ~8 months and I haven't dropped either one of them (knock on wood). I am more concerned about scratches, fingerprints, and scuff marks. I know the plastic case will get these too, but they don't bother me as much as they do on metal, probably because glossy plastic is easily cleaned by wiping the device on my slacks and minor scratches can be buffed right out. And like the others have said, modern plastics don't just shatter when dropped from a reasonable height they usually just get a few pockmarks. My wife drops her plastic Samsung phone all of the time and it still looks pretty good.

:) Cool Cool

One love one :apple:
 
Some facts:

The original iPhone and new iPhone have identical dimensions--the new one is NOT wider--except for the new one being VERY slightly thicker.

The iPod Touch is also NOT wider--it's identical in width to the iPhones. But it's shorter top-to-bottom and thinner.

The original iPhone had a VERY slightly larger screen than the new one, and the new one is the same as the iPod Touch. Both sizes are very close to 3.5", but technically the new one (and the Touch) is smaller, which is why both list a dpi of 163, compared to 160 on the original iPhone. Slightly smaller screen, slightly smaller pixels.

The new iPhone has a thinner silver bezel, AND less space outside the bezel before reaching the phone's full width. So there's more surface area left inside the bezel.

Aluminum is certainly more rugged and less scratch-prone. But it's not good for antennas. So, plastic it is.

And one opinion:

I like the looks of the new one better. The old one was four-tone: matte black (buttons, bottom), aluminum, chrome and gloss black. This one is two-tone: gloss black, and all trim (even the buttons) is chrome. Simpler and cleaner. The old one looked great, but I do prefer the new one. Even knowing it will scratch up like any other plastic phone--except that we'll CARE more because the design is so much better to start with :p
 
Some facts:

The original iPhone and new iPhone have identical dimensions--the new one is NOT wider--except for the new one being VERY slightly thicker.

The iPod Touch is also NOT wider--it's identical in width to the iPhones. But it's shorter top-to-bottom and thinner.

The original iPhone had a VERY slightly larger screen than the new one, and the new one is the same as the iPod Touch. Both sizes are very close to 3.5", but technically the new one (and the Touch) is smaller, which is why both list a dpi of 163, compared to 160 on the original iPhone. Slightly smaller screen, slightly smaller pixels.

The new iPhone has a thinner silver bezel, AND less space outside the bezel before reaching the phone's full width. So there's more surface area left inside the bezel.

Aluminum is certainly more rugged and less scratch-prone. But it's not good for antennas. So, plastic it is.

And one opinion:

I like the looks of the new one better. The old one was four-tone: matte black (buttons, bottom), aluminum, chrome and gloss black. This one is two-tone: gloss black, and all trim (even the buttons) is chrome. Simpler and cleaner. The old one looked great, but I do prefer the new one. Even knowing it will scratch up like any other plastic phone--except that we'll CARE more because the design is so much better to start with :p

Well, technically the iPhone 3g is wider...1.1mm wider. 62.1mm vs 61mm. Combined with being .7mm thicker and tapered edges making a larger surface area on the back to better palm it, along with the plastic, it will feel a lot better and grip tighter in the hand IMO. I also agree about the back material and the consistency of materials. IT IS GORGEOUS!! My heart skipped a beat when I first saw the commercial and it popped up out of that aluminum case which was blocking its signal, lol.
 
The new bars don't bother me at all, though I suppose it would look better with them not there. However I'd take the plastic back over the 2 toned plastic and aluminum back of the original iPhone ANY day.

To me, the back of the original iPhone looks like an afterthought. I'd probably like it more if it was ALL aluminum, but the combination makes it look cheap.

it WAS an afterthought..... the plastic down the bottom holds the radios.
can somebody name me a cell phone/mobile phone that has the antenna sitting behind a metal backing?
it was either due to crap signal, or no signal, or interference screwing with it.
the plastic was there to allow SOME signal from the radio..... and they obviously decided that an all plastic back (ala macbook inspired) would be better than the 'afterthought'
 
Back to the thread topic.....I think the wider black area at the front looks fine. In fact, I think the iPhone 3G looks better from the front than the old one. It looks more proportioned IMO. As for the back, I am not sure about, as I haven't seen it in the flesh. However, I think it would be safe to say it won't be cheap plastic, and won't crack or shatter with a drop. As people have said, most other mobile phones are made from mostly plastic, and they can take a battering without breaking. I just can't wait to get my mits on one in a week!
 
This phone is freaking bigger in every aspect compared to the original except the "edges" as stated by Mr. Jobs. *sigh* if only it was smaller in every aspect. A kid can still dream....
 
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