How many people who are complaining about how minor 4S is will be complaining when...

[fjrabon]

They try to run the best games on their iPhone 4 a few months from now and they keep crashing or basically just refuse to run? They'd complain if Apple wouldn't let those apps run on their 4 and they'd complain if they did.

Sure, the difference in speed doesn't really matter much now, most people can't tell a difference now, but that's because apps haven't really been designed to leverage the difference in power yet.

The difference in speed between the 4 and the 4S is about the same as the difference is between the old 3G (not the 3GS, but the plain old 3G) and the 4.

It's going to literally change the game, as in it will totally change the type of games you can play on the 4S. That's not even considering other types of apps that can leverage the difference in processing power.

I know the A5 has been out a while now, but now that the iPhone and the iPad are both on it, developers really have full incentive to really design to fully take advantage of its capabilities.

It's like the old PC days. Whatever the newest processor was, people would say you don't need something that fast, it doesn't make a difference on any software you could run. They were right AT THAT TIME. A year later and you couldn't run anything new without at least that processor.

Yet people are freaking out because it doesn't have a rounded aluminum back? Seriously? Didn't the first iPhone have that? At this point design wise, unless you move from a glass touch screen, you're essentially going to be trading out completely arbitrary design choices. Some people like the glass, some people like aluminum, but it's not like either design is really a complete revolution in any way. They're totally arbitrary design choices that were made by Jonny Ive. He likes all three iPhone designs, none of them are ugly by any means. If all three iPhone aesthetic designs plus the rumored design of the iPhone 5 came out simultaneously, without anybody knowing which one was the 'newest' then it'd be a 100% toss-up as to which was the best. They all have their merits.

I seriously think a lot of people are upset because they'd have no way for others to know they have the latest iPhone with the current design.

 

[Patriot24]

To be fair, those of us that are jumping on the 4s bandwagon will be in the same predicament sometime next year. A new phone will be announced and apps will be updated to take advantage of whatever specs/enhancements it has. Then we will be the ones behind the 8 ball trying to decide what to do upgrade-wise.

Without a clear upgrade path (due to signing a 2-year contract), we will then have to find some minuscule things to pick at to convince ourselves we are better off clinging to our 4s.

...And the cycle will go on...

 

[gillybean]

phone games are gimmicks.

When I first got my phone I got some of the top graphic-intensive games and they were fun, but the only ones I still play anymore now are Tapzoo and Skeeball, neither of which require much in the way of graphics.

 

[tigress666]

I don't honestly expect that. Apple is pretty decent about phones getting supported for 2 years and even the 3G would run everything for 2 years ok (though laggy) and that phone had a processor that was already a year old when it was new.

Not that I'm saying the speed boost is not a good upgrade, I've been one of the ones saying the speed boost is one of the main reasons I'd think of upgrading when my contract is up (but that's four months from now).

But I expect my 4 will be able to run the latest games at least until it's 2 years old. I don't expect that it will always be that smooth about it (hell, it gets some hesitation even when it was a few months old, I've had it since it came out. A faster processor is one of the two things I have been saying since before last Christmas is one of the two things I'd want out of the next iPhone as I'm pretty happy overall with my 4).

One could say I could wait til next year and there will be a faster phone but judging by Apple's track record, next year's upgrade won't get much of a speed boost, they will focus on other things instead (it seems the S versions are the ones that get focus on speed boosts). So I'm torn on if I should wait or not (as I'll be close enough if they go back to the June schedule to feel foolish not waiting but if it is October not sure I want to wait that long and besides, I do expect they'll have 4G in the 5 so if they don't put much of a speed boost that might convince me to go to the 4S anyways so I can keep my unlimited).

 

[fjrabon]

To be fair, those of us that are jumping on the 4s bandwagon will be in the same predicament sometime next year. A new phone will be announced and apps will be updated to take advantage of whatever specs/enhancements it has. Then we will be the ones behind the 8 ball trying to decide what to do upgrade-wise.

Without a clear upgrade path (due to signing a 2-year contract), we will then have to find some minuscule things to pick at to convince ourselves we are better off clinging to our 4s.

...And the cycle will go on...

no, I agree with that. I usually skip a cycle each time as well. I'm not talking about the people that can't upgrade, but want to. Im talking about those who are going insane because the 4S doesn't have a curved aluminum back. (though I suspect there is a large overlap between the two)

Though, if Apple follows their past path, the 5 will only be slightly faster, but an aesthetic redesign.

 

[2010RS]

not me. i'm not 15, so i don't play games on my phone.












....except angry birds.

 

[fjrabon]

phone games are gimmicks.

When I first got my phone I got some of the top graphic-intensive games and they were fun, but the only ones I still play anymore now are Tapzoo and Skeeball, neither of which require much in the way of graphics.

I personally don't disagree with you, but the number of heavy graphics games sold on the app store probably does.

----------

I don't honestly expect that. Apple is pretty decent about phones getting supported for 2 years and even the 3G would run everything for 2 years ok (though laggy) and that phone had a processor that was already a year old when it was new.

I sort of understand that, but people went crazy yelling at apple when the 3G didn't run the new OS's as well as the 3GS did. A lot of people purposefully downgraded their iOS's to older versions because while the newest ones would run, they weren't particularly snappy about it.

 

[tigress666]

I sort of understand that, but people went crazy yelling at apple when the 3G didn't run the new OS's as well as the 3GS did. A lot of people purposefully downgraded their iOS's to older versions because while the newest ones would run, they weren't particularly snappy about it.

Yeah, but the phone was a 2 year old design by then (and it's processor was more like 3 years old since it had the same one as the original iPhone)! I think the 3GS owners should be happy their phone apparently was fast enough they didn't get the same treatment.

It's why I feel the S upgrades in a way are the better ones cause since they get the good speed upgrades, they stay relevant longer.

The 4 right now is a little over a year old design. It will be 2 years at the end of June. And I expect it should be able to run the latest stuff fine til at least then (maybe longer).

 

[takeshi74]

How many people who are complaining about how minor 4S is will be complaining when...

Meh. I buy based on my needs/wants. If others can't do that for themselves that's their problem. I'm not worrying about it.

phone games are gimmicks.

Totally subjective despite your assertion that it's some sort of universal fact. Anything that a person doesn't utilize can be called a "gimmick" and what is or isn't useful is, again, subjective. If you get out you'll see that people have differing needs/wants and they're not all identical to you. Never assume that your preferences are universal.

 

[fjrabon]

Yeah, but the phone was a 2 year old design by then (and it's processor was more like 3 years old since it had the same one as the original iPhone)! I think the 3GS owners should be happy their phone apparently was fast enough they didn't get the same treatment.

It's why I feel the S upgrades in a way are the better ones cause since they get the good speed upgrades, they stay relevant longer.

The 4 right now is a little over a year old design. It will be 2 years at the end of June. And I expect it should be able to run the latest stuff fine til at least then (maybe longer).

Yeah, I imagine the 4 will probably be fine for about another 6 months or so and then people will really start to complain about it being laggy and things not running properly.

Me and my girlfriend essentially both skip a generation each time, but are on opposite schedules. ie she went from 3G -> 4, I went from iPhone -> 3GS -> 4S. To me, the difference between 3G and 3GS was bigger than the difference between 3GS and 4.