iPhone 4/4s design is pretty but not ergonomic

[AlohaMaui]

I had an iphone 3g and recently got a 4s.

My thoughts on the iphone 4s form factor is that it is
- Not ergonomic to hold as the 3g.
The 3g had a curved back which kind of fits into the palm of the hand and thus more ergonomic.

- Glass back doesnt make sense
Who looks at the back of the phone anyway? Having glass on the back of the phone makes it heavier and more fragile.
Many people use a case which covers the back and even if you dont, most times, u look at the screen in front.

Overall, I much prefer the form factor of the 3g/3gs as opposed to the 4/4s.

 

[Virgo]

I was hoping they would go iPod Touch/iPad style with this new iPhone. As soon as the iPad 2 came out, they touted the elimination of the sides as an enhancement, because it feels better to hold. They will probably do the same with iPhone 5.

 

[HKUSP.40]

The iPhone 4/4S has the exact same ergonomics as any smartphone I've previously owned (Blackberry Storm and Samsung Fascinate) so, for me, it was no different. The weight was quite different from my Fascinate to the iPhone 4S. The Fascinate is SUCH a light phone. But it didn't bother me, I actually like the little more "robust" feeling of the iPhone 4/4S. It still feels a little lighter than my Blackberry Storm.

 

[vastoholic]

- Glass back doesnt make sense
Who looks at the back of the phone anyway? Having glass on the back of the phone makes it heavier and more fragile.
Many people use a case which covers the back and even if you dont, most times, u look at the screen in front.

Apple prides themselves on design. The glass back gives the phone a great design all around. Most phones focus so much on the screen and just forget about the rest of the phone. The iPhone looks amazing no matter how you look at it. Sometimes I do actually sit and admire the back of the phone as well.

I will agree that the 3G and 3Gs felt better making a call in my hand. But I quickly got used to the 4.

 

[iSayuSay]

Well .. it's been well known that Apple design is exquisite, in expense of ergonomic or usability.

Just look at Apple's mouse products in history, from original iMac hockey puck mouse to Magic Mouse today. Looks pretty? Hell yeah .. Good to the touch? Err .. I want to said yes, but .. err .. I can't

Nonetheless, I still love post 3GS design, best looking phone out there. Not even mighty Nexus Prime come close (in term of appearance) .. not .. one .. bit

I had an iphone 3g and recently got a 4s.

My thoughts on the iphone 4s form factor is that it is
- Not ergonomic to hold as the 3g.
The 3g had a curved back which kind of fits into the palm of the hand and thus more ergonomic.

- Glass back doesnt make sense
Who looks at the back of the phone anyway? Having glass on the back of the phone makes it heavier and more fragile.
Many people use a case which covers the back and even if you dont, most times, u look at the screen in front.

Overall, I much prefer the form factor of the 3g/3gs as opposed to the 4/4s.

That's one of many things that makes Apple unique. As Steve said, he doesn't only care about the outer/frontier side of his products, but also the one on the rear/inside. Places you wouldn't normally look at.

Just so you imagine, why would they make glowing Apple logo on each Macbook's rear? Looking from user's POV .. you can't see the glowing logo when you open/use the Macbook. As an indicator, that's obviously useless. But that one of many things that makes Macbook kinda stand out, and a lot of people out there now envy with Macbook, and hate Apple because that glowing logo can be perceived as challenge to the people in front of you .. sort of saying "I'm a Mac, who the hell are you?"

 

[cyks]

Just so you imagine, why would they make glowing Apple logo on each Macbook's rear?

Go to any coffee or hotspot friendly place for that answer- it's free advertising... nothing more.

 

[iSayuSay]

Go to any coffee or hotspot friendly place for that answer- it's free advertising... nothing more.

Yes. I know. And almost all notebooks have rear logo on them. But glowing Apple is just stand out among the crowd. And as I said, it perceived as challenge to the people who look at it. Hardly you can get a glowing rear logo on laptop, do you?

Well .. the point is, Apple pay attention to the detail, and too bad .. looks nice often means bad ergonomic.

 

[ShionoyaTamaki]

Thats what cases are for. Pick one that suit ur comfort

 

[Faux Carnival]

A small iPad 2 was what everyone was waiting for... I guess they are keeping it for next year's iPhone.

 

[syc23]

If every Apple product was designed like a PC with the same poor functionality this site wouldn't exist and Apple as a company would be long gone.

It's this uniqueness which makes the company stand out.

 

[Padraig]

I had an iphone 3g and recently got a 4s.

My thoughts on the iphone 4s form factor is that it is
- Not ergonomic to hold as the 3g.
The 3g had a curved back which kind of fits into the palm of the hand and thus more ergonomic.

- Glass back doesnt make sense
Who looks at the back of the phone anyway? Having glass on the back of the phone makes it heavier and more fragile.
Many people use a case which covers the back and even if you dont, most times, u look at the screen in front.

Overall, I much prefer the form factor of the 3g/3gs as opposed to the 4/4s.

Much preferred my 3GS to my 4 as well in terms of ergonomics. In the 20 or so phones I've owned the 4 was the first one I had to put a case on, not so much for the feel, but for the fragility. The glass sandwich is an inherently flawed design. As I said on another thread I'm dying to get my hands on either the Nokia n9 or the Lumia 800; everyone I talked to rates the design above the 4S in terms of ergonomics, fit, style (subjective I know) and durability.

 

[hardliner]

Please Gentlemen.

Get real here.

First, when it cums to good design of the iPhone, nothing beats the Original iPhone.

Second. Some people here are saying that the 3GS is top notch right now. Yes, that might be. But Apple will force you to upgrade.

I remember that I saw everybody running around with an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 these days. I mean everybody.

To be honest with you, I was looking for something different. A phone, I am sure no one has.

So I bought the Original iPhone fom eBay in a perfect condition. I put Whited00r on it worked perfectly. I had a unique phone. Awesome design, fitted perfectly in the hand, metallic back.

But aftzer a while, you must upgrade. No apps for this version, no GPS, etc.

Same will happen with the 3GS. All of a sudden, you see the flaws.

I would pay many to have the current iPhone specs in an Original iPhone.

 

[nfl46]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

The iPhone 4/4S looks way better than the 3G/3GS. The glass back looks awesome if you have a bumper.

 

[Usual]

I can not say they are not ergonomic..

But I think, 4s should had been much better.

 

[AlohaMaui]

Personally, the back could have been slapped on with a shiny black or white metal piece and it would've looked as good as the glass and more durable.

Didnt even know it was glass until i read some of the comments here.