The Apple Money Pit
by Dejan Kordic on June 4th, 2011 at 10:28 PM in Featured, Gadgets, Software
As rumors continue to swirl it has become apparent that the brand new iPhone 4 will, in a couple months time, be no more. Pictures of iPhone 5 or possibly 4S casing have been circulating across Apple blogs over the last few weeks. The release of a 4S in a couple months and iPhone 5 later this year could mean one of two things: Apple is just that money hungry or the consumer is just that stupid. The possibility of Apple releasing 3 devices in a little over year time is absurd. Just as the iPhone 4 provided minuscule improvements over its predecessor, the next in line device should do nothing more than set-up the consumer for yet another out of contract purchase in four months time. While Apple continues planned roll-outs that suit their quarterly financials more than consumer demand, 3GS owners [ dinosaurs in Apples device timeline ] find themselves content with a device that performs up to par with the also soon to be extinct iPhone 4.
Many questions loom in the face of a new device. How many more invisible pixels can you add to the display? The iPhone 4 features a Retina Display at 326 pixels per inch. In Steve Jobs own words, theres a magic number around 300dpi, if you hold something about 10-12 inches away from your eye, its the limit of the human retina to distinguish pixels. Meaning that anything higher is virtually invisible and pointless. So if Apple cant realistically improve in terms of display, what more can be improved upon? Flash support? Dont hold your breath on it. While its clear that HTML5 will not be a web standard for years to come, if ever, Jobs insists on implementing it, not flash, in current and upcoming devices.
Will there be LTE [ 4G ] support? Highly unlikely. While the new iPhone might surpass 4G in number it will surely be behind the curb in speed. However, it will be a worldwide GSM/CDMA device.Dont expect more screen real estate either. Regardless of the trending 4.3-inch Android devices as of late Apple must remain stringent to its UI, which is not scalable, thus must maintain a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. A larger device such as the Droid X by Motorola would require an aspect ratio change which would also require a redesign of all Appstore apps. Its safe to rule this option out.
So what will we see with the next iPhone? Rumors indicate a separation of camera lens and flash [ no, not the cool flash ] as well as possibilities of a new and improved A5 processor. Realistically, with the release of iOS 5 across all platforms [ Excluding 3GS ] iPhone 4 users are better off where they are. Each model will run the same apps, load the same website the same way, and if all else fails jail breaking will likely provide more options than iPhone 5 out of box.
In conclusion the iPhone has become a device defined in ability and limitation by its apps. Anything an iPhone 6 will do so can too a dinosaur 3GS.