I do agree to an extent. But, you would have to think that Apple is designing iOS5 to run best on the new iPhone not the iPhone4. Why design a brand new OS to run on 1 year old technology?
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There will be a new iPhone released at WWDC 2011
- Thread starter adamvk
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I do agree to an extent. But, you would have to think that Apple is designing iOS5 to run best on the new iPhone not the iPhone4. Why design a brand new OS to run on 1 year old technology?
You have no idea how well iOS5 will run on the iPhone4. And hardware specs are what future proofs the phone, not software. Buying year old hardware now is not going to last you as long as buying new hardware in a few months.
Bodycalming
macrumors regular
I had an iPhone 4 but after 5 days I took it back "Not Fit For Purpose" so I still have my very old iPhone 3G, so yes I would very much like the new iPhone 5 to be announced at WWDC next week for a summer release but I think it extremely unlikely, so I will vote NO and go for an Autumn (September) release.
CalBoy
macrumors 604
That's one element, but there are others as well. Hardware doesn't have to hold back an OS to be relevant to the end user.
For example, one big limitation of iPhone hardware is storage capacity. 16gb is a joke these days with bigger, more sophisticated apps+music collections+videos+photos. There are even members of this forum who have expressed that 32gb no longer suffices. Apple obviously chooses not to have expandable storage for two reasons: 1) it's more profitable that way (up sell people and so forth), and 2) it allows for even tighter engineering of the device. Whatever one thinks of this choice (I personally don't mind it because I would rather have a slimmer, better designed phone than one that is expandable but awkward), it is a hardware limitation at present that has nothing to do with the OS.
The display size is another one of these hardware elements that suffers independent of the OS. iOS doesn't force the use of smaller displays; the limitation is entirely the choice of Apple, which has been able to use the same 3.7" display across 2 product lines for 4 years now.
Along a different line, glass on the back of a phone that shatters (whether too easily or not) has nothing to do with software; it is a hardware deficiency pure and simple.
Antenna problems that lead to poor call quality are a hardware problem that can't be affected very much by software.
Apple has long been famous for making compromises with its hardware to achieve design needs. They often have nothing to do with software and everything to do with cost. The iPhone is not an exception to this.
RafaelT
macrumors 65816
Here are my thoughts on that, and I could obviously be completely wrong, but this is where I am coming from.
If they release iOS5 before the iPhone 5 then iOSS5 needs to run pretty damn well on the latest device (iPhone 4) that supports it, anything less would be a massive failure on Apple's part.
I also believe the rumors that the iPhone 5 is going to be a slight spec bump. This is purely my personal opinion but I believe this spec bump will be less beneficial for iOS5 then it will be to allow iOS6 to run well on it. Think about how Apple does there updates with new features and obsoleting old devices.
1. I don't agree that storage is a big enough concern for them to release it at WWDC instead of waiting a fewm onths like rumors suggest.
2. Display size is not something that is lacking. It is a personal preference. Plenty of people are just fine with a smaller display. The only way I would want a larger display is if the overall size of the phone does not increase, but that is still personal choice. Just because many Android phones go that route does not make it a must.
3. Glass on the back of the phone is not a hardware deficiency. Contract pricing aside, you are purchasing a $600 - $700 mini computer. Don't drop it. It really is a mini computer. If I drop my MacBook Pro and the Aluminum bends a little is that a hardware deficiency because Apple did not use a strong material for the bottom case? No! That simply makes me an idiot for not being careful with an expensive electronic device. If you want a rugged phone, in most cases a smart phone is not the way to go.
4. Yes the Antenna issue is there but it was way overblown and Apple obviously does not consider it a very big issue if they did not recall the phones. I happen to agree. I use my iPhone with no case every day, I have never dropped it and I have no signal problems other then the ones that come from using at&t.
5. Yes they have made compromises, but they are going to continue to do that and that has nothing to do with them needing to release one at WWDC.
Believe it or not I am not a fanboy who thinks everything Apple does is great, I just don't see these arguments being ones that will bring a phone before this fall.
RafaelT
macrumors 65816
Assuming you are not being sarcastic... Apple ALWAYS has one more thing.... A nice surprise to make the crowd go wild.
This year it will not be an iphone though.
Maybe they'll pull a Donald Trump and announce that they plan to announce the iPhone at a later date!
BlindMellon
macrumors 65816
This is where you're dead wrong. If a new device is introduced with an inferior rear panel that shatters when dropped where previously it didn't, then it is, in fact, a hardware deficiency. Plain and simple.
Apple chose the glass back purely for aesthetic reasons, practicality be damned.
RafaelT
macrumors 65816
It was a complete design change, they didn't start putting a lesser quality panel on an existing design to save money. That would be a hardware deficiency with an inferior panel.
It's not Apples job to make the products klutz proof.
It's called personal responsibility. If you are careless enough to drop your $600 mini computer you should expect damage and be happy if there isn't any.
fungus
macrumors regular
I'm not upgrading anytime soon so I have nothing more than a casual interest in what happens Monday vs. September, but I think the poll results speak for themselves.
FWIW, I haven't been thinking much at all about WWDC and yet it featured briefly in one of my dreams last night... Flash showed up in iOS5 with an option to enable (default: disabled) under Settings>General>Flash. I'm no Kreskin, but I thought it'd be fun to put that one on the record just in case 😉
FWIW, I haven't been thinking much at all about WWDC and yet it featured briefly in one of my dreams last night... Flash showed up in iOS5 with an option to enable (default: disabled) under Settings>General>Flash. I'm no Kreskin, but I thought it'd be fun to put that one on the record just in case 😉
CalBoy
macrumors 604
The point was only to refute your statement that hardware can only be deficient when it holds back software. That simply isn't true. Hardware can be deficient even if the software for it is already optimized.
The storage and display may not seem like deficiencies now (even though they really are, because if you're stuck with a phone that can't hold everything you want, you're SOL), but Apple only releases one new phone per year. If they don't have an increase in storage until after August 31st, it would mean that the same amount of maximum storage will be present in the iPhone for 28 consecutive months. In the world of mobile phones, that is a deficiency.
The display size isn't really a personal preference. If the iPhone 4's size and dimensions could be preserved with a 4" screen, no one would rationally choose the smaller screen. The bigger screen would easier to work with for many apps and Safari. As I expressed earlier in the thread, I also don't want a gigantor phone like some Droid models. However, there is plenty of room for Apple to work with at present, and since I'm not getting as much screen for the size of my phone, that is a short coming of the hardware.
I dropped my 3gs on concrete from 5'+, and NOTHING happened to it. It was a well-built phone. Plastic is a more resilient material than glass, plain and simple. Apple's decision to use glass was purely aesthetic. It is a design deficiency because there are better options. Imagine if your MBP was made out of glass only because it looked a little better. Do you really think it would be all your fault if it shattered, and not partially the fault of the company that used a brittle material for a device that is intended to take a little wear and tear?
I don't think Apple cares either, and that's kind of the problem. If all of the rumors are true, then Apple is insulting its own customers by trying to push inadequate hardware 15 months after its release. The market moves too fast to use one model for 15 months. Apple is capitalizing on the fact that its users are too brand-loyal to care. As one of those customers who loves the user experience but who is also keenly aware of the rest of the market, it upsets me when someone tries to treat me like a chump. Apple may not release a new phone any time soon, and if they don't, it'll be the first time in a long time that I will be turning away from the brand. I simply cannot keep using my 3gs and I won't waste money on old hardware.
maclaptop
macrumors 65816
Its been stated many times by people in this forum that Apple knows best and does things their way. They have never cared about phone performance. The Wall St Journal reported that Apple engineers told Steve Jobs directly, about the antenna problem over six months before the phone went into production. He ignored it because it was his design.
Ever the master at influencing people to believe his every word, he proceeded to shift into the victim role, pointing the finger at AT&T. Just like always his worshipers believed him and Apple got off scot free.
It always struck me as comical when my iPhone 4 won't make the call but my AT&T Blackberry would (I have to carry two phones) it was obvious that the AT&T network was not the problem. But most only carry one, the iPhone, so they've got to agree with Steve and blame the carrier.
We all know that Apple is perfect. 🙂
Ever the master at influencing people to believe his every word, he proceeded to shift into the victim role, pointing the finger at AT&T. Just like always his worshipers believed him and Apple got off scot free.
It always struck me as comical when my iPhone 4 won't make the call but my AT&T Blackberry would (I have to carry two phones) it was obvious that the AT&T network was not the problem. But most only carry one, the iPhone, so they've got to agree with Steve and blame the carrier.
We all know that Apple is perfect. 🙂
Perfectly said. Getting tired of Apple iPhones now. If the iPhone is not announced and released soon, I will leave iPhone for good. My iPhone 4 has 1 bar in my current house while my friends Nokia from 2005 with AT&T has 4 bars.
I will always stick with my iPad and MBP
Its very true. My roommate upgraded from a 3GS to the iPhone4 on AT&T's network. He was able to get very good service with the 3GS in the apartment now he constantly drops calls. The antenna has to be something that they address in the new iPhone. If they don't I won't be buying it. I refuse to use a phone that can't make calls. Kind of defeats the purpose.
Matthew9559
macrumors 6502a
RafaelT
macrumors 65816
I certainly would not object to Apple making things stronger and less breakable, but of course it would be my fault, I made the decision to buy a glass covered object and did not care for it properly. Anytime I buy something covered in glass I make a mental note that it would probably be a bad idea for me to drop said object and that extra caution is needed. I don't see how anyone could buy something covered in glass and try to blame anyone else if they broke it. You take the risk when you buy the object, you don't have to buy it.
My iPhone 4 goes case less since my bumper wore out. I take good care of it and have had no problems.
BlindMellon
macrumors 65816
It was, however, a complete redesign with a new shatter prone glass back panel. "Complete redesign" is no excuse for the poor design decision.
And it IS Apples responsibility not to make something twice as likely to shatter than the previous phone (two sides with glass as opposed to one).
My point stands.