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White iPhone 4 vs. iPhone 5

jameslikeness

jameslikeness

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 27, 2007
83
2
With the small rumors about the White iPhone 4 ramping up lately, I'm really starting to wonder what I should do when they finally drop. I have an iPhone 3G now (got it when they launched), and I LOVE the look of the White iPhone 4 from the pictures I've seen around the web. But what about the iPhone 5? Do you guys think it will be as different from the iPhone 4 as the iPhone 4 was from the 3GS? Or do you think it will be something more akin to an iPhone 4S or something like that? We haven't even started hearing any rumors about what the iPhone 5 might be like, which leads me to think it's not going to be very different from the iPhone 4. The only reason I'm thinking about not waiting for the iPhone 5 is just that my phone (my wife's too) is complete garbage lately. Apple really screwed the pooch with iOS 4.2+ on the iPhone 3G.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Buy the White iPhone 4 when it comes out, or wait until June / July and see what happens?
 
I would wait until June/July. I could not justify to myself spending all the money just to get a white iPhone for it to be out of date a couple of months later.
 
stridemat said:
I would wait until June/July. I could not justify to myself spending all the money just to get a white iPhone for it to be out of date a couple of months later.
Click to expand...

Because god knows all iPhone 4s are set to spontaneously combust on July 1st.
 
stridemat said:
I would wait until June/July. I could not justify to myself spending all the money just to get a white iPhone for it to be out of date a couple of months later.
Click to expand...
Rumor has it the white phone will have a nearly unnoticeable pink cast. Apple got as close to pure white as possible. A focus group study revealed the women will love them.
 
I would wait. Tomorrow is Feb 1st and I highly doubt they will announce anything now before the Verizon launch. So now we are talking middle of February with availability probably a few weeks after that so now we are into March and about 3 months from an iPhone 5.
 
I can see both sides of the argument, buy now vs. waiting for the next iPhone. If it were me, and my 3G was running lousy I'd probably upgrade now. I'm sure whatever Apple puts out next will be great but the iPhone 4 is still a great phone, the next one isn't going to make it obsolete.
 
I don't know if you have considered just skinning the next iphone white if it isn't.....that way it will be new and white?


In any case I believe you should get the iphone 5 over a white iphone thats an older model...

I think a white skin solves the problem of a not having a white iphone (I know my opinion is not a popular one) but if you feel the need to have a white one you could alway wait for a white kit to come out for the iphone 5 (that is if in theory it does not come in that color)
 
If you need it now, get it now.

If you can wait, and it really matters to you, wait and see, because Apple does do a yearly refresh, so it's a pretty safe assumption we'll see some kind of new iPhone this year.

Personally I decided it wasn't worth the wait so I bought an iPhone 4 at the end of December.
 
I have a 3G (slow as hell compared to family members' iPod Touch 4th) so I'm getting the iPhone 4 (white) when it comes out. Like I could afford an iPhone 5 anyway : (
 
The iPhone 5 will be very different from the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S, which we'll see this summer, will not be anything special.
 
vladtheimpaler said:
The hopes and dreams of every under contract iphone 4 owner apparently. Sad.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: That's awfully judgemental.

The precedent set by the 2G -> 3G -> 3GS suggests that the next refresh will be a mid-cycle update, not a revolutionary new product. The iPhone 4 is the first total redesign of the phone... what evidence do you have to say that the 2011 update will be another complete redesign so soon on the heels of the 4?

OTOH, logic and economics dictates one or two refreshes off the current design before they release another complete redesign. I doubt Apple put so much energy into the 4's design only to change direction completely a year later. In fact, if they were planning on changing the design completely in 2011, why would they have invested the time and effort to make a CDMA version? That by itself suggests that the iPhone 4 is here to stay for at least a while, with relatively minor bumps and tweaks.

But hey, why let logic get in the way of judging others? :rolleyes:
 
It will be funny as hell, if the next release of the iphone in june/july is the white iphone 4... :)
 
Demosthenes X said:
:rolleyes: That's awfully judgemental.

The precedent set by the 2G -> 3G -> 3GS suggests that the next refresh will be a mid-cycle update, not a revolutionary new product. The iPhone 4 is the first total redesign of the phone... what evidence do you have to say that the 2011 update will be another complete redesign so soon on the heels of the 4?

OTOH, logic and economics dictates one or two refreshes off the current design before they release another complete redesign. I doubt Apple put so much energy into the 4's design only to change direction completely a year later. In fact, if they were planning on changing the design completely in 2011, why would they have invested the time and effort to make a CDMA version? That by itself suggests that the iPhone 4 is here to stay for at least a while, with relatively minor bumps and tweaks.

But hey, why let logic get in the way of judging others? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Looking at that progression (2G -> 3G -> 3GS -> 4) one could make a solid case for either a large change with similar design a la 2G-3G, an incremental change a la 3G-3GS, or a redesign a la 3GS-4.

Honestly looking at it like that I'd say the most likely one is a large change with similar design, like the change from 2G to 3G. That would start on a pattern where there is a new design, then a large change to perfect that design, and lastly a tweak of the new design before starting over.

Using that logic I'd put my money on a change in design but not a total redesign. Maybe a change in the back glass to something like the 3rd party aluminum backs being sold, or a change in the ring-type outer antenna.
 
kuebby said:
Honestly looking at it like that I'd say the most likely one is a large change with similar design, like the change from 2G to 3G. That would start on a pattern where there is a new design, then a large change to perfect that design, and lastly a tweak of the new design before starting over.
Click to expand...

:confused: The 3G was not a big change from the original iPhone. The material on the back changed, and it added 3G, GPS, and UMTS/HSDPA. In terms of the internals (3G antenna aside), 3G -> 3GS was a much bigger leap than 2G -> 3G.

I agree that we'll probably see the antenna changed (it's already happened with the Verizon iPhone 4, and I'm sure Apple will be happy to have the antenna mess behind them). Maybe they'll change the backing material.

But I'm putting my money on a very similar design (i.e., the untrained eye would have trouble telling a 4 and 4S apart, like the 3G and 3GS), with tweaked specs. I'm not expecting dual-core/4G/bigger screen/whatever else people are begging for until 2012 at the earliest.
 
neoelectronaut said:
Because god knows all iPhone 4s are set to spontaneously combust on July 1st.
Click to expand...

the point is that by the time the white iPhone comes out, the iPhone 5 will likely just be a few months away. Why not hold off for 4 more months to get a better phone? Apple's phones start to get left behind after about 2 years...which means that you can get an iPhone 4 now with a "lifespan" of 1 year, or an iPhone 5 in 4 months with a lifespan of 2 years.

Why not wait?
 
dccorona said:
the point is that by the time the white iPhone comes out, the iPhone 5 will likely just be a few months away. Why not hold off for 4 more months to get a better phone? Apple's phones start to get left behind after about 2 years...which means that you can get an iPhone 4 now with a "lifespan" of 1 year, or an iPhone 5 in 4 months with a lifespan of 2 years.

Why not wait?
Click to expand...


What do you mean "an iPhone 4 with a lifespan of 1 year"??

just wondering?
 
Austin M. said:
I think he means, the iPhone 4 would be superior for about a another year(doubt that), and the iPhone 5 will be superior for the next two years to come until the iPhone 6?
Click to expand...


Hmmn no idea what he means. I think the iPhone 5 is be similar to the 4 and the 6 will be the big improvement. My girlfriend is deciding between the white 4 or the 5.

But i told her this

Get the white 4 in March 2011, her next upgrade would be June/July right in time for the 6. If she waits to get the 5, her upgrade would be around November 2012.
 
andrewr23 said:
Hmmn no idea what he means. I think the iPhone 5 is be similar to the 4 and the 6 will be the big improvement. My girlfriend is deciding between the white 4 or the 5.

But i told her this

Get the white 4 in March 2011, her next upgrade would be June/July right in time for the 6. If she waits to get the 5, her upgrade would be around November 2012.
Click to expand...

The 5 wasn't even announced yet so wtf
 
Demosthenes X said:
:rolleyes: That's awfully judgemental.

The precedent set by the 2G -> 3G -> 3GS suggests that the next refresh will be a mid-cycle update, not a revolutionary new product. The iPhone 4 is the first total redesign of the phone... what evidence do you have to say that the 2011 update will be another complete redesign so soon on the heels of the 4?

OTOH, logic and economics dictates one or two refreshes off the current design before they release another complete redesign. I doubt Apple put so much energy into the 4's design only to change direction completely a year later. In fact, if they were planning on changing the design completely in 2011, why would they have invested the time and effort to make a CDMA version? That by itself suggests that the iPhone 4 is here to stay for at least a while, with relatively minor bumps and tweaks.

But hey, why let logic get in the way of judging others? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Exactly. Anyone who think Apple put all the effort, expense and R&D into the iPhone 4 design, just to chuck it out a year later is sadly unaware of economics and product cycle.

The odd years (this year) gets a refresh. 2012 will see a new design.
 
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