Why The iPhone 4 Won’t Die (and why I won’t buy one)
Don’t know about you but I cannot believe the gall of Apple in spite of the debacle that is the iPhone4 antenna problem. It doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to work out that there was a reason behind Steve Jobs touting the iPhone Bumper during his annual parade for Apple sycophants. There was a problem that they knew about, and probably too late in the day for them to fix properly. Now with Consumer Reports not recommending the JesusPhone4 it should hit home that Apple cannot hide this anymore, or lie about the whys and wherefores.
Samsung Galaxy S
This would normally make me laugh maniacally with smugness having generally an anti-Apple mindset because of just this sort of thing, but I am also a hypocrite. You see, just like all things that common sense dictates you should avoid (for example MacDonald’s Milkshakes, whipped cream on your mocha and Transformers 2) I want one. ME’S WANTS AN IPHONE! There. I Said it. I am disgusted at myself.
But there is method in my madness, and the ultimate reason why I won’t cave in to my fruit driven urges. Firstly the method: The iPhone is presently the best smart phone on the market. There is no denying this fact even though other manufactures have come very close. For example, the HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S. Two supremely capable smart phones both running Google’s “Satan Phone” Android platform which according to most reviews are level pegging in usability and function. But the fundamental flaw in both of them is that neither phone offers the complete package.
HTC Desire
The Samsung has an iPhone beating screen for example, and can record in 720p. But the camera does not come with a flash which fundamentally causes trouble for anyone who fancies themselves as a happy snapper. The Desire counters this with a good camera and flash…but no onboard memory (of which Samsung offers either 8Gb or 16Gb). Coupled with a cheap 16Gb SD card and oyu have 24Gb of space. Also, the Samsung is a good looker but some say far to close to the iPhone 3GS and far too plasticky. The HTC offers great build quality and a more robust feel but doesn’t have the stylings that make Samsung such a great iPod replacement and misses out on the Swype keyboard which some regard as the best available. So it really is a mixed bag. And so you have to answer the question “what do you want in a phone?”. And that encapsulates the problem.
My Nokia E71 is driving me nuts. It just doesn’t do what I want it to – the software is clunky, it’s slow and I don’t find I take full advantage of the built in keyboard (which admittedly is great). Tweeting is not really fun and it just doesn’t seem integrated in a way that I would like. The music player is shockingly bad and the camera is bloody terrible. 3.2 megapixels of noise. No thanks.
And the last two points are the most important to me. I want to replace my iPod and don’t want to carry around additional gadgets. Memory capacity matters. When you are out and about, you rarely have a camera to capture that odd occasion when something cool happens. And to record video in HD is great when you have small children trying to wreck the world!
Jesus Phone 4
These are the reasons the iPhone wins. It has a camera that can comfortable stand up to compact units. It’s an iPod. It comes with built in memory. It has a great screen. It offers great games and distractions. It is the consumer platform of choice for millions. Only an idiot would claim the iPhone is rubbish.
But the storm is on the horizon. Apple is now facing the onslaught of Android which has gained significant leverage over the iPhone due to it’s recent shortcomings, becoming the butt of their jokes. Already developers are indicating Android is the future. So this, to my mind reinforces the decision to stay away form the iPhone 4. And that’s not to mention the damn thing’s expensive. No to the Apple Tax!
So which Android should it be? I don’t know! Help!!
So true! My heart says iphone but my head says Galaxy S, so I followed my head. Been a while since I had a Samsung (my last was a Z560), but I have had HTC, BB Bold and 3GS. Shame about the lack of camera flash on the Galaxy S, but everything else is all good I reckon. If you’re a bit of a g33k, download the Tricorder app on the Marketplace too. It has a Wi-fi analyzer built-in, an SPL meter, compass and signal monitor, as well as a clock and solar meter. And it even has the tricorder sound effects! I’ll be quiet now…
iOS fails on my requirements: SMS delivery reports not supported and no Bluetooth file transfer between mobiles… two features that EVERY phone I have owned in the last 5 years has supported!
No! G33k is good! I’ll have to take a look at that app.
Had the Galaxy S for nearly a week now and so far so good. It’s a great phone.
Wow, i’m in identical situation. E71 owner, iPod for music, frustrated about Twitter (and some more services) integration on E71.
The only difference is that I already bought Galaxy S 2 months ago, only to have it stolen 10 days later. I barely had time to get used to the phone, but screen was impressive (that’s about all I remember).
So, back in search of an Android phone trying to make up my mind between Samsung Galaxy S and Desire HD. Any advice? Anything you hate about Galaxy S after several months?
Hi there, in response no. nothing to complain about since the 2.2.1 android update. The problem with the lack of flash was probably the only major gripe. I have gotten into using alternative launchers and the wide array of music apps means I have not touched my ipod. In fact it is now my wifes ipod.
If I have a choice to make now, I would go for a Nexus S knowing that 16gb is enough for me and the hardware is slightly better. I know I would not hold out for the galaxy s ii though. Too big.
i still think the galaxy s cuts the mustard providing it has froyo and now it has come down in price a lot making it a very attractive option.
John,
Thanks for responding.
Unfortunately, I can’t get a Nexus S here in Serbia, so looks like it’ll be Galaxy S once again, as I don’t really care about flash.
How are the prices in Serbia? Have they come down much since last year?
Got one yesterday – 340 Euros, no contract.
How are things over there?