Obligatory iPhone 4 Thread...

[tangey]

I don't think reviews are confusing these abilities, the distinction should be obvious from mentioning the display resolution.

the MobileCrunch review says:-
"The iPhone 4 can play 720p files up to 30FPS, but HD output would have been nice as well."
"as well" implying that it can display HD content natively.

And then they say, (in relation to the double resolution screen):-
"Expect “HD” upgrades for your favorite apps, though, and expect to pay"

That would confuse many an average Joe into thinking they were getting a HD phone.

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/06/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iphone-4/#more-33121

 

[flynn]

Much higher contrast for the AMOLED screens, better viewing angles, lower power consumption.

A friend has a HTC Desire which uses a Non-Super AMOLED screen and from a quick look at that, it appeared much brighter and clearer than any other touch screen phone I've seen before.

The screen in my Nexus One looked great... until I tried to use it outdoors. I don't know of that has been solved in newer screens but it was really disappointing.

 

[Mike11]

the MobileCrunch review says:-
"The iPhone 4 can play 720p files up to 30FPS, but HD output would have been nice as well."
"as well" implying that it can display HD content natively.

And then they say, (in relation to the double resolution screen):-
"Expect “HD” upgrades for your favorite apps, though, and expect to pay"

That would confuse many an average Joe into thinking they were getting a HD phone.

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/06/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iphone-4/#more-33121

Well, since HD itself simply means higher than SD (or whatever was the standard before "HD", in the case of the iPhone the standard definition is 480x320)...

IMHO a 1280x853 (or 1440x960) resolution just for being able to natively display 720p video on a 3.5" screen would have been crazy (the "hawk eye retina" display). And I don't think Apple will change the resolution again until they change the aspect ratio and practically make the whole front one big screen (or the iPhone can project a hologram ;-) ). I absolutely can't see Apple making the iPhone so much bigger to fit a 4.3" 3:2 screen.

 

[tangey]

Well, since HD itself simply means higher than SD (or whatever was the standard before "HD",

The case for the prosecution rests.

 

[Rolf N]

Does this OS update have any implications for the app perspective? Are there new APIs, or is it strictly (transparent) interface and concurrency enhancements?

I'm asking because I'm seconds away from pulling the trigger on an iPod touch 32GB, purely for development/testing purposes. If that is already an obsolete platform awaiting a refresh, I'd be mighty pissed.

 

[idsn6]

Does this OS update have any implications for the app perspective? Are there new APIs, or is it strictly (transparent) interface and concurrency enhancements?

1500+ new APIs by Apple's count.

I'm asking because I'm seconds away from pulling the trigger on an iPod touch 32GB, purely for development/testing purposes. If that is already an obsolete platform awaiting a refresh, I'd be mighty pissed.

A new iPod touch with iPhone 4 internals is generally expected around September.

 

[Xmas]

Does this OS update have any implications for the app perspective? Are there new APIs, or is it strictly (transparent) interface and concurrency enhancements?

I'm asking because I'm seconds away from pulling the trigger on an iPod touch 32GB, purely for development/testing purposes. If that is already an obsolete platform awaiting a refresh, I'd be mighty pissed.

While an iPod Touch refresh is probably not too far away, iOS4 is a free update for older devices. So the question is really whether you're interested in additional hardware features (phone, higher-res screen, camera, gyroscope, possibly more).

 

[flynn]

Does this OS update have any implications for the app perspective? Are there new APIs, or is it strictly (transparent) interface and concurrency enhancements?

I'm asking because I'm seconds away from pulling the trigger on an iPod touch 32GB, purely for development/testing purposes. If that is already an obsolete platform awaiting a refresh, I'd be mighty pissed.

Your iPod Touch will be updated to iOS4 on the 21st of July (IIRC), so don't worry about that. There are some new APIs indeed, but they do not fundamentally change the way you develop apps.

 

[wco81]

What if he wants to support the higher resolution screen or the gyroscope?

Or the two cameras?

Might be nice to have hardware to test those features.

But from a consumer POV, unless he's getting a big discount on the current iPod Touch, in September, he'll get a lot more for the same amount of money.

 

[Rolf N]

Thanks for the responses!

That the old hw still gets the updated OS is all I needed to hear. Different clock speeds and screen resolutions shouldn't be a big issue.

Camera and motion sensing ... hmm. Don't need either now

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

The screen in my Nexus One looked great... until I tried to use it outdoors. I don't know of that has been solved in newer screens but it was really disappointing.

Name one device with a screen that does work properly outdoors. Notebooks, phones, handhelds etc all become hard to look at when outdoors in direct sunlight.

 

[nutball]

Name one device with a screen that does work properly outdoors.

Ermm.... iPhone? And all of the other LCD-based phones I've ever owned? Also all of my laptops barring my Dell Mini 9?

I mean yeah with some of the phones you get the "woo, spot the effect of Rayleigh scattering in action, polarisation FTW" thing on a bright, sunny, blue-skied day but they're still eminently legible.

 

[Pressure]

Name one device with a screen that does work properly outdoors. Notebooks, phones, handhelds etc all become hard to look at when outdoors in direct sunlight.

Technically speaking all displays work properly outdoors.

The differentiator is if they are viewable, especially in direct sunlight.

I haven't had any problems with either my phones or notebooks, your mileage may vary of course.

 

[Helmore]

Your iPod Touch will be updated to iOS4 on the 21st of July (IIRC), so don't worry about that. There are some new APIs indeed, but they do not fundamentally change the way you develop apps.

IIRC it was June the 21st for that update.

Technically speaking all displays work properly outdoors.

The differentiator is if they are viewable, especially in direct sunlight.

I haven't had any problems with either my phones or notebooks, your mileage may vary of course.

My notebook screen is unusable in direct sunlight. It really differs from screen to screen and the same holds true for OLED. You also have to consider that OLED is still in its infancy.

 

[Mike11]

Name one device with a screen that does work properly outdoors. Notebooks, phones, handhelds etc all become hard to look at when outdoors in direct sunlight.

For me, the best smartphone for readability in direct bright sunlight was the Nokia E90 Communicator. Nokia uses (or used) some special transreflective screens on the E-series (business series). The brighter it got in direct sunlight (and it had to be very bright) the more monochrome the screen became, but it was still readable when you couldn't make out anything on the iPhone 3G.

 

[Chandler55]

ok so apparently the iphone4 and ipad will be able to render at 320x480 so fillrate wont be boned. i checked the sdk, good to know games will run as fast or faster than 3gs with no problems. I wonder if more developers will use the 3gs as the common denominator as more people upgrade their 2g/3g's to 3gs/4......

 

[Mike11]

I guess if Apple sticks to its general practice (iPod, 3G/3GS) then the next iPhone (5) will be all about it's SoC (Cortex-A9 dual-core?) and overall speed improvements and will only have minor (if at all) design changes. At least I think that's what Apple planed to do, but maybe the growing competition (Android, WP7) will force them to step it up.

 

[roninja]

next ipad perhaps will feature Cortex A9 plus SGX 543 at the high end but it's likely that A4 will have a 24month lifespan all in all before phase out.

 

[Arun]

next ipad perhaps will feature Cortex A9 plus SGX 543 at the high end but it's likely that A4 will have a 24month lifespan all in all before phase out.

Given that Apple has now maintained an astonishing ~6 months chip release cycle for the last TWO YEARS (!!!), I don't think that's very likely. I am referring to the following four chips: iPod Touch 2G, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 3G, A4. Just look at the second image on this page: http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/...cleID=224701036&printable=true&printable=true

Since the acquired Intrinsity group likely wouldn't be ready for switching to the Cortex-A9 so rapidly, the real question is what improvements might justify a new SoC for the iPod Touch 3G. My guess is none are sufficient to justify the R&D, and *if* Apple keeps to a 6 month cycle then it's much more likely we see a lower-end SoC on 45nm if they want to do something akin to an iPhone Nano (big if as always). Alternatively, they might concentrate on a 45nm Cortex-A9 SoC for a 1H11 iPad refresh, or skip that and go straight for 32nm on Cortex-A9 in 2H11. I could not believe that we won't see a new SoC between 1H10 and 2H11 though.

 

[Mike11]

Given that Apple has now maintained an astonishing ~6 months chip release cycle for the last TWO YEARS (!!!), I don't think that's very likely. I am referring to the following four chips: iPod Touch 2G, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 3G, A4. Just look at the second image on this page: http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/...cleID=224701036&printable=true&printable=true

Since the acquired Intrinsity group likely wouldn't be ready for switching to the Cortex-A9 so rapidly, the real question is what improvements might justify a new SoC for the iPod Touch 3G. My guess is none are sufficient to justify the R&D, and *if* Apple keeps to a 6 month cycle then it's much more likely we see a lower-end SoC on 45nm if they want to do something akin to an iPhone Nano (big if as always). Alternatively, they might concentrate on a 45nm Cortex-A9 SoC for a 1H11 iPad refresh, or skip that and go straight for 32nm on Cortex-A9 in 2H11. I could not believe that we won't see a new SoC between 1H10 and 2H11 though.

Let's assume Apple wants to use the same basic chip in all three devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch). As far as we know, is it possible for Intrinsity's Cortex-A9 dual-core to be ready in time for the next iPad (let's assume March 2011)? And if (Samsung's?) 32nm process is not ready for the iPad, is it practical for Apple to ship in 45/40nm for the iPad and 32nm for the iPhone (since I assume a 45nm dual-core has too high power requirements for the iPhone and Apple's battery life standards).

I'm assuming dual-core because I don't think that Apple can afford to ship a single core CPU in its new devices in 2011. IMHO Apple doesn't have to have SoCs that are a generation ahead, but they need to be at the top of the current generation because their devices have to be at least good enough for a year while the competition will crank out new and improved devices every month. And in H1/2011 we will see dual-core CPUs in tablets and high-end smartphones from other manufacturers for sure.