Rumor Site Announces iPhone 4D; the “D” Stands for Disappointment
by John Paczkowski
Posted on May 12, 2009 at 7:49 AM PT
If/when Apple uncrates its next-generation iPhone at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, it will be identical to its predecessor in physical design and boast only a few modest upgrades. This according to the latest rumor making the rounds, which describes the new device as a near “repeat” of the iPhone 3G and offers up the following specs for it:
- 600 MHz Samsung ARM processor
- 256MB system RAM
- a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus
- 32GB of storage
- a digital compass
- FM
These specs were submitted to a rumor site by someone who claims to have a friend inside Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn who has handled iPhone “model MB717LL 9.” As such, they should be taken with a grain of salt, if not an entire salt flat.
That said, the rumors do seem reasonable. A 600 MHz chip is a nice improvement over the a 400 MHz part in the current iPhone, as is the doubling of RAM to 256MB. FM transmission and reception capabilities have been rumored before as has the compass. What’s missing, however, is an improved battery, a better GPU–perhaps the PowerVR SGX that’s been rumored to be heading for the device, a new, more elegant housing less prone to those hairline cracks that seem to plague the current one, and–in a perfect world–an OLED display and a second front-facing camera for video conferencing. Of course if OS 3.0 proves to be even a third as robust as Apple claims, we’ll be so enamored of the device we might not notice any of those things are missing.
Comments
Why disappointment? Just the performance improvements in the 3.0 software plus the faster CPU and, most importantly, the double RAM should give the device an impressive boost; especially the RAM limitation was a severe bottleneck degrading the entire system (insufficient caching in several apps, but mainly Mobile Safari). A 3.2 MP camera is enough for a phone, Apple will never build a phone thick enough to house a real lens, so adding resolution won’t help – third parties can offer add-on cameras for the dock connector if there is demand (the same solution can be used for a video conferencing camera for the very few people using it – as most 3G networks do not offer HSUPA capability, or only in limited areas, mobile video conferencing is a masochist hobby in most places).
I definitively agree with the “more elegant” and higher quality housing though. The 3G was a severe step down from the original model (I do not have any hairline cracks though, and I do not even use a sleeve or bag). At this price point I simply expect better materials. A better GPU would help with advanced games. Other than that, I prefer them to not enter the feature war and use all available space for the battery. If I want some overloaded junk with a million buttons and functions I will never use, the competition has plenty…
Posted by Uwe Rueckeshaeuser at May 12th, 2009 at 8:34 amIf it doesn’t come with a built in garage door opener I’m going to cry.
At least I hope they’re wrong about the design, they could tweak it a little can’t they?
Posted by Bjorn Tipling at May 12th, 2009 at 8:55 amThe iPhone has always been about the software, not the hardware.
Posted by Eric Welch at May 12th, 2009 at 9:05 amI must say, the world is becoming a pitiful place when people are “disappointed” in the latest upgrade to the most amazing electronic gizmo in at least a generation, as if to say “We’re not content with a miracle. Give us Miracle-Plus!” Advertising is rotting the brains of America.
Posted by Alan Sanders at May 12th, 2009 at 9:19 amFM?
Posted by Evan Pontoriero at May 12th, 2009 at 10:01 amAre you sure it is not Sirius Radio or is that just going to be an app?
I am surprised at the naivety of Paczkowski writing and the utter lack of understand of the success of the iPhone, which is not the internal specs of the device but the software, and overall build of the device. iPhone itself was a revolution in the smartphone market and the iPhone 3G was a major upgrade from the original iPhone but the underlying software not the hardware is what makes the phone a success. The iPhone 3G was a significant upgrade to the original iPhone but I believe from here on out Apple will be concentrating on slowly evolving this nearly rock solid platform. Paczkowski also fails to acknowledge that one major improvement and announcement is that Apple is allowing tethering of 3-party devices to the iPhone. So though the iPhone may not come out with a camera on the front face of the phone (a decision I’m glad Apple did not include), there is plenty of opportunity for 3rd party vendors to create an attachable video phone device. Apple is opening up the hardware with the new iPhone and that is a MAJOR improvement. It would be nice however to get OLED screens on the new iPhones but it’s not a cost effective technology yet and I doubt users will want to pay an extra hundred or so to get an OLED screen. Perhaps it will be something we can look forward for in the 4th iteration of the iPhone.
Posted by Alain Ho at May 12th, 2009 at 10:44 amMy only comment here is that your “disappointment” is akin to confusing attributes with outcomes.
Apple has never led by having the deepest list of features. They have won by virtue of a seamless marriage of software, hardware and service layers into a great user experience, as supported by a strong SDK and the App Store marketplace/distribution model (in case of iPhone/iPod touch).
As @Alain notes, a biggie in this release is the added support for software-enabled third-party hardware extensions (accessories), building upon what is already a $2B market with iPod.
That’s a big deal because it opens up the door to all sorts of vertical segments for iPhone to extend (think: medical devices, universal remotes, data input/output), something that I blogged about in:
iPhone 3.0 and the Woz: Everything Old is New
(http://bit.ly/7hLJY)
Check it out, if interested.
Mark
Posted by Mark Sigal at May 12th, 2009 at 11:07 am