Sometimes the flukes work in my favor...
Long winded iPhone 4 review and my first ever YouTube video posting (of a movie cut on the phone itself)...
I can't entirely say I purchased my iPhone 4 on a whim. I read the articles surrounding its announcement and diligently watched the entire WDCC keynote so I knew what it was about and why it would be a significant upgrade to my trusty 3G. I hadn't planned on getting one at launch until a co-worker asked me a technical question because a couple other folks in the Office were looking at getting them. Impulsively, I asked if I could get in on that action, too. I didn't necessarily know that I was going to buy in when I did, but I was convinced that if I were going to spend my own money on an iPhone, this was the time to get in on it.
Our AT&T rep said they were stymied by the same crashes on pre-order day as everyone else. We may or may not have gotten in on the pre-order wave of shipments. It was possible we may not see them until July. It was anyone's guess. I also had concerns about activating the phone during any of those rushes, since AT&T -- despite being the largest phone company in the known universe -- seems to consistently underestimate the impact of the single most popular phone on the planet.
For whatever reasons, things worked in my favor. My phone arrived at our Office on June 23. It was sitting around for a few hours before anyone brought it to my attention, because nobody seriously expected it to be a new and highly sought-after iPhone 4. On June 24 we received an e-mail from our rep informing us they expected the phones to be in on June 25. Again, nobody knows anything when the system goes nuts.
Activation was a breeze, though I did do it on the 23rd as well. I'd been armed with all manner of numbers and acronyms because one never knows what the system will demand before blessing your device. All I needed to do was enter the cell phone number, switch off the phone for 5 minutes and turn it back on.
And it worked.
Considering I'm not syncing this device to the LA Mothership, the transition has gone smoothly so far. I had already copied all my apps from the Motheship to my laptop and once I added them into the Library on that installation of iTunes they synced just fine (had to re-log into everything as preferences didn't appear to transfer). The usage experience was what I'd hoped for. The phone has great hand-feel; the size is nice in both the hand and my pocket. The display is amazing: crisp and bright. Between the faster processor and the multi-tasking, it feels very snappy and responsive. The 5MP HD camera is snazzy, and the video looks pretty good. I splurged the $5 for iMovie for the iPhone and put a clip together in under 10 minutes (using the only media I had on the device so far). Exported it and posted it to YouTube directly from the phone.
(this is also my first post to YouTube. Ever.)
My one gripe is the same as it's always been with Apple: materials. They make a device that's meant to be held in the hand and pressed against your face and yet they don't include the sorts of impervious scratch shields you can get from third-parties. Worse, they've made the back side of this damn thing glass for no other reason than it looks cool. And yes, it looks rad quite honestly. However, it's a frakkin' phone and that's how it's going to be used. Maybe next time they'll make a device that I can bear to carry around naked and not feel forced to spend $30 - 100 on cases and screen covers for.
And don't even get me started on their Bumper pricing. I love the design and the idea, but $30 for a ring of silicon... one f*cking ring?! Abominable. Seriously.
So, overall experience positive. In terms of clarity, speed and performance I got exactly what I was hoping for. I also got the one negative I truly expected. I'm sure it'll be fine, but double-sided glass makes me a little nervous. I'm still toting it around in a micro-fiber sunglass bag when I put in in my pocket because I abhor the thought of scratching it. The problem is, of course, that it can be scratched in the first place.
I've seen the videos about reception. I have been able to replicate the observed problem a few times, but not with consistency. Sometimes the bars drop, sometimes they don't. I'm hoping the initial reported response from Apple about it being a software problem is correct, since fixing it with an update is by far the simplest solution.
I can't entirely say I purchased my iPhone 4 on a whim. I read the articles surrounding its announcement and diligently watched the entire WDCC keynote so I knew what it was about and why it would be a significant upgrade to my trusty 3G. I hadn't planned on getting one at launch until a co-worker asked me a technical question because a couple other folks in the Office were looking at getting them. Impulsively, I asked if I could get in on that action, too. I didn't necessarily know that I was going to buy in when I did, but I was convinced that if I were going to spend my own money on an iPhone, this was the time to get in on it.
Our AT&T rep said they were stymied by the same crashes on pre-order day as everyone else. We may or may not have gotten in on the pre-order wave of shipments. It was possible we may not see them until July. It was anyone's guess. I also had concerns about activating the phone during any of those rushes, since AT&T -- despite being the largest phone company in the known universe -- seems to consistently underestimate the impact of the single most popular phone on the planet.
For whatever reasons, things worked in my favor. My phone arrived at our Office on June 23. It was sitting around for a few hours before anyone brought it to my attention, because nobody seriously expected it to be a new and highly sought-after iPhone 4. On June 24 we received an e-mail from our rep informing us they expected the phones to be in on June 25. Again, nobody knows anything when the system goes nuts.
Activation was a breeze, though I did do it on the 23rd as well. I'd been armed with all manner of numbers and acronyms because one never knows what the system will demand before blessing your device. All I needed to do was enter the cell phone number, switch off the phone for 5 minutes and turn it back on.
And it worked.
Considering I'm not syncing this device to the LA Mothership, the transition has gone smoothly so far. I had already copied all my apps from the Motheship to my laptop and once I added them into the Library on that installation of iTunes they synced just fine (had to re-log into everything as preferences didn't appear to transfer). The usage experience was what I'd hoped for. The phone has great hand-feel; the size is nice in both the hand and my pocket. The display is amazing: crisp and bright. Between the faster processor and the multi-tasking, it feels very snappy and responsive. The 5MP HD camera is snazzy, and the video looks pretty good. I splurged the $5 for iMovie for the iPhone and put a clip together in under 10 minutes (using the only media I had on the device so far). Exported it and posted it to YouTube directly from the phone.
(this is also my first post to YouTube. Ever.)
My one gripe is the same as it's always been with Apple: materials. They make a device that's meant to be held in the hand and pressed against your face and yet they don't include the sorts of impervious scratch shields you can get from third-parties. Worse, they've made the back side of this damn thing glass for no other reason than it looks cool. And yes, it looks rad quite honestly. However, it's a frakkin' phone and that's how it's going to be used. Maybe next time they'll make a device that I can bear to carry around naked and not feel forced to spend $30 - 100 on cases and screen covers for.
And don't even get me started on their Bumper pricing. I love the design and the idea, but $30 for a ring of silicon... one f*cking ring?! Abominable. Seriously.
So, overall experience positive. In terms of clarity, speed and performance I got exactly what I was hoping for. I also got the one negative I truly expected. I'm sure it'll be fine, but double-sided glass makes me a little nervous. I'm still toting it around in a micro-fiber sunglass bag when I put in in my pocket because I abhor the thought of scratching it. The problem is, of course, that it can be scratched in the first place.
I've seen the videos about reception. I have been able to replicate the observed problem a few times, but not with consistency. Sometimes the bars drop, sometimes they don't. I'm hoping the initial reported response from Apple about it being a software problem is correct, since fixing it with an update is by far the simplest solution.