iPhone 4G Can Be Skipped
Last summer I joined the technologically advanced world of smart phones when I bought the iPhone 3GS. The total package made financial sense, finally, and I jumped at getting it. It’s a year later and Apple has announced what the iPhone 4G is going to feature and when it’s going to drop. And even though I am very eligible to upgrade, the truth is that it’s not worth it and I’ll explain my reasoning.
The first thing I will say before going on is none of my reasons for not upgrading are connected to AT&T. Everyone has been quick the bash AT&T and it’s service to iPhone users and make that the backbone complaint. What people need to realize that if one of the other companies had the exclusive rights to the iPhone as long as AT&T has then that network would be suffering from the same issues that AT&T is working on correcting. So anyone who uses AT&T as a complaint is someone with just flat out dislike for the company.
As to my reasons to why you might want to skip the iPhone 4G, starting point would be the software update. The long awaited multi-tasking is coming with iOS4. Now you can multi-task, make folders to organize your apps instead of searching through pages to find the one you want, and personalize your iPhone with a background image. But this software is going to be a free download and will work on the iPhone 3GS. Sure the newer phone has the 4G chip [made by Apple], but I doubt it’s that much faster than the 3G.
Second is the introduction of the front facing camera and the video conferencing feature that Apple is calling Face Time. This feature was leaked a few months ago and upon reading up on it the truth is that it’s all hype. Face Time can only be used over WiFi and to iPhone 4G users. So if your not near WiFi and/or the person you want to conference with does not have the iPhone 4G, then this feature is useless. Plus it will be months if not a full year before app developers will be able to figure out how to properly and creatively use the front facing camera.
And there is NO memory increase with the iPhone 4G. Last year the iPhone jumped from 16-GB to 32-GB, which was the big selling point for me last summer. As Apple went through their presentation Monday introducing a better still camera, HD video capabilities with iMovies [editing software], and the addition of the iBookstore, we all figured a increase in memory was naturally coming. But when the announced the memory size it was still just a 32-GB maximum. How can you add HD capabilities with editing software and the availability of downloading books and NOT increase the memory size. By not expanding to storage size to at least 64-GB is as big a lapse in judgment as leaving multi-tasking absent for so long.
The iPhone 4G has been overhyped and had features like the gyroscope tossed in to distract people from it’s minor differences from to iPhone 3GS in hopes that those obsessed with “shiny and new” will run out to buy it and realize afterwards that they jumped the gun. If your iPhone is first or second generation look into the iPhone 4G if you need to upgrade. But if your a current iPhone 3GS owner, like myself, wait to see if a 64-GB or bigger version is announced or wait until the 2011 iPhone is released.
