We all knew that it was just a matter of time, and with all the recent web chatter, it comes as no surprise that Apple has announced a media/press event one week from today, on March 2, 2011. The invitation (above) doesn’t leave much to the imagination: I think that it’s fair to assume that Apple will introduce the 2nd generation of their revolutionary mobile darling: the iPad.
It’s also likely that the new iPad will feature a faster core processor, slightly improved battery life and a camera or two (for FaceTime chats). I also think that the price may come down a notch or two. If not, i think the original iPad will remain available at a lower price point [than it exists today]. While i would LOVE to see the iPhone 4′s Retina Display incorporated into the iPad 2, i’m not sure a device like that could sustain a screen that sharp and that big and still maintain it’s highly lauded battery life…yet.
There have also been a number of rumors circulating that Apple will also introduce a revision to the MacBook line of portables. Reports are clamoring to guess the various changes and upgrades that may be coming. As usual, i think any improvements are good ones and i’m eager to see what new technologies Apple will be introducing.
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Our friends at Apple have release a flurry of updates this week.
Starting with a little housekeeping, Apple updated iWeb. If you use iWeb to host your website or blog, the updates should help streamline your site further. At a meaty 177+MB, the 3.0.2 update is fixes “a variety of issues related to publishing sites to MobileMe.” It also, refines and cleans up the comment & search functions for blogs and podcasts.
Apple’s Safari web browser was also updated this week: it is available for Mac OS 10.6, 10.5, 10.4, Windows XP, Vista & 7.
Though minor, the update was deployed to fix three primary areas: “issues that could prevent users from submitting web forms…issues that could cause web content to display incorrectly when viewing a Google Image result with Flash 10.1 installed…And, [it also] establishes an encrypted, authenticated connection to the Safari Extensions Gallery.”
Finally, the granddaddy of updates (and one many of us have been waiting for) was the first major bump to iOS 4. Available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G & iPod Touch (iPad will still have to wait until November), iOS 4.1 is chuck full of goodies.
General housekeeping, in the update, will fix annoying bugs like the iPhone 4 promiximity sensor issue, the wonkiness of the Nike+ app and whatever sluggish performance iPhone 3G users reported.
But, the housekeeping issues aren’t really what really has this update shining — it’s got some cool new features:
To start, it now has the HDR (or High Dynamic Range) photo capability that Steve demonstrated in the September 1, 2010 Music Event. The update also includes Apple’s “Game Center,” and [finally] the ability to upload HD footage directly to YouTube. This update also adds support for AVRCP Accessories (like 3rd party ear buds that use built-in controls).
Game Center is the social-network-of-sorts that Apple announced back in April. Similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Live, Game Center allows users to send and receive requests between friends, so that they can invite others to multiplayer games (even over the net). Users can also be auto-matched to play games together (also over the net), discover new games to play and compare stats & achievements with their peers.
Game Center will only work with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and the iPod Touch (2nd generation or later).
Users can update iWeb & Safari, by selecting “Software Update” from their “Apple” menu in the top left-most corner of their screen.
To receive the iOS update, plug your iDevice into your Mac, and head to iTunes. If iTunes doesn’t ask you to update your device automatically, select the device (in the source menu on the left) and click the button that says, “Check for Update.”
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It was another big day for Apple aficionados. As announced, Apple held their [now] annual “Music Event.” There were predictions across the blogosphere about what would be announced (even some here), and what people doubted we’d see.
Well, after the live streaming of the event (a first in years), we can now rest happy with what we got and a little disappointed by what we didn’t.
I’ve taken my initial reactions and kicked them around so that I could provide you with some expert advice.
Apple has traditionally used this platform to announce new iPods & updates to existing models and this year’s event was no exception. Apple refined almost all of their existing iPod models: the shuffle, the nano, and the iPod Touch. The iPod Classic (the only non-flash based iPod) hasn’t been updated, but hasn’t disappeared either).
The iPod Shuffle:
In its last refinement, the iPod Shuffle lost ALL buttons. That iPod Shuffle introduced “VoiceOver,” but was essentially controlled by the few click controls on the ear buds.
With the newest release, Apple has brought back the shuffle’s buttons, but managed to keep the iPod small, and still maintain the VoiceOver controls. As expected, the shuffle comes in five colors: pink, blue, green, orange and silver. It is available in a 2GB for $49 US.
The iPod Nano:
Of all the new iPods, the new iPod Nano has seen the biggest physical adjustment this time around. Apple completely redesigned the Nano to more closely resemble the iPod Shuffle (built-in clip, size, etc), but added its incredible “touch” technology. While I haven’t had my hands on one of these new iPods [yet] I find the design and concept very appealing.
For a long time, the Nano was Apple’s best selling iPod (it has since been eclipsed by the iPod Touch…likely because of the available apps). This new design could help re-popularize the Nano. For $149 US (and starting at 8GB), it’s a far better value than the shuffle. The touch features seem a little strange (compared to the touch we’ve learned to love in the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad), but still seem intuitive enough to replace the shuffles limited feature set. Unfortunately, unlike the iPod Touch, the new nano doesn’t have access to Apple’s App store and (at present time), users cannot load additional applications onto their nano. I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed. Additionally, the video recording and camera capabilities that Apple introduced into their nano last year, are now gone. The iPod Nano still comes in six different colors.
The iPod Touch:
While this iPod received the smallest update, it has gained the most exciting changes. As the blogosphere predicted, both a front & rear camera have been added (nearly matching the iPhone 4′s specs, but aren’t quite as good/powerful). The rear camera now adds HD recording and it also takes advantage of Apple’s new “FaceTime” video conferencing. Prior to this updated Touch, only iPhone 4 users could video chat [with one-another]. Now, even non-iPhone 4 users can get in on the fun. I assume that integration with the desktop computer (mainly Apple’s iChat application) isn’t far off.
The iPod Touch is also a smidge thinner and steals from a few other iPhone 4 features: the Retina Display, an A4 processor and a 3-axis gyroscope. Aside form the brilliant image quality the Retina Display provides, most of these other updates will go unnoticed. They are under-the-hood adjustments that dramatically improve the overall user experience. The iPod Touch starts with 8GB at $229 US.
iTunes 10:
I admit that I’m surprised that Apple unleashed iTunes 10 in the manner and with the features that it did. Previously, I suspected that they might abandon the name “iTunes” in favor of something else, like “iHub,” since listening to “tunes” is hardly the main usage for the application these days. Further, I assumed that with a major number like “ten” Apple would have finally rewritten the application so that it was 64bit. They didn’t do either.
That aside, Apple did make some interesting adjustments/improvements: they’ve have changed the overall user interface to (as they call it) be “more streamlined, sleeker.” After using the new interface for a few days, I admit that I’m a fan. As a modernist, I like the way that iTunes 10 has toned down its color combinations, accents and buttons. Interestingly enough, there are many people tweeting, and blogging that they do not like the interface and have said, “if this is a sign of OX 10.7, [they] are switching back to windows.”
Not only is that a little dramatic, it’s probably not true. It’s not the type of interface that we’ve come to love & expect from Apple, but it is a nice update. And, no random visual-interface-adjustments are going to send us away from the features, stability, reliability and intuitiveness that we’ve come to love from our Macs.
Apple did decide to change the icon that has represented iTunes for nearly ten years. Jobs, in his keynote, said that they no longer felt it was appropriate to have the “CD” in the icon because far fewer people are actually using CDs and CD-Rs these days. The icon isn’t the only place Apple has killed the compact disc: in iTunes 9, if you were looking to burn a CD, you simply created a playlist, inserted a CD-R and clicked the “burn” button in the lower left corner of the application. That “burn” button no longer exists. If you decide to burn a playlist to your CD, in iTunes 10, you must go into the File menu and select the “burn playlist to disc” option.
Apple has also introduced a few other small enhancements including changes to “airtunes,” now “airplay,” a new list view option and “improved device syncing.” Airplay will certainly become more interesting in the future (it’s only been renamed for now…but the features are set to change with the next iOS software release).
Apple has also managed to re-negotiate with the television networks, now providing their shows, commercial free, for just $0.99 US. Movies are now available in HD for just $4.99 (rented).
The big news to come out of iTunes 10 is the addition of “Ping.” Ping is Apple’s take on social sharing and social networking. According to Apple, Ping is a way to “…discover new music by going social…learn even more about your favorite artists and friends starting with their bios. See what they’ve been up to — even listen to 30-second previews of music they like. Find out when and where artists and bands are on tour, and check out photos and videos they’ve posted. With Ping, a community of the world’s most passionate music fans is just a click away.”
At the moment, Ping’s features are a little confusing and not all that interesting. If Apple can find interesting ways to incorporate Ping into services like Facebook or Twitter, I think they may gain a larger market, and subsequently kill the beleaguered MySpace. While Apple has officially announced that over a million people have signed up to join Ping in just a few days, the social network still feels a little anemic. And, a lot of the content that people (celebrities) are posting already exist on Twitter and Facebook. Who wants ANOTHER network to check, if it can all be combined in one magical place?
Finally…Apple’s big surprise (sort-of) announcement…
AppleTV:
While the AppleTV has been around for a while, Apple has always proclaimed that it was just a “hobby” project of theirs. In the few years that it’s been on the market, it has never seen a physical change, and only saw minor changes to its interface. That ALL changed with Apple’s newest announcement. On Wednesday, Apple announced the first major update to their AppleTV product and, that it is no longer considered a hobby for them. The physical design is simple and appropriate: the new AppleTV box is all black and is 80% smaller than its predecessor and it no longer requires a big, bulky, external power supply. NICE.
Jobs admitted that they’ve been using all the feedback they’ve received [from users] to modify, update and improve the AppleTV experience.
He even gave a checklist of the “most desired” user features:
- More movies and TV shows on demand
- HD
- No computer required
- Silent
- No local storage, storage management or syncing
- Smaller
- Cheaper
With the largest library of online content Apple is moving everything to full HD and adding more and more movies and TV shows. “Purchasing” movies on the AppleTV will no longer be an option (the device no longer has onboard storage). With the new AppleTV, you will only be able to rent or stream your content. That being said, if you want to buy and own your shows or movies, you can always purchase them on your Mac (via iTunes), your iPad, your iPod Touch or iPhone and stream them directly to the AppleTV. Smart.
Another excellent addition to the AppleTV is its ability to link to your Netflix account for instant movie streaming. Prior to this update, users that wanted to access Netflix through their AppleTV were forced to hack and modify all sorts of things. Even then, IF it worked, the experience wasn’t very pleasant (I can attest with personal experience). In addition to streaming from Netflix, the new AppleTV will stream content from YouTube, Flickr, MobileMe and from your home computer (and iDevices).
The best part? It’s no longer $229 US (to start), but instead is just $99 US. It is expected to ship in the next few weeks.
I am already and AppleTV owner, but admit that it’s feature set hasn’t been all that ideal, until now. While no mention has been made, I’m hoping that the software update will not be exclusive to new AppleTV owners and devices, but also to those of us with previous models.
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Looks like our friends over at Apple have been working overtime lately…and, not just on diffusing the “antenna-gate” issue surrounding the iPhone 4!
This morning Apple released a flurry of upgrades to their product matrix: new iMacs, a new MacPro tower and a new 27″ Cinema Display. They also debuted two new peripherals: The Apple Magic Trackpad and the Apple Battery Charger.
For the average consumer, I believe that the iMac revision is among the most significant announcements Apple made today. While the “coming soon” MacPro and 27″ display are breathtaking and exceptional options in the Pro market, I believe the iMac upgrade is the one that will benefit most new buyers, now.
It’s “back to school time,” after all. And, while the general exterior of the iMac remains mostly the same, the interior has been beefed up with all sorts of nice features: stronger graphics performance, better built-in displays, more storage/RAM and most notably, much more powerful processors. iMacs now come with either the i3, i5 or i7 QUAD-core Intel chips. Those chips are BEASTS, particularly when running Snow Leopard (10.6, Apple’s latest operating system). Finally, the prices remain the same (starting at just $1,199 US) and the new iMacs qualify for the FREE iPod Touch event Apple is holding for educational users/purchases.
In addition to the product upgrades, Apple also debuted the Magic Trackpad and the Apple Battery Charger. For some power-users, the Magic Trackpad may not come as a huge surprise because it has been circulating via rumors in the blogosphere for several weeks (after it’s FCC approval was granted, and discovered, online). Still, this is the first time Apple has made mention or acknowledged it. The Battery Charger is a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one at that. Both devices are available for sale today. 
Apple truly pioneered the “touch revolution” when they debuted the iPhone. Since then, they have worked incredibly hard to patent new and innovate uses for their touch-technologies (multi-touch, etc.) and have integrated the technologies into many of their products: the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, all MacBooks, the Magic Mouse and now the Magic Trackpad.
It seems that Apple has positioned the Magic Trackpad as a replacement for desktop mice (interesting, no?). Many of you recall that Apple popularized the mouse when it launched the Macintosh (1984), but is notorious for abandoning technology [it finds obsolete] long before the rest of the industry. Think about the floppy disk drive (with the original iMac), Networking/Ethernet cords (with the original WiFi iBook) and the CD-ROM drive (with the MacBook Air/iPad). I’m particularly intrigued by the Magic Trackpad. To start, I used a small, wired trackpad with my desktop PowerMac [in place of a mouse] WAYYY back in the mid-90′s. It took some getting use to, but was perfectly capable. The trackpad I had been using was also about half the size of the trackpads found on modern MacBooks, and still I found it pleasant and functional.
The Magic Trackpad is interesting because it’s the largest of its kind, it’s wireless and it supports Apple’s patented multi-touch technology and gestures. Now you can pinch and zoom, swipe left/right/up/down double-tap, triple-tap, etc. And, you can do it all without moving your hand all over the place. Could this be an ergonomic breakthrough for desktop computing?
Apple is offering the Magic Trackpad for $69 US, and is available with any new Mac (in place of an Apple, wired, Mouse or Apple’s touch capable Magic Mouse). Earlier this year I attempted to replace my Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical for Apple’s Magic Mouse, but didn’t last more than 24hrs. I did like that the button-less design and the scrolling/swiping features, but found the mouse too uncomfortable to use long-term. Additionally, i really missed all the “extra” programmable buttons that my IntelliMouse has. I attempted to install the MagicPref utility to add some functionality to what i was missing, but found that the mouse just wasn’t big enough to really identify the unique touch queues it was given. I returned the magic mouse and went back to my MS IntelliMouse. Now that the Magic Trackpad has surfaced, I’m interested in giving it a shot as a replacement to my desktop mouse.
That being said, I think that Apple has missed the boat on price. Many of their accessories (particularly wireless) are hitting the $69 US mark these days. In this economy, that seems unnecessarily high. While it is a large wireless device, I think more people would be trying it out if the price were closer to $40 US. I know I would.
Lastly, Apple has introduced the Apple Battery Charger. This new gadget is a welcome surprise to their accessory line-up. 
We’re all aware that Apple spends a lot of time ensuring that their products are highly recyclable and eco-friendly. Unfortunately, modernism doesn’t come without batteries. Wanna cut cords on your desk? You go wireless, and wireless = batteries. Now, Apple has three peripherals that require batteries and they, even when properly disposed, are increasingly environmentally UN-friendly and toxic. Apple needed to step in and offer their consumers a smarter way to use and maintain their wireless peripherals and this charger should help remind consumers to be mindful when taking advantage of the latest and greatest wireless options.
In true “Apple-form,” the engineers didn’t just replicate the hundreds of “rechargeable batteries and chargers” on the market. They developed one that thinks beyond the norm. Apple’s recharger ships with six batteries (most ship with four). Why six? Apple dreams of the day when it’s customers are using two AA-batteries in their wireless keyboard and two in either their Magic Mouse OR new Magic Trackpad. The remaining two will stay in the charger until another pair runs out so you should never be without a fully charged pair. Smart.
Apple has also revised the way the charger works, aiming to develop something even more eco-friendly. Here’s how they describe the difference between common rechargers and their own:
“When the Apple Battery Charger recharges your batteries, it not only maximizes battery performance and lifespan, it also conserves energy. Thanks to an intelligent power management system, the Apple Battery Charger uses less power once your batteries are fully charged, making it one of the most energy-efficient rechargeable battery solutions ever. The Apple Battery Charger can recharge one or two batteries at a time. It’s optimized for Apple-supplied batteries and it works with AA NiMH batteries from other companies, too.”
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Last Friday, Apple officially held a press conference to publicly discuss the “death grip” issue apparently plaguing the iPhone 4. Steve Jobs took to the floor and gave us some facts and figures, aiming to clear up the confusion. I’ve waited a few days, before commenting, because i wanted the dust to settle on the issue & the surrounding solution. By now, it has.
First off, Apple does acknowledge, with full disclosure, that gripping the iPhone 4 over the lower left-side (where a black line indicates the joining of the perimeter antenna, shown right) will cause the cellular signal to weaken. Apple also indicated that this isn’t a problem limited to just the iPhone 4; Jobs was quick to point out that it is an issue with all “smartphones” and then demonstrated video (now available online) whereby the situation can be replicated on the iPhone 3GS, the Blackberry Bold 9700, the HTC Droid Eris, the Nokia N97 mini and the Samsung Omnia II, amongst others.
The problem is hard to avoid, no matter how you design a mobile phone because there are numerous rules and regulations (by the FCC for radiation distribution, etc.) that cannot be avoided. In the past, like many other mobile phone manufacturers, Apple has opted to put their antennas on the inside of their phones, with additional receivers on the outside (the iPhone 3GS uses the metal bevel around the phone and the metal bevel around the camera lens to help with reception). It wasn’t until the recent release of the iPhone 4 that Apple tried another technique: take ALL antennas out of the phone’s interior and use the perimeter’s metal band as the [sole] antenna. People have called them crazy (that’s nothing new), but think about their motives: by moving the antenna from the interior, Apple has made room for a larger battery, a bigger/faster processor and more onboard storage. Hmmmmm…desirable features.
Apple (and Consumer Reports) has also further demonstrated that the “issue” becomes moot when the iPhone 4 is in either a case or a “bumper.” The theory here is simple: with a case or bumper, the human hand isn’t making direct contact with, and thus absorbing, the antennas receiving capabilities.
Ok, so if you MUST hold your phone so that your hand is covering a sensitive area, and a cover/bumper would fix it, why not just use one? Well, that’s what Apple is proposing as their immediate solution. In fact, they are giving away FREE bumpers to any iPhone 4 buyer from now until [at least] September 30, 2010. If you have already purchased a bumper from Apple, they will refund 100% of your money. Further, since Apple is struggling to keep up with bumper manufacturing, they will be offering select 3rd parties cases for FREE as well.
The critics have claimed that this isn’t an adequate enough solution, but i disagree. Not only is Apple providing a solution that works, they have made it clear that any iPhone user that is unhappy with their phone can return for a full refund. Customers won’t even be charged the normal stocking fee. NO ONE is being FORCED to use an iPhone 4.
Apple went on to explain that despite all of the brew-ha-ha that the critics have claimed & drummed up, less than 1% of actual customers (world-wide) have complained about reception being an issue with their iPhone 4. And, during yesterday’s public Q3 financial call/report, Apple announced that the, appareant antenna issue, has had no impact on sales. In fact, Apple is still struggling to keep up with demand. Current buyers are still looking at a 7-14 day wait (at minimum).
The iPhone 4 White model is expected to go on sale before the end of the month, and my bet is this Friday; Apple has indicated that the iPhone 4 will go on sale in a number of other countries on that same date. Seems like the perfect time for a roll-out.
Lastly, Apple released a minor update to the iOS just prior to the press conference: iOS 4.0.1. Despite what many of us thought, nothing in this update (nor any future updates) will fix the hardware/antenna situation; A physical redesign is required. Jobs himself indicated that it’s an engineering situation that software cannot correct or adjust. Instead, this small update corrects the mathematical algorithm that the phone uses to properly display cellular reception. It wasn’t until Apple started investigating the “death grip” that they discovered there was a flaw in their original calculations. It’s also worth noting that there is no industry standard for calculating reception or displaying it. It is assumed that manufacturers calculate their signal ethically and responsibly and do not misrepresent the information to improve their device/network image(s).
Are you using the iPhone 4? Are you plagued by reception issues?
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Apparently not.
Since the release of the iPhone 4, there has been a lot of bally-hoo surrounding the apparent “death grip” issue. For those unaware, the “death grip” is a term the media has used to describe the common way most of us hold our iPhone (particularly lefties) [shown right]. Why is the media naming this the “death grip?” Well, according to MANY online posts and now Consumer Reports, holding the phone in this manner causes (your hand/finger touching the lower left side of your phone) your new iPhone to drop most, if not all, of it’s cellular reception. Also noted by the media, is that using a bumper or other covering method (even duct tape) to prevent the antenna from making direct contact with your hands, remedies the situation.
Still, this situation is generating a lot of negative buzz for Apple’s #1 most successful product. People have made a number of public outcries, and once Consumer Reports published their “official confirmation of the issue,” Apple’s stock tanked. It IS worth noting that even WITH the apparent “flaw,” consumer reports has given the iPhone 4 it’s highest rating as the “Best Smartphone” on the market.
As i’ve previously indicated, I still haven’t ordered the iPhone 4. So…i haven’t been able to test the issue, at length, firsthand. But, i have gotten my hands on several different phones that friends have purchased. In my most informal testing, i have not been able to recreate the death grip issue (with or without a case/bumper). In fact, the reception has been stellar, overall, throughout the Los Angeles and the San Diego areas [where i played around with the units].
Apple has danced around the issue in numerous ways. Everything from Steve Jobs himself telling people to not “…hold it that way,” to having Apple’s official PR team release a public statement about the incorrect way the iOS calculates the strength of the signal.
A “fix” has been in the works, and has apparently arrived. The folks over at Mobile Crunch have downloaded & installed the update, but are still reporting that the “death grip” issue persists. You can see their findings in the video below.
So, what does all this mean?
Some people are saying that Apple needs to make right by recalling the phone and reissuing a revised physical model (which estimates predict would cost them over a billion dollars). Others have suggested that they give current owners one of their $29 US “bumpers” [for free] and provide a bumper with all future shipping devices.
I, personally, don’t see Apple recalling the phone, but i’m also not convinced that they need to. I would suspect that a software/firmware fix (which could be distributed for free) would solve the problem. Frankly, i’m surprised that iOS 4.1 didn’t.
What do you think?
UPDATE: After a little more research i’ve found that the 4.1 release has ONLY been seeded to developers and isn’t available to the public, yet. That could be good news, as it still gives Apple time to fix the “death grip” flaw.
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Apple issued an official statement, regarding the new white iPhone 4, today:
“White models of Apple’s new iPhone® 4 have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.”This is good news for those of us that were afraid we’d have to wait until late summer.
Did you wait?
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Apple has already released it’s update to iTunes. iTunes 9.2 now adds compatiblity for the new iOS 4 as well as a host of other whiz-bang features:
- Sync with iPhone 4 to enjoy your favorite music, movies, TV shows, books and more on-the-go
- Sync and read books with iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4 and iBooks 1.1
- Organize and sync PDF documents as books. Read PDFs with iBooks 1.1 on iPad and any iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
- Organize your apps on your iOS 4 home screens into folders using iTunes
- Faster back-ups while syncing an iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
- Album artwork improvements make artwork appear more quickly when exploring your library
For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
You can download the update here, or through the Apple Menu >> Software Update option on your mac…
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Well, according to Apple, the iPhone sold more than 600,000 units during its presale yesterday —- selling out. Ordering now, while more smooth, will not get you an iPhone 4 on the June 24th launch date. In fact, according to the Apple Store website, iPhone 4 models ordered now won’t even ship until the 2nd of July. That’s a real bummer.
Macworld has reported that many people are furious with Apple & AT&T for the constant hiccups and the server errors that resulted in some eager buyers getting screwed left without an iPhone 4.
As i mentioned yesterday, I’ve decided to wait until the release of the white model (I think I’d like it better). I did, however, attempt to order the black model (one can never have too many!) several times yesterday. I started at 3am PST and attempted several times throughout the day. I too was locked out each time. There were a few instances where I made it a little further than others, but never enough to complete the purhcase process.
Did you get the iPhone 4 in time?
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It’s disappointing, but i don’t think unexpected:
Apple & AT&T’s servers still haven’t been able to keep up with pre-order demand. Launching around 3a PST today, the sites have routinely crashed, locked users out, and otherwise have been unable to process pre-order requests (myself included). It’s a little deja-vu when you consider the activation woes Apple & the mobile carrier had a few years ago (rendering people’s new and existing iPhones inoperable).
I was confident in Apple, this go around, since the iPad pre-order process was so smooth, but it looks like demand for the iPhone 4 is just that much greater.
I’ve also decided to hold out on my iPhone 4 purchase. That’s right, I’m not ordering for the June 24th launch date. Although the gadget lust has me hankering for the newest device, I’d like to see the iPhone in it’s new white casing. For those unaware, Apple coyly announced that it won’t have white iPhone 4s available until later this summer. Big bummer.
I gave a lot of consideration to buying the black iPhone 4 (to have it on the launch day), and still may end up with that model, but as of now — I’m going to wait. My current iPhone 3GS will run the iOS 4 upgrade (also premiering on June 24), so I’ll at least have all those bells and whistles to play with.
What are your plans?
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Photo Credit: Mean Cards
