It's only VGA resolution - 640x480 - but for self-protrait profile shots for social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and FaceTime video calls, it should be more than enough for now. The big news with iPhone 4 is that Apple introduced a front-facing camera into the mix. (opens in new tab) Cameras front and back (with LED flash) What this means for users is that the iPhone 4 will look better more often, text will be easier to read in a wider variety of circumstances, and apps will appear the same as before if they haven't been updated, and crisper and clearer than ever before if they have. The pixels are right underneath the glass, minimizing reflections and making it feel more like you're looking at it and not through something into it. For those who want to share a movie or webpage with their family and friends, it'll be hugely appreciated.įor their next trick, Apple has used optical glass that's not only been treated for even greater scratch resistance, not only using their oil-resistant coating, but is laminated directly onto the screen so that there's no longer a gap in the display. For those trying to hide the documents they're reading on planes, privacy films will no doubt sell like hotcakes. Where other devices look pretty much blank from the side, iPhone 4 is still legible. It's sharp enough that most people won't notice the pixels - until they go back to other displays.Īpple is also using the IPS (in-plane switching) technology they mainstreamed in the iMac and iPad along with LED backlight to create an incredibly wide viewing angle. There's some debate about wether or not the Retina Display claim is scientifically accurate (it depends a great deal on how sharp your eyes are and how close you hold it) but for all intents and purposes, it doesn't matter. New apps will just look phenomenally better.Īpple is calling this set of technologies "Retina Display" because they day the pixel density is so high your retina can't distinguish the dots anymore - it looks like a photo or magazine page. For developers this is huge because older apps will look the same as before, if not slightly better because Apple will automatically re-render text and UI elements at the higher resolution. That means, very literally, where last year's iPhone had 1 pixel, this year's will have 4. Topping it off is an 800:1 contrast ratio so whites are whiter and blacks are blacker. The new iPhone has a 640x960 display at 3.5" diagonal size and 3:2 aspect ratio for a whopping 326 pixel density per inch (that's 78 microns wide for pixel geeks). To lift Apple Senior Vice-President of iOS Software, Scott Forstall's favorite line - they blew it away. But it's so scifi you just have to love the attempt.Īll previous generation iPhones shipped with 320x480 displays and with Android increasingly going 480x800, conventional wisdom assumed Apple would have to meet that resolution. Unlike mobile web browsing, apps, and video recording, there's no guarantee FaceTime will take off with the masses. (Their focus on small feature sets usually prevents gimmicks from creeping into the roadmap). Maintreaming video calls, especially locked to Wi-Fi and a singe device at launch, is a huge challenge and it could be called a gimmick if it were anyone but Apple. Now there's no word from Apple about recording FaceTime calls so that may not be available at launch (and hordes of impetuous young Hollywood stars should stop and thank Jobs for that), but it's something that's easy to see them adding in the future. So yes, the iPod touch might finally get a camera and get into the fun. And if you paid attention during the keynote, Steve Jobs said 10 million Apple devices - not just iPhones - would support it by the end of the year. As an open standard, Android and Palm apps might come along for it as well. Skype might just be looking at supporting it as well, which would be huge. ![]() And we won't even get into what it could do for long distance romances.Īpple should add FaceTime to their Mac iChat app eventually (though with their current iOS focus, the resources may not be there at this point). You won't be (or at least you shouldn't be) chasing your 2 year old around the garden with a 5 lbs pound computer. Yes, on Wi-Fi you could just use your laptop webcam or MacBook iSight, but iPhone 4 will be infinitely more portable. That's how Apple is marketing it and they're usually very good at marketing. ![]() In typical Apple fashion, however, the end user isn't supposed to worry one bit about all those acronyms mean or how hard it is to do what they're doing - the end user is simply supposed to press the FaceTime icon and talk to their parents or grandparents, see their children and grandchildren, or tap the switch button to flip from front-facing to rear camera to watch the first footsteps or see the winning goal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |