The press embargo for iPhone 4 reviews is over. Engadget, who does a pretty good job of objectively reviewing devices, has a very thorough iPhone 4 review. I’m surprised by just how positive this review is – Apple must have really hit it out of the park this time. Editor-in-Chief Joshua Topolsky went as far as to write:
“We can’t overstate how high-end the design of the iPhone 4 is. The 3GS now feels cheap and chubby by comparison, and even a phone like the HTC Droid Incredible — which just came out — seems last-generation.”
Way to twist the knife, Topolsky. I feel like I’m missing out now with my 2 month old Incredible. (I keep telling myself, “I went with Android for the software, I went for the software…” It doesn’t help.)
Am I reading this correctly – the iPhone didn’t have multitasking for third-party apps till now? Is that why I’ve always hated using other people’s iPhones?
Nope, they don’t even have real multitasking now, at least in the traditional sense. Apple has added some extra, very specific tasks that apps can run in the background without monopolizing the phone’s resources. They fit many of the use cases for multitasking in today’s apps (GPS navigation, file downloads, quick app switching/statefulness, background audio, push notifications), but who knows if it will be enough for tomorrow’s killer app?
I don’t think multitasking is always right for a mobile phone, and think Apple has been right to be very careful with any issue that could threaten the quality of experience with the device. You should have seen my mom’s old Windows Mobile phone- the task management was so counterintuitive and hidden that she couldn’t help but to leave all her programs running.