Could There Possibly Be Very Little Change Internally in the iPhone G4

[Naughty_Ottsel]

Hey everyone, long time no speak Anyway I've been doing a little thinking (a hard task for me :L) and it occurred to me, Is it possible that we won't see much in the way of internal adjustments in the way of the iPhone G4/HD - whatever you want to call it.

If you think about it, iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G are very similar internally, same processor, same amount of RAM same everything except for the 3G Radio and of course the processor was clocked up a bit when iPhone OS 2.0 came out.

2 years after the 2G came out we saw the 3GS, everything inside changed, newer processor, more RAM, better battery etc.

This meant that those who adopted the 2G in 2007 on a 24 month contract would upgrade to something more than just the 2G with a different back and a bit of 3G to make internet on the go that bit quicker.

The 3GS' upgrade meant Developers had more to play with and so they did, I found this horrible as it made my 3G laggy (I used on 3.0 only so I cannot comment on 2.0 speeds)

Whilst financially if the G4 got a internal upgrade and this happened again Apple would not be too worried as people will complain and then give up and get one before the end of their contract paying more for it, carrier happy, Apple happy, customer alright with it, happy at the faster phone.

But there were hints that the 3GS chipset could handle HD 720p recording as soon as it came out and now the 4.0 beta showing this is almost certainly going to happen with the G4, could it be the same chipset?

Whilst the iPad came out with its 1GHz super speedy Processor it was a bigger device, bigger battery and more for the heat to dissipate. Battery has always been an issue for Apple and I'm sure device heat as well, so it is unlikely we'll see that kind of speed in the G4, we may see that processor just underclocked to a speed similar to the 3GS and maybe the 3GS clocked up a bit so they are at a similar speed, much like the 2G and 3G. But the iPad also has 256MB RAM, same as the 3GS, the 3GS seems to run multi-tasking fine on the 3GS, but then real world results are based on stock apps, for all we know the device used at the developer preview was a G4 in disguise :L and as multi-tasking is coming to the iPad as well, Apple seem to believe Multi-tasking will run fine on a device which handles higher demanding apps.

Going by current devices, previous happenings and all I think we will see very little change in the way of Internal Hardware, if the 3GS is fine with Multi-tasking at the moment and the iPad will run fine, then why not keep it that way for the moment. As they say, don't fix what ain't broken.

But I may be wrong, what do you guys think?

 

[ghostface147]

So a bigger battery, newer processor, more storage, possible HD recording, more megapixels, better radios, possibly more RAM, and other unannounced hardware differences is not significant?

 

[Naughty_Ottsel]

There is no proof of the better processor or RAM Gizmodo didn't go too deep as Apple wanted the prototype back. Bigger battery does suggest more coming from the processor and thinking a bit more Apple will need to up the specs to a degree to cope with HTC's devices but that can also be done to an extent software wise as well.

 

[ghostface147]

Of course there's no proof, but it also makes zero sense that the processor will not change. If all their other products get upgrades, why not a phone? Processes can shrink, they have a good A4 design, why not implement it. While there's not hardcore proof, it's pretty safe to say they will get what I spoke of, maybe minus RAM, which I believe needs to be limited. I also don't think Apple really loses sleep over what HTC sticks inside of their stuff.

 

[sting7k]

Hey everyone, long time no speak Anyway I've been doing a little thinking (a hard task for me :L) and it occurred to me, Is it possible that we won't see much in the way of internal adjustments in the way of the iPhone G4/HD - whatever you want to call it.

If you think about it, iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G are very similar internally, same processor, same amount of RAM same everything except for the 3G Radio and of course the processor was clocked up a bit when iPhone OS 2.0 came out.

2 years after the 2G came out we saw the 3GS, everything inside changed, newer processor, more RAM, better battery etc.

This meant that those who adopted the 2G in 2007 on a 24 month contract would upgrade to something more than just the 2G with a different back and a bit of 3G to make internet on the go that bit quicker.

The 3GS' upgrade meant Developers had more to play with and so they did, I found this horrible as it made my 3G laggy (I used on 3.0 only so I cannot comment on 2.0 speeds)

Whilst financially if the G4 got a internal upgrade and this happened again Apple would not be too worried as people will complain and then give up and get one before the end of their contract paying more for it, carrier happy, Apple happy, customer alright with it, happy at the faster phone.

But there were hints that the 3GS chipset could handle HD 720p recording as soon as it came out and now the 4.0 beta showing this is almost certainly going to happen with the G4, could it be the same chipset?

Whilst the iPad came out with its 1GHz super speedy Processor it was a bigger device, bigger battery and more for the heat to dissipate. Battery has always been an issue for Apple and I'm sure device heat as well, so it is unlikely we'll see that kind of speed in the G4, we may see that processor just underclocked to a speed similar to the 3GS and maybe the 3GS clocked up a bit so they are at a similar speed, much like the 2G and 3G. But the iPad also has 256MB RAM, same as the 3GS, the 3GS seems to run multi-tasking fine on the 3GS, but then real world results are based on stock apps, for all we know the device used at the developer preview was a G4 in disguise :L and as multi-tasking is coming to the iPad as well, Apple seem to believe Multi-tasking will run fine on a device which handles higher demanding apps.

Going by current devices, previous happenings and all I think we will see very little change in the way of Internal Hardware, if the 3GS is fine with Multi-tasking at the moment and the iPad will run fine, then why not keep it that way for the moment. As they say, don't fix what ain't broken.

But I may be wrong, what do you guys think?

Uh well we already know the inside is very different...

Other smartphones have 1Ghz processors already and work fine.

 

[Naughty_Ottsel]

Whilst the iPad came out with its 1GHz super speedy Processor it was a bigger device, bigger battery and more for the heat to dissipate. Battery has always been an issue for Apple and I'm sure device heat as well, so it is unlikely we'll see that kind of speed in the G4, we may see that processor just underclocked to a speed similar to the 3GS and maybe the 3GS clocked up a bit so they are at a similar speed, much like the 2G and 3G.

Also whilst this is based on when the iPhone originally came out and so very little competition at the time the 3G and 2G are exactly the same shown here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_iPhone_models

Also if you read my previous post you would've seen:

thinking a bit more Apple will need to up the specs to a degree to cope with HTC's devices but that can also be done to an extent software wise as well.

and to be clear I mean the software can be optimized a bit more to try and squeeze more efficiency, but no doubt the clock speed will be increased

Uh well we already know the inside is very different...

Other smartphones have 1Ghz processors already and work fine.

The logic board may be different but the components inside aren't necessarily all that different, if anything a smaller A4 underclocked.

Those with 1GHz Processors have very poor battery lives, something Apple doesn't like

 

[tpr007]

Those with 1GHz Processors have very poor battery lives, something Apple doesn't like

Not necessarily true. My Nexus One had a better battery life than my 3GS.

 

[Naughty_Ottsel]

Not necessarily true. My Nexus One had a better battery life than my 3GS.

The Nexus One is newer than the 3GS and me saying this does wipe out a large part of my argument and invalidate my previous post.

But it doesn't seem like something Apple would do, the 3GS is still the benchmark to any new mobile device, on paper many devices are faster, which they are in tests but they are the best part of 10 months younger than the 3GS.

I still think we will see very little in the way of speed, not until next year. Steve will come up with the usual "Battery Excuse" and if the 3GS is running Multi-tasking fine and thats only clocked at 620MHz it seems overkill to whack in a 1GHz processor straight away in a years time yes, the 3GS will feel its age, the G4 will get clocked up and the battery can take it and the G5 will be running on steroids

 

[jsntrenkler]

I think the internal upgrades will be significant .. Apple needs to stay competitive, HTC is doing a fantastic job at pushing the envelope. HTC incredible just won CNET's dog fight vs iPhone 3GS .. And lot's of reviewers favored the nexus one. Apple needs to step up it's game IMHO.

 

[Blues003]

Some dude at Macrumours compared a while ago, on a post that went incredibly unnoticed, the numbers on the iPad processor and on the leaked iPhone one... out of 8 or 9 numbers, only the last two differed. Which could be a hint that it's the A4 in both cases?

 

[jsntrenkler]

A4 is a great processor, I am really enjoying the speed of my iPad .. When I switch back to my 3GS is feels much slower, comparable to going from my 3GS to my wife's 3G .. Bring on the A4 action!

 

[Jellotime91]

Trust me, Apple is going to leapfrog the competition this year. The new super high resolution, more than likely an A4 processor... A lot of things are changing. The only thing I see not changing much is the graphics processor because the iPad actually has something very similar to the 3GS for a GPU.

 

[chippy19977]

If they put what they have in the iPad, it will be great! The iPad is super fast compared to my 3GS.

 

[Naughty_Ottsel]

The speed isn't completely based on the Clock Speed, a hell of a lot of it is but the cache of the processor also makes a big difference. The A4 most probably has a higher cache and I am not arguing against the idea of the A4 being in there, in fact I am suggesting it will be, but not at the 1GHz speed we have seen in the iPad.

Apple are trying to sell the iPad as being the in device in between smartphones and laptops, bringing out a smartphone which is just as fast 6 months after they announced it and 2 months after US release seems to be a shot in the foot. The whole idea of the iPad is that it is a bigger screen and faster inside for the tasks you can't do on your phone.

I still think it is going to be very much "If it ain't broke don't fix it" We saw a slowdown with the 3G, because we assumed faster than the 2G and so the 3GS came out, the 3GS isn't feeling any slowdown as a phone so why play around too much with it inside, risk a poorer battery life and possible heat problems. Clocked up yes, but not the whole 380MHz+ everyone seems to think

 

[Jellotime91]

Yeah uh.. I still think they are going to go to 1GHz to match the competition. This has been the first year that the competition has actually caught up and surpassed the current model. Nexus One and other 1GHz android handsets are actually loading web pages faster than the 3GS with the same accuracy. That's a big deal to Apple. They are not going to give us another half upgrade this year. This year is going to be a big deal, they can't afford to be modest again.

 

[Earless Puppy]

no doubt I agree

Yeah uh.. I still think they are going to go to 1GHz to match the competition. This has been the first year that the competition has actually caught up and surpassed the current model. Nexus One and other 1GHz android handsets are actually loading web pages faster than the 3GS with the same accuracy. That's a big deal to Apple. They are not going to give us another half upgrade this year. This year is going to be a big deal, they can't afford to be modest again.

 

[jsntrenkler]

I think it will be 1ghz processor as well. Even though iPad has the same speed, I believe it's the size of the display that will always allow the iPad to be a device that sits in between a smartphone and a laptop.

 

[cardfan]

I'm not that worried about it. The experience will be fine as Apple wouldn't release an updated device unless it could handle the new features in a snap.

As for the Incredible beating the 3GS in that "prizefight"...it's just silly. The criteria they pick is silly. Round one is "sexiness" Man, i don't care... Where's the "apps" round? Iphone kills it. Ease of use and convenience of itunes? Most live in that itunes world. Wanna share that app with 4 other computers? Or use the same app on multiple iphone OS devices? Aint happening with android. The 3GS is the easy winner.

Throw in HD, better camera, more storage, etc, and the new iphone will simply leap further ahead...of the 3GS, a phone/ecosystem that is still much ahead of anything else.

 

[jsntrenkler]

I'm not that worried about it. The experience will be fine as Apple wouldn't release an updated device unless it could handle the new features in a snap.

As for the Incredible beating the 3GS in that "prizefight"...it's just silly. The criteria they pick is silly. Round one is "sexiness" Man, i don't care... Where's the "apps" round? Iphone kills it. Ease of use and convenience of itunes? Most live in that itunes world. Wanna share that app with 4 other computers? Or use the same app on multiple iphone OS devices? Aint happening with android. The 3GS is the easy winner.

Throw in HD, better camera, more storage, etc, and the new iphone will simply leap further ahead...of the 3GS, a phone/ecosystem that is still much ahead of anything else.

Yeah, I agree .. The prize fight had some lame comparisons .. Although actually having had the opportunity to use the incredible for a couple hours, it is a fantastic device. It's really nice.

 

[Jellotime91]

@cardfan
yes the prizefight was pretty BS and the incredible is really not all it's supposed to be, but honestly go and watch some comparisons between N1 and 3GS for web browsing, and you'll see that the N1 continually beats the 3GS. I was shocked because to me my 3GS has very satsifactory browsing speeds, but apparently the N1 improves upon that even further.