Apple did something right with the iPhone 4. iPhone 4 really is the best iPhone. Ever.
But, the buying experience certainly ranks low and not so good among the past iPhone releases.
Pardon me, this is going to be long.
Buying Experience
On pre-ordermageddon day, Apple’s and AT&T’s servers faced serious meltdown when hundreds of thousands of people tried to pre-order a device which they haven’t even physically seen.
Thousands of people who tried to pre-order couldn’t. Thousands of people who succeeded in pre-ordering after atleast dozens of tries were disappointed to learn later that their iPhone 4 pre-order was cancelled including my pre-order at Apple. Thousands of people were excited to find their pre-order shipments arrive a day or two earlier which is unprecedented in iPhone releases.
So we went to the nearest Apple Store (12 Oaks Mall, Novi, MI) around 12:30 AM and found out were behind 49 others who made it earlier. We were comfortable thinking they should have atleast 50 iPhone 4 for an Apple Store.
The line build up was steady and started picking up pace around 3AM. People were surprised that around 3AM there were more than 100 people in line. Thankfully, the mall folks let us line up inside the mall so we weren’t affected by the occasional rain that night.
Apple Store employees made a couple of runs with their carts stocked with candy, granola bars, snacks and Smart Water.
Around 5:30AM they started splitting the line into ‘Reservations’ and ‘Purchases’. We were rather a bit let down to see among the 100s of people already there only a dozen people with reservation. That means a lot more demand in the purchase side translating into worries about if there will be enough to go around for everyone.
Around 7AM, they first started letting folks in with huge cheers from the crowd and Apple employees. By that time though the ‘Reservations’ line had some serious build up. So in a show of respect to those who pre-ordered, they were letting in Reservations – Purchase roughly in a ratio of 30-1. Needless to say the purchase line I was in was painfully slow. I finally made it into the store around noon – a whopping 12 hours after I made it to the mall! The longest I have waited to purchase anything. Ever.
To AT&T’s credit, the activation was very quick and easy. All the early iPhone 4 arrival and activation must have helped a little.
But, by that time the Reservations line was longer than the Purchase line. I can even say that some people who reserved might have waited as much as we did depending on the time they made it to the mall.
iPhone 4: First Impressions
I posted a iPhone 4 Review Roundup with extensive reviews from people who got their iPhone’s early. So, having had it for just less 24 hours I’ll just share my first impressions briefly.
Ergonomics
iPhone 4 is beautiful in ergonomics. The front and back glass are of real high quality and the squared edges feel much ‘safer’ to hold during a call or while playing games. With the flat back, it feels right to set it on the table. The volume buttons have moved away from the rocker to 2 buttons which makes it easy to feel and adjust in the darkness. The vibrate toggle switch is also sturdier. The 3GS once kinda made me nervous that I’ll break it. The metal band around the edges look very slick and modern.
Glass Display
The clarity and the quality of the glass display is nothing short of amazing. Everything looks so much sharper. I can’t wait for the iPhone games I play update with higher resolution graphics. But, the glass in the front and the back are fingerprint magnets. Also, I am so much more worried about my clumsy fingers dropping this beauty onto a hard surface and breaking something. I am much more inclined to put on my trusty InvisibleShield as well as put it in a case to protect unwanted falls. It kinda beats the square edge advantage but I already have a little nick in a corner from dropping it the first day. Arggggh. (could have been worse)
Camera
The 5MP pictures with autofocus, zoom & LED flash look fantastic although I haven’t done any hardcore comparison with 3GS or the 3G. Love the new LED flash as well as the zoom ability. I think I can finally not worry about having a decent camera with me all the time for my photography interests. I can now get good pictures of casual engagements without lugging our Canon Rebel T1i. The front facing camera is not useful at the moment for me since I am only one with iPhone 4 in our family. It will be awesome when apps like Skype supports video chat over 3G.
Call quality
I can tell perceptible improvement in call quality but not sure if the other party in the line can tell the difference. At the least the call quality will suck less.
There have been reports of the cell phone signal dropping bars when you put your fingers or palm over the antenna bands on iPhone 4. I can confirm that I see a couple of bar drops when I do that too. Something to watch out for.
With iOS 4 pre-loaded, I am enjoying the new iPhone 4 experience tremendously. I will follow up with more posts on specific items as I come across them.
What was your iPhone 4 buying experience like? How do you like your new iPhone 4? Did it live up to the hype for you?
