Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

thenextweb.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 268 posts

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#161

Post by erickhill »

raldi wrote: post #2

It seems like the people who say the "new" one is thinner, lighter, more elegant, etc, all have cases on their phones. So in essence, the case sets your phone back a generation or two.

I had to get a case after being forced to replace the back glass. The area on the back that covers and protects the camera lens is (was?) actually very thin cheap plastic. Once it became scratched, the impressive camera inside the phone became unusable as all of the photos took on 1970s-era halos and blurring. After easily replacing the back glass and slapping on an ugly cover, the case has kept the camera healthy. I did it grudgingly, as the original elegant design is completely erased by any case you put on the device.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#162

Post by Nathandim »

The article implies that all people in question have an iPhone. The video shows only 2 of them comparing their iPhone and the last person only claims that he has it. Why? I mean, it's not a natural iPhone owner reaction not to whip out his current phone to make a comparison.

My point is, over half of the people in question do not show a clear indication of owning an iPhone 4S besides their claim and the video says that they ask people. Not iPhone owners exclusively. People. It measures consumer awareness, not necessarily Apple buyers, like thenextweb article says. They are likely to guess due to their personal knowledge of older products.

Also, the whole idea reminded me of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYU1a0lTTTw people suddenly agreeing that they know him from X movie, heard his songs while in reality he had none.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#163

Post by skidding »

Am I the only one who saw this as a skit and nothing more? I don't watch Kimmel a lot but when Conan does a bit like this the people on it are always paid actors. It's still funny, but I wouldn't expect a late-night talk show to bother actually interviewing random people when they can make their own script the way they want it and get away with it (not saying it in a bad way, it's a comedy show after all).

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#164

Post by jarek »

sillysaurus wrote: post #138
tlrobinson wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've dropped my phone numerous times with only minor dings resulting. The pot of boiling water, on the other hand... (I was using the phone as a kitchen timer)

My wife's phone fell off a countertop, resulting in a completely smashed screen. (Basically a dense spiderweb of cracks covering the entire screen.) She wasn't using a case at the time, otherwise there's a good chance that wouldn't have happened. However, it was fairly cheap to replace the screen (~$50) so maybe there's still no point in getting a case.

Another alternative is buying robust phones! My Nexus One has met the pavement with some assistance from gravity and my clumsy hands a couple of times and the casing has a couple of scratches to show for it. Screen as new.

Then there was the Blackberry Pearl I threw down a couple of times as a demonstration...

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#165

Post by daveman »

I also wonder if these folks were handed a brand new 4S, unhampered by apps and months of use. In my experience, the speed, even for activities like homescreen navigation, got slower over time, especially when I load more and more apps. Newer store models always seem zippier than my weathered old phone.

All this said, they clearly picked gadget plebians, as anyone even slightly in the know would immediately check out the 8-pin dock connector and 5 rows of apps.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#166

Post by UntitledNo4 »

mojowo11 wrote: post #145
jmspring wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise. Mine has taken more than a few spills and the case has saved it. I may just be a klutz.

Serious question: given that you purchased a case and then dropped the phone in the case, how can you possible claim to know whether the case saved it? All you know is that you dropped your phone with a case on and it didn't break. I see this correlation = causation logic all the time about phone cases, and I find it quite bizarre. I've had an iPhone for 3 years now (3GS, then 4S). I've never used a case (or screen p…

I agree and can give the opposite example. I have a Sony Ericsson X10 since it was released (2 years ago? Longer?), never had a case, and have dropped it several times. You will find the marks from those falls only if you will look really hard.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#167

Post by unreal37 »

mojowo11 wrote: post #145
jmspring wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise. Mine has taken more than a few spills and the case has saved it. I may just be a klutz.

Serious question: given that you purchased a case and then dropped the phone in the case, how can you possible claim to know whether the case saved it? All you know is that you dropped your phone with a case on and it didn't break. I see this correlation = causation logic all the time about phone cases, and I find it quite bizarre. I've had an iPhone for 3 years now (3GS, then 4S). I've never used a case (or screen p…

So you're asking for proof that a device that is made of solid glass and metal is more fragile when dropped than the same device surrounded by rubber, plastic, leather or another soft material?

I know it won't protect the device in every situation, but the $10 case protects the device in some situations (maybe only 10% or 20% of drops), so it has a very high ROI.

I once dropped my unprotected iPad from a height of about 2 feet, it landed on the granite floor on a corner edge, and the screen shattered. I had to buy a new iPad basically as Apple doesn't fix them. It now has a $20 case, and I would be willing to bet the value of the iPad that if I dropped it from the same height and it hit the same corner, the device would not have any significant damage although the case might.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#168

Post by nicholassmith »

jarek wrote: post #164
sillysaurus wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife's phone fell off a countertop, resulting in a completely smashed screen. (Basically a dense spiderweb of cracks covering the entire screen.) She wasn't using a case at the time, otherwise there's a good chance that wouldn't have happened. However, it was fairly cheap to replace the screen (~$50) so maybe there's still no point in getting a case.

Another alternative is buying robust phones! My Nexus One has met the pavement with some assistance from gravity and my clumsy hands a couple of times and the casing has a couple of scratches to show for it. Screen as new. Then there was the Blackberry Pearl I threw down a couple of times as a demonstration...

The phone that got a rep for screens cracking? In personal experience the iPhone is robust and hardy, having met hundreds of drops fine.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#169

Post by therobotking »

archangel_one wrote: post #17
Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

Depends where you set the bar for usable. I'm continually surprised at how many people I see using iphones with smashed screens on trains or the Tube.

I think the the bar for usability is significantly affected by the money they may have to pay to have the phone replaced if their contract expired, they bought it upfront, etc.

I know if I had a £500 device that had a broken screen I would keep using it at least until I could afford to get the screen replaced.

Post reply on HN