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Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

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Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#21

Post by bombs »

bmalicoat wrote: post #13
MisterWebz wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you explain why? I don't own one and never really read much about Iphones.

When you're on wifi you have no indication of the signal strength of any other data source (3G, Edge or GPRS). It's possible the Wifi would go out and then the bars would drop, I suppose. Any signal issues I've seen have been non-wifi though.

You do. The signal strength bars are to the left of the carrier name, while the connection type (EDGE, 3G, WiFi) icon is the right.

The WiFi icon (which acts as a signal strength indicator for WiFi connections) unfortunately does hide the cellular data indicator, which shows whether you're connected to EDGE or 3G.

Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#22

Post by richardw »

ugh wrote: post #4
ben1040 wrote: post #3

I really liked the original iPhone for how solid and a little heavy it felt, as though it's actually worth the $600 you paid for it. I'm glad to see that back with the iPhone 4; the 3G model just felt like a cheap toy. Reminds me of that scene from Jurassic Park where the kids find the night vision goggles in the back of the truck: Gennaro: Hey, where'd you find that? Tim: In a box under my seat. Gennaro: Are they he…

Sometimes Apple’s material choices are questionable. Their iPod touches have this really slick, polished metal back. It looks really great – for a few weeks. Then it’s quickly getting scratches. I don’t know whether they picked that material for sentimental reasons (all iPods back to the first one – except the smaller ones – had that back) and whether you are just supposed to accept that back that’s slowly getting mo…

I've read an interview with Jobs that said it's meant to scratch - it gives it personality. Jobs thinks it should, the rest of the universe would prefer it doesn't.

Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#23

Post by fdkz »

dieterrams wrote: post #15
derefr wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do consider how it will look past the store—not in the least because Apple products are sold online as well as through the retail stores. The likely explanation, to me, is that professional graphics people (Apple's high-end core market) will set up the environment of the device to be perfect for it (i.e. "studio lighting"—basically the same as the Apple stores) rather than expecting the device to conform to the…

I don't buy that explanation, as glossy displays are ubiquitous on Apple products aside from the Cinema Displays and matte options for MacBook Pros. They surely aren't assuming that iPads and regular Macbooks are being used in perfect lighting conditions, which is an unreasonable assumption to make for any portable device. I would actually argue that glossy displays are not ideal in any lit environment, for the simpl…

One sunny day I went outside and tested glossy and matte lcd side-by-side. I had the same results as described here: http://netwalker.nl/2007/07/28/glossy-vs-matte/

Glossy was better. (lcd panels were from different manufacturers, so my results may not apply to every case)

edit: unlike in the linked blog-post, backlight intensity of both lcd-s I tested was roughly the same.

Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#24

Post by thwarted »

richardw wrote: post #22
ugh wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes Apple’s material choices are questionable. Their iPod touches have this really slick, polished metal back. It looks really great – for a few weeks. Then it’s quickly getting scratches. I don’t know whether they picked that material for sentimental reasons (all iPods back to the first one – except the smaller ones – had that back) and whether you are just supposed to accept that back that’s slowly getting mo…

I've read an interview with Jobs that said it's meant to scratch - it gives it personality. Jobs thinks it should, the rest of the universe would prefer it doesn't.

If this was the case, it would come pre-scratched as an option. Can you still buy those iPods that are scratched with U2's signature?

Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#25

Post by dieterrams »

fdkz wrote: post #23
dieterrams wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't buy that explanation, as glossy displays are ubiquitous on Apple products aside from the Cinema Displays and matte options for MacBook Pros. They surely aren't assuming that iPads and regular Macbooks are being used in perfect lighting conditions, which is an unreasonable assumption to make for any portable device. I would actually argue that glossy displays are not ideal in any lit environment, for the simpl…

One sunny day I went outside and tested glossy and matte lcd side-by-side. I had the same results as described here: http://netwalker.nl/2007/07/28/glossy-vs-matte/ Glossy was better. (lcd panels were from different manufacturers, so my results may not apply to every case) edit: unlike in the linked blog-post, backlight intensity of both lcd-s I tested was roughly the same.

That blog post is comparing a glossy LED to a matte non-LED display. Big difference, and one I know about first hand because I own MacBook Pros with both types of display, only my LED is matte.

Personally, it's incredibly rare for me to be using a laptop outside on a sunny day, so even if glossy were better in sunlight, I'd never base my decision on that fact. But I can tell you that I did get to compare a matte and glossy MBP of the exact same model in an Apple store, side by side, and saw no significant difference in brigntness.

Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#26

Post by bonsaitree »

This article reminds me vividly why, at my Alma mater, EVERY engineer (even EEs and CEs) were REQUIRED to take a class in their freshmen or sophomore year called "Manufacturing Process & Materials Design".

It was basically a fancy academic term for "shop class".

We made gears, arc welded (still have a scar from that), cut screw threads, riveted sheet metal, worked milling machines & saws, turned fixtures on lathes, and glued/bagged/baked carbon fiber.

At a very visceral hands-on level were introduced to the materials, workflows, and structural fastening tech that makes up the shells and supporting frameworks of physical goods.

At the time, it was a royal pain in the ass (I'm not a natural kinesthetic learner) and I didn't "get it", but looking back it was an extremely valuable experience.

Aside from the welding scar on my left thumb, I think the biggest takeaway was gaining an appreciation for the EXTREME ROI gained in designing processes which have "loose" tolerances where it's acceptable and "tight" tollerances where it's required.

Re: Jonathan Ive on the design of the iPhone 4

#27

Post by bmalicoat »

bombs wrote: post #21
bmalicoat wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you're on wifi you have no indication of the signal strength of any other data source (3G, Edge or GPRS). It's possible the Wifi would go out and then the bars would drop, I suppose. Any signal issues I've seen have been non-wifi though.

You do. The signal strength bars are to the left of the carrier name, while the connection type (EDGE, 3G, WiFi) icon is the right. The WiFi icon (which acts as a signal strength indicator for WiFi connections) unfortunately does hide the cellular data indicator, which shows whether you're connected to EDGE or 3G.

What I mean is you could have full voice signal with no data signal and not know it if you are connected to wifi too. Most areas have at least GPRS, but you can still find some towers that are voice only. Because of this you really don't have an indication of your cellular data. You can assume you have it, which is true most of the time, but you can't know for sure.
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