I will save the general iPhone 4 reviews to the thousands of other outlets covering the device (although I am pretty impressed with the elegant feeling hardware and updated iOS4 functionality. The updated iPhone 4 form factor reminds me a bit of the XM SkyFi3 from a few years ago, but with a much more premium and sleeker feel to it). For this post, I wanted to point out a couple thoughts as it relates to the video functionality within the new device:
1. FaceTime - wow, what a compelling app, but its use will be severely limited out of the gate. Actually, there are 2 points to bring up on this, which indicate it will still require time to realize the full utility of FaceTime.
- Wi-Fi Only - Jobs mentioned that they have some work to do with the "carriers". That's carriers with an "s". So did he mean U.S. carriers? Is Verizon or another provider in the mix and determining the features of the current handset, or was he referring to the many international carriers who sell the iPhone around the world? With AT&T's recently revised data plans, AT&T shouldn't have had a problem with this appliciation being used over its network, thus its interesting that other carriers have forced Apple to make this feature Wi-Fi only. Of course, this severely limits the places where someone can use this. I'll pretty much only be using this feature when I'm at home (or maybe while I'm hitting lunch at a Panera, etc.), where I could already use Skype on my computer.
- Open Architecture - clearly the other limiting fact is that there are no FaceTime compatible mobile devices on the market so there is no one to call to actually use it. Of course, this will change quickly as this iPhone sells millions over a short period of time, but it is limiting for the initial period. Thus, many people almost have to discount this feature if they are looking to upgrade their iPhone. If this is the killer feature for you, you may be best served waiting for iPhone 5 when there should be many other FaceTime devices on the market, and Apple has sorted out the carrier support. In any event, it was great to see them make this open source, which we all know is out of character for Apple, so the ramp-up of supported devices will hopefully grow quickly.
2. HD Video - when we recently added a little new member to the family, I had bought a Kodak Zi8 so we could take HD video at home and on the go. This is now relegated to an expensive paperweight thanks to iPhone's support for HD video. It is amazing how Apple just takes over entire product categories by integrating niche functionality into their multi-function devices (i.e. iPad is going to put a heavy dent into the e-reader market as well). Flip Video and others need to regroup and figure out how they survive now.
Overall, I am a huge fan of these video enhancements to the device, which may take video conference usage to a new level as well as lower the number of devices I need to lug around with me.
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