The arrival of the white iPhone 4 signals an extension of the iPhone 4 era and a longer wait for those who are looking forward to the iPhone 5. But while those who already have an iPhone 4 can only sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride in the mean time, those who’ve thus far skipped the iPhone 4 era should reconsider waiting, in light of recent developments. Here are five reasons why continuing to avoid the iPhone 4 in favor of waiting for the iPhone 5 may no longer be the right strategy.White iPhone 4: “They’re not going to have the iPhone in white until the iPhone 5 anyway” just became an untrue statement, even though many were betting on its veracity. If color choice was a deciding factor in waiting, it no longer is. Plus, now that we know for sure that Apple’s Phil Schiller was referring to the white iPhone 4 in his tweet and not to a white iPhone 5… let’s just say there’s no guarantee that the iPhone 5 era will even offer black-or-white styling. If the claims of an all-metal iPhone 5 end up being true, then the white iPhone 4 would be the white iPhone’s last hurrah.
4G for real: Even by the fall, there’s no guarantee Apple will choose to include 4G networking in the iPhone 5. And that’s because even by that time, the scantly existent 4G LTE networks from Verizon and AT&T will still barely exist. In other words, even if the iPhone 5 does have 4G, the odds are you won’t be able to use it.
Diminishing returns: If you’re still using an iPhone 3GS or 3G because you skipped the iPhone 4, you’re either getting a watered down iOS 4 experience or you haven’t installed it at all. Either way you’re missing out on the software half of the iPhone 4 experience, which is at least half of what the device offers. You’re also missing out on the longer battery life, significantly faster speed, and noticeably better camera of the iPhone 4. So in that sense, continuing to wait for the iPhone 5 is continuing to cost you.
Controversy-free: Over time it’s come to light that none of the supposed iPhone 4 controversies have turned out to be true. Not the concocted antenna issue, which never existed despite the desperate attempts on the part of geeks to try to turn it into a scandal. Not the scratching issue, which never existed. And even the location tracking “controversy” turned out to be something that’s endemic to various smartphones and nothing specifically to do with the iPhone 4 (although you’ll notice the pattern of how such controversies continue to be mis-reported by geek headline writers as being Apple-specific when they’re not). The odds are, the reason you skipped the iPhone 4 has turned out not to exist.
The great unknown: The iPhone 5 will undoubtedly offer better features and specs than the iPhone 4. But none of those features or specs are known. If you’re waiting for it, you don’t know what you’re waiting for or whether any of it will be relevant or advantageous to you. In other words, waiting for the iPhone 5 is as much of a blind gamble as not waiting for it – which is why at this point our recommendation is that if you want an iPhone 4, go ahead and buy one. You can figure out the iPhone 5 ramifications later, whenever it arrives. Here’s more on the iPhone5.
