IPhone 3GS: Difference between revisions
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The iPhone 3GS is preceded by the [[iPhone 3G]] and succeeded by the [[iPhone 4]]. |
The iPhone 3GS is preceded by the [[iPhone 3G]] and succeeded by the [[iPhone 4]]. |
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==History== |
==History of Alexandre l'Heureux== |
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===Release=== |
===Release=== |
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The iPhone 3GS was made available for pre-order on June 8 and released on June 19 in Canada, the United States, and six European countries, and on June 26 in Australia and the United Kingdom. Within the first weekend of its release, over one million iPhone 3GS's were sold. July and August 2009 saw the release of the iPhone 3GS internationally. |
The iPhone 3GS was made available for pre-order on June 8 and released on June 19 in Canada, the United States, and six European countries, and on June 26 in Australia and the United Kingdom. Within the first weekend of its release, over one million iPhone 3GS's were sold. July and August 2009 saw the release of the iPhone 3GS internationally. |
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Revision as of 14:52, 17 December 2010
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 An iPhone 3GS | |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Foxconn (OEM)[1] |
| Type | Slate smartphone |
| Release date | June 19, 2009[2] |
| Units sold | 1 million over first weekend[3] |
| Operating system | iOS 4.2.1 (build 8C148a) Released November 22, 2010 |
| CPU | Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex-A8[4] |
| Memory | 256 MB eDRAM |
| Storage | 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB flash memory |
| Display | 3.5-inch screen (diagonally) 320-by-480-pixel resolution at 163 ppi 2:3 aspect ratio 24-bit (16.7m-color) LCD |
| Graphics | PowerVR SGX535 GPU[5] |
| Input | Multi-touch touchscreen display 3-axis accelerometer Digital compass Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor Microphone Headset controls |
| Camera | 3.0 MP with video (VGA at 30 fps), geotagging, and automatic focus, white balance, & exposure |
| Connectivity | Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850 900 1800 1900 MHz) Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (850 1900 2100 MHz) Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) Bluetooth 2.1+EDR USB 2.0/Dock connector[6] |
| Power | Built-in rechargeable li-ion battery[7] 3.7 V 1219 mAh |
| Online services | App Store, iTunes Store, iBookstore, MobileMe |
| Dimensions | 115.5 mm (4.55 in) (h) 62.1 mm (2.44 in) (w) 12.3 mm (0.48 in) (d) |
| Mass | 135 g (4.8 oz) |
| Predecessor | iPhone 3G |
| Successor | iPhone 4 |
| Related | iPad, iPod Touch (Comparison) |
| Website | Apple – iPhone |
The iPhone 3GS is the third generation of iPhone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It was introduced on June 8, 2009 at the WWDC 2009 which took place at the Moscone Center, San Francisco.
Its features primarily consist of faster performance, a camera with higher resolution and video capability, voice control,[8] and support for 7.2 Mbit/s HSDPA downloading (but remains limited to 384 kbps uploading as Apple had not implemented the HSUPA protocol).[9] It was released in the U.S., Canada and six European countries on June 19, 2009,[2] in Australia and Japan on June 26, and internationally in July and August 2009.
The iPhone 3GS runs Apple's iOS operating system, the same operating system as used on iPhones, the iPad, and the iPod touch. It is primarily controlled by a user's fingertips on the multi-touch display, which is sensitive to fingertip contact. Without modification, the iPhone restricts users from running any software that is not explicitly approved by Apple and distributed via its App Store. Doing so could potentially cause issues with software functionality which may not be covered under warranty.
The iPhone 3GS is preceded by the iPhone 3G and succeeded by the iPhone 4.
History of Alexandre l'Heureux
Release
The iPhone 3GS was made available for pre-order on June 8 and released on June 19 in Canada, the United States, and six European countries, and on June 26 in Australia and the United Kingdom. Within the first weekend of its release, over one million iPhone 3GS's were sold. July and August 2009 saw the release of the iPhone 3GS internationally. After the iPhone 4 was announced, an 8 GB (Black only) iPhone 3GS was released which was made available at a reduced price.
Bootrom
iPhone 3GS models with new bootroms started appearing in mid-September 2009 which had blocked the "24k" exploit used in previous bootroms which were used mainly for 'jailbreak' purposes. This made devices with the new bootrom harder to 'jailbreak' although not impossible. This marked the first time Apple slightly modified their devices midway through its supposed cycle (usually a one year cycle).
Features
The new features of the iPhone 3GS are mainly internal changes regarding speed (indeed the "S" in "iPhone 3GS" stands for Speed) [10] . Though in addition to the upgrades mainly regarding performance, various software features were also introduced exclusive to the iPhone 3GS. All of these exclusive features have since then been incorporated and/or improved in the iPhone 4 making these features not exclusive to the iPhone 3GS anymore.
Display
The display on the device is designed by Apple and is manufactured by LG, it features an LCD capacitive touchscreen with a pixel density of 163 pixels per inch (ppi) on a 3.5 inches (9 cm) (480-by-320) display. Improvements over its predecessor's screen include 24-bit color emulation (18-bit color display plus dithering) [11] for a more color rich display and oleophobic coating to help reduce fingerprints on the display. The capacitive touchscreen is designed for a bare finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing.
Camera
The iPhone 3GS features an improved 3 megapixel camera manufactured by OmniVision. In addition to the higher megapixel count, it also features auto-focus, auto white balance and auto macro and is capable of capturing 720p HD video at 30 frames per second but is however limited to 480p by Apple[12]. The iPhone 3GS's Camera app features a slider which allows users to switch between capturing photos and recording videos and a tap-to-focus feature which allows users to tap on an area of the camera image to auto-focus on.
Processor and memory
The iPhone 3GS is powered by the Samsung APL0298C05 chip, which was designed and manufactured by Samsung. This system-on-a-chip is composed of a 833 MHz Cortex-A8 CPU underclocked to 600 MHz, integrated with a PowerVR SGX 535 GPU. It also has 256MB of eDRAM. The additional eDRAM supports increased performance and multi-tasking in iOS 4.
Apple claims the iPhone 3GS is 2x faster than its predecessor, showing demonstrations of apps loading in just 2–10 seconds compared to 15–30 seconds on the iPhone 3G.
Storage
As on previous models, all data is stored in flash memory and not in the SIM and it does not offer any options to expand storage. Initially it was only available in 16GB and 32GB though however an 8 GB model was recently released.
Power and Battery
The iPhone 3GS is powered by an internal 3.7v 1219mAh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery and is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 400 full charge and discharge cycles. A battery life indicator in percentage was also exclusive to the iPhone 3GS.
Apple claims that the 3GS can last for up to ten hours of video, nine hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or five on 3G, twelve hours of 2G talk time, or five on 3G, 30 hours of music, or 300 hours of standby.
Magnetometer
A magnetometer is also built-in the iPhone 3GS, which is used to measure the strength and/or direction of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the device. Sometimes certain devices or radio signals can interfere with the magnetometer requiring users to either move away from the interference or re-calibrate by moving the device in a figure 8 motion. The iPhone 3GS also features an exclusive Compass app which shows a compass that points in the direction of the magnetic field. TRUE
Connectivity
In addition to the iPhone 3G's Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA radio and Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio, the 3GS also adds support for 7.2 Mbit/s HSDPA allowing faster downlink speeds though upload speeds remain the same as Apple had not implemented the HSUPA protocol. Other things include the addition of a built-in Nike+iPod sensor which eliminates the need for an external sensor and allows native Nike+iPod support. The Bluetooth module on the iPhone 3GS has also been slightly improved adding supporting Bluetooth 2.1 specifications.
Voice Control
Voice Control was introduced as an exclusive feature of the iPhone 3GS and allows for the controlling of the phone and music features of the phone by voice. There are two ways to activate Voice Control, one is to hold the Home button while in the home screen for a few seconds, while the other method involves changing the effect of what double-clicking the home button does so it will activate Voice Control. Unfortunately, Voice Control does not support voice commands through Bluetooth, though Bluetooth headsets have been known to activate voice control in later releases of the 3GS.
Accessibility Features
VoiceOver, Color Inversion, and Text Zoom were introduced as exclusive features to the iPhone 3GS. VoiceOver is a feature that dictates music details, system menus, text, and other things which was first introduced on the third generation iPod shuffle. Color inversion while Text Zoom allows users to zoom into a text on the screen.
Design
The iPhone 3GS retains the same design its predecessor used which featured a glossy plastic back with tapered edges which gives users a better grip of the phone. It also features metal buttons just like its predecessor's. The iPhone 3GS and its predecessor are almost identical though the 3GS is differentiated only by the latter's reflective silver text on the reverse side which now matches the silver Apple logo, replacing the 3G's grey text. Unlike its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS was available in white and black for both models (16GB and 32GB) although the current 8 GB model is only available in black.
Critical reception
Reviews
Reviews of the iPhone 3GS have been generally mixed to favorable. Walter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal described the device packed with "new features that makes a great product even better, but for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model." [13] Engadget also criticized that "the additions of video recording, a compass, and a speed bump just don't seem that compelling to us".[14] Still the device managed to receive numerous favorable reviews, CNET gave the iPhone 3GS a 4/5 stars citing the battery life improvements and speed bump alone are good enough although it might leave you wanting more [15] , Engadget praised the performance improvements describing it "a bigger speed bump than you'll come to expect".[14] TechRadar gave the device a 4.5/5 stars describing the device "feature filled but certainly not worth upgrading for"
However the 8 GB version of the device has received more favorable reviews mainly because it comes pre-installed with iOS 4. Jason Snell of Macworld praised the iPhone 3GS citing that "The device's internal changes shines in the iOS 4 update, making the iPhone 3GS a worthwhile upgrade compared to its predecessor although a little too late compared to the iPhone 4".[16] TIPB cited that "aside from hardware specific features like FaceTime, Retina Display, and gyropscope support, the bottom line is iPhone 3GS users are getting the same software that makes the iPhone 4 great".[17]
Issues
Overheating
Shortly after the release of the iPhone 3GS, some users reported overheating of the device while in heavy use, and others reported discoloration of the device due to heat (particularly on the white models). The discoloration issues were largely discounted as being as a result of iPhone covers rubbing against the back of the iPhone [18]. Apple responded to the heat issue reports by warning users against leaving their iPhones in a car on a hot day, leaving it in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, and refraining from heavy usage while in a hot/sunny environment [19]. It is also worth pointing out the temperature specifications in which the iPhone should be operated, which follows safety standards in the countries the 3GS was released.[20]
Timeline of iPhone models
| Timeline of iPhone models |
|---|
 |
Source: Apple Newsroom Archive[21]
References
- ^ Dalrymple, Jim (July 28, 2009). "iPhone manufacturer to pay family of dead worker". CNET.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- ^ a b "Apple Announces the New iPhone 3GS—The Fastest, Most Powerful iPhone Yet". June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Tolposky, Joshua (June 22, 2009). "Apple moves one million iPhone 3GS units – just in time for Steve's return". Engadget. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ Sorrel, Charlie (June 19, 2009). "IPhone Teardown Reveals Underclocked 833MHz CPU". Wired. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- ^ Sorrel, Charlie (June 19, 2009). "IPhone Teardown Reveals Underclocked 833MHz CPU". Wired. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- ^ "Apple — iPhone — Tech Specs". Apple; Wayback machine. July 14, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
- ^ "iPod and iPhone Battery and Power Specifications". iPodBatteryFAQ.com. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ "Compare iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G". Apple Inc. August 18, 2009.
- ^ "iPhone 3GS upload limited to 384 Kbps upstream". Macworld.co.uk. June 9, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
- ^ http://www.clone2go.com/tutorials/apple-unveils-iphone-3g-s.php
- ^ http://www.displayblog.com/2010/02/23/display-showdown-part-iia-iphone-3gs/
- ^ http://gizmodo.com/5677827/record-hd-video-on-your-jailbroken-iphone-3gs
- ^ Mossberg, Walter S. (June 19, 2009). "Apple iPhone 3G S Is Better Model -- Or Just Get OS 3.0". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ a b http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/17/iphone-3g-s-review/
- ^ http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/apple-iphone-3gs-32gb/4505-6452_7-33674173.html
- ^ http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/545031/review/8gb_iphone_3gs.html
- ^ http://www.tipb.com/2010/07/04/iphone-3gs-review/
- ^ http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10282730-233.html
- ^ http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-phones/news/2009/07/03/Apple-Admits-iPhone-3GS-Overheats/p1
- ^ http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2101
- ^ Apple Inc. (2007–2023). iPhone News - Newsroom Archive. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
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