Apple's iPhone 4 promo videos show Retina Display and video calling
By Nilay Patel 
posted June 7th 2010 3:06PM
posted June 7th 2010 3:06PM
Update: We're told this isn't actually the Sam Mendes video calling ad, but rather an Apple promo video produced internally. We'll just have to wait and see if Mendes can top these heartwrenching images of American beauty with his ad.
OMG, Its MAGICAL Feature.
@potretr That Greg Joswiak guy sounded like he was about to jizz in his pants. He sounded so jazzed (jizzed?) that the iPhone does apps! OMG! It does apps!
@potretr They do seem excited, they are *almost* trying too hard to sell their product as the "OMG FIRST!"..
Really Apple, the iPhone 3G really had the fastest 3G speeds when it launched? Really?
@Indefinite Implosion They do have it. When my son was born nearly 2 years ago they had free WiFi in the rooms (although things like iTunes were blocked). They also have it at the local University hospital too.
@Indefinite Implosion
Your pretty sure, huh? Well I was in the hospital 2 weeks ago and they had the whole place set up with free wifi. Plus, when my daughter was born, they had all the maternity suites wired up, and that was over 6 years ago. Wifi in hospitals is becoming pretty standard since they figured out how to shield the important equipment.
I had no idea Matt Damon was deaf....
@Indefinite Implosion well it's a gynecologist, so it really could be anywhere and probably not in a hospital
@Indefinite Implosion
I've spent altogether too much time in hospitals in the last two years, and yes,they all have WiFi now.
@Indefinite Implosion
They will obviously make an exception if you are a solder on the battlefield and your pregnant wife is getting her ultrasound.
@Indefinite Implosion Yes they have wifi in hospitals. I was inpatient for several days last year and I don't think I would have survived without my iPhone and the Hospital's wifi network. :)
@potretr
AMAZING! WONDERFUL! BREATH TAKING! AMAZING!
@Indefinite Implosion It's a frickin' commercial dude. Lighten up.
@potretr
He He .. its always something magical with Apple! No matter how late and dumb
@Indefinite Implosion That's all just BS, the hospitals use an internal 900mhz cell system for their own phones. Unless you put your phone on top of Granny's ventilator, you're fine.
You know that all 1,000 staff members all have their phones in their pocket. I usually mute mine out of respect that people are trying to work and don't need the additional distraction.
Yes, I worked in a hospital 10 years, no I have never seen any scientific or actual evidence of a case of any EMI happen in a hospital.
@Pork Rind i certainly hope the reason you spend a lot of time in hospitals is because you are helping the people in there instead of the other way around!
@Indefinite Implosion Apple product are for wankers that disreguard both discretion and respect.
Given that just about every smartphone can do video calling over WiFi and 3G and has been able to for a while this is kind of 'so what?' for now.
Not sure why they're pushing this feature given its limitations.
@MarkAnderson being able to "do" it, and doing it right, are 2 totally different things.
@MarkAnderson
Haven't you realized it yet? People don't think about limitations when they purchase an iPhone. It's all driven by these ads that only emphasize the positive. People get wrapped up in the shineyness and the coolness that they completely ignore all the negatives. Plus, as the iPhone fanboys have already stated, the iPhone is meant for the average consumer, aka: "I have no idea how a computer works, I think it's all in the monitor, and if you try to explain it to me, my eyes gloss over. I tend to install Norton Anti-virus because I constantly click on banner ads."
@MarkAnderson
Yeah, really, the ability to do something like this is only limited on most phones by the lack of a front facing camera, which I'm sure will not be very unique to the iPhone for long (it technically was available on the EVO 4G prior to the iPhone).
My question is, if it's forced over wifi, can you really refer to it as video "calling"?
@youngluck
You're right. Everyone else has though so what's your point?
@MarkAnderson
name 5
@MarkAnderson Do you really have to complain about everything Apple does? First people said that 'every' phone has this feature and the iPhone should too, now they come out with a decent one and now you guy are saying 'well you know every phone has video calling so this is meh'? Oh the irony...
@MarkAnderson Good point. There should be a national registry of smartphone features, and companies should only be able to advertise those points where they come out above all others.
@junkymonkey
Pretty much every Nokia smartphone since the N70 for a start. Then there's Window's mobile and Android phones like the Tattoo and Legend.
It's been around for a bit but not really been popular due to carrier charges.
@Mike10010100
Why do you feel so threatened about technology becoming more accessible to the "average consumer"?
@MarkAnderson
Actually I don't think the Android ones have front cameras do they so I'm not sure they can do two way which is a bit poo.
The Nokias can and have done for years though as have the WinMo phones.
@zebrainez
I'm not complaining - it's a great phone. It's just this feature is a head scratcher given its massive limitations. What do you want me to do - say it's wonderful when it isn't?
@junkymonkey
Really? Like all the Nokias for example. They did it 5 years ago. And even then I though it was useless (and it still is).
@MarkAnderson I've had video calling over 3g in my p990! for 4 years .. and I could switch from front to back camera too (used that when calling while driving to show ma speed :P)
those ads just shows you the new stuff in a way you won't notice the limitations
@Mike10010100 It's true that a lot of consumers get it because of marketing, but one of the number one marketing methods is word of mouth, and when friends and family members love it, then you're likely to get it too. Even if there is a HTC out there that can do more at a cheaper price. The consumer hears it's easy to use (and likely have done similar stuff i.e. sync like an iPod) and they're friends aren't complaining. They're not that sure about the HTC or WinMo b/c they haven't heard much from their friends (maybe their geeky brother, but that's it). Verizon did great advertising the Droid and it shows, and that's partly because it's well known that iPhone has issues on AT&T. Verizon has been brilliant marketing the "Droids" it has for sell, people think they're the same manufacturer and stuff. Point is though, features need to be there to keep people, but marketing it how you get them. That or it's shiny and has an Apple on it.
@MarkAnderson
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_razr_maxx_v6-1649.php
And thats just moto... in europe and asia there have been true video calling since back in 2004... so yeah forget smartphones.... dumbphones been doing it for a while , its not revolutionary... America just needs someone to push their Market Forward, and the fact that Apple chose to do it makes it Revolutionary... im no Apple Fanboy and really i try and curse everything apple, but i applaud them to a point for bringing Us Americans back to the future of the Europes Past...
@sketch42 Look at the size of our country! It's hard to update us to keep everyone on the same page. Yea, our major cities could have the latest and greatest, but (fortunately/unfortunately) the government and cell providers spread the wealth at. Nearly every other (1st world) country updates their tech fast. China just updates their major cities, leaving their rural way behind. In Japan, it seems everyone lives in Tokyo, etc. etc. We're lucky to have what we have in the U.S. We're a huge land mass. And fat too.
@MarkAnderson
Where on earth did half the comments go? Why delete them, Engadget?
@jmaine
And now it looks like you called me out without me ever responding. That's unfair to the both of us. Thanks Engadget deletion squad!
@MarkAnderson i had a siemens u15 some years ago, ithink that was the second phone ever to do video call after siemens u10, and that phone is for 2003-2004
@sketch42 the thing is, it has always been really crappy, the quality was always awful so phones didn't keep the technology for long, coz ppl didn't care about it. now with wifi, faster networks (soon hopefully) and apple's usual high quality, it's gonna be a nice usable feature
@Mike10010100 You are asinine. Man... nothing more pathetic than a hater trying to persuade and failing miserably at it.
@vqro
WTF? How can you even comment on this exchange unless you viewed the un-deleted comments. Of course I look asinine when 3/4 of the comments are deleted.
What's the music in the Retina Display video?
@onehipcat
Couldn't hear it too well because the kids have the TV on, sounds a bit like music from the KickAss Movie.
@Bublik25
Thank you!
@onehipcat
theres an app for that
I hope folks aren't going the think the streaming will be as smooth as in the "promo videos". The demo Apple did, was extremely choppy.
now show the one where they video call someone NOT on an iPhone... oh thats not a feature?
@SteveyAyo That's what I've been wondering. GSMArena says it's just iPhone4 to iPhone4.
True/False? anyone?
@N900
Sorry... I know it can't do iPhone 4 to the older models because they don't have front cameras but are you saying it can't do calling to other phones that do?
Because that really is s**t if it's true.
@SteveyAyo .. Well Apple is submitting RealTime to the standards body. I for one would be happy seeing an open high quality video protocol instead of Skype.
Maybe EVO 4G could adopt it. It should be just a software upgrade.
@N900
It's true. Only from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4.
Weak.
@MarkAnderson From GSMArena http://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_4_makes_a_stormy_appearance_at_wwdc_2010-news-1718.php
"Whoa, did we mention the iPhone 4 also has videocall camera. They call it FaceTime...And they are still not fully ready with it - in 2010 it will only work over Wi-Fi...And it only works iPhone 4 to iPhone 4..."
I left out the jokes they made.