Tuesday, January 09, 2007
iPhone: Not widescreen, not higher resolution
Apple has finally announced the official detailed specs of the iPhone:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/specs.html
The screen is 480x320, for an aspect ratio of just 1.5 (or 3:2), which is not widescreen. For reference, 4:3, normal TV and computer aspect ratio, is 1.33, and true widescreen is at least 16:9, or 1.77. Computer monitors are usually 16:10, or 1.6. So calling the iPhone "widescreen" is really stretching it. 3:2 just isn't widescreen. "wider" screen perhaps.
What's the impact of this? It's a bad solution either way. 4:3 content will be letterboxed along the top and bottom, and 16:9 video will be letterboxed along the top and bottom. NO standard video formats will play completely fullscreen!
The iPhone's resolution is also listed as 160dpi, which is (surprise), the exact same as the 5th gen iPod with its 320x240 screen at 160dpi.
While it's a bit dissapointing that the iPhone screen isn't higher resolution (in dpi) than the current iPod, 480x320 in a 3.5" screen is still nothing to scoff at.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/specs.html
The screen is 480x320, for an aspect ratio of just 1.5 (or 3:2), which is not widescreen. For reference, 4:3, normal TV and computer aspect ratio, is 1.33, and true widescreen is at least 16:9, or 1.77. Computer monitors are usually 16:10, or 1.6. So calling the iPhone "widescreen" is really stretching it. 3:2 just isn't widescreen. "wider" screen perhaps.
What's the impact of this? It's a bad solution either way. 4:3 content will be letterboxed along the top and bottom, and 16:9 video will be letterboxed along the top and bottom. NO standard video formats will play completely fullscreen!
The iPhone's resolution is also listed as 160dpi, which is (surprise), the exact same as the 5th gen iPod with its 320x240 screen at 160dpi.
While it's a bit dissapointing that the iPhone screen isn't higher resolution (in dpi) than the current iPod, 480x320 in a 3.5" screen is still nothing to scoff at.
