iPhone 3G S faster than Palm Pre; 500K sales "conservative"

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A series of benchmarks have shown that Apple's latest iPhone is so fast that it outpaces not just the older iPhone but Palm's self-proclaimed speed champ, the Pre. Sales are also poised to break speed records as new estimates suggest that Apple will sell significantly more than 500,000 iPhone 3G S units this weekend.



Benchmarks give iPhone 3G S clear lead over old model, Pre



While many informal comparisons have been conducted to show just how much faster the iPhone 3G S is over its predecessor, a new series of tests on Friday has shown that many of Apple's claims are borne out not just against the iPhone 3G but the Palm Pre and the only currently available Android phone in the US, the T-Mobile G1.



In loading a series of complex websites over Wi-Fi, AnandTech has found that the 3G S is about 54 percent faster on average than the 3G and, in a few cases, is about three times faster. But it's also about 11 percent faster than the Palm Pre, which shares WebKit as a rendering engine, and is only slower in two out of nine tests. That lead only grows wider with the T-Mobile G1: as it's slower than the iPhone 3G, it's often twice as fast or more.



Load times for commonly available apps were less dramatic between iPhones but only exacerbated the gaps between the Pre and Apple's hardware. A 3G S is between 13 percent and 42 percent faster at loading these apps versus a 3G depending on conditions, but it starts these roughly between two and four times faster than a Pre. Again, the sole Android phone in the comparison is slower still in all but Google Maps.











Almost all of the speedup is attributed to the Samsung ARM Cortex A8 processor at the heart of the new iPhone. Its clock speed gain is obvious, but it can also issue two instructions at once instead of the original iPhone's one and has more than twice as much cache. Palm is using an OMAP 3 chip from Texas Instruments that itself is considered fast.



iPhone 3G S sales likely to easily exceed 500,000: analyst



Just as the phone itself is fast, the iPhone 3G S should also outrun previous launch sales estimates, Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster said today in an investment note.



His research firm had originally predicted half a million units trading hands this weekend but now believes that figure is "conservative" based on early results. At the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York City, the analysts saw 350 customers in line. That was significantly less than the 540 in line last year, but above the 270 predicted last year.



On top of first-hand observations, Munster notes that the carriers themselves have also been very pleased and say that their early results have gone beyond expectations. AT&T's wireless chief Ralph de la Vega told CNBC that there were "hundreds of thousands" of pre-orders for the iPhone 3G before it went on sale. Outside of this, AppleInsider has heard of quick sellouts in at least the US and Canada.



Britain's O2, meanwhile, said that the iPhone 3G S had already sold more units by noon on Friday than the iPhone 3G had managed in its first 24 hours. Retail traffic was 10 times higher than usual, while web views were 150 percent higher.



Apple's performance is less than the million units it managed last year but is potentially impressive as only eight countries could participate on launch day where 21 had that option before. Subsequent launches in the next few weeks should have a much more tangible impact on Apple's overall numbers.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 366
    syklee26syklee26 Posts: 78member
    Palm's Pre-Empty-ive strike has failed I guess.
  • Reply 2 of 366
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by syklee26 View Post


    Palm's Pre-Empty-ive strike has failed I guess.



    Where's darth vader when you need him .
  • Reply 3 of 366
    masklinnmasklinn Posts: 17member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by syklee26 View Post


    Palm's Pre-Empty-ive strike has failed I guess.



    Not really. They never had the power to nuke the iPhone, but they managed to show a very well designed phone (out-appleing apple in several ways) before the 3GS blitz hit (which I'd expect was their goal more than shadowing Apple's spotlight).



    I don't know about the public, but as far as reviewers go very clearly the Pre has captured their minds as being the iPhone contender. Not Android, not Blackberry, not (lol) WiMo, the Pre.



    I say that's a pretty good start, and down the line it'll be much better for everyone (apart from Apple themselves maybe) than if the pre had been dead in the water. I'm expecting great things from the mobile space if Palm plays their hand right (and releases their damn phone out of the US already!)
  • Reply 4 of 366
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    What I find most astounding are the application load times and boot times for the Palm Pre v. iPhone 3G with half the HW performance. Palm really should have had waited until after the summer to release the Pre with refinements and with a public SDK.
  • Reply 5 of 366
    trajectorytrajectory Posts: 647member
    I think Palm's biggest problem is the name: Pre. What the hell does it mean? It's just stupid. Pre-what? What will the next phone be called, Post? Pri?
  • Reply 6 of 366
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    What I find most astounding are the application load times and boot times for the Palm Pre v. iPhone 3G with half the HW performance. Palm really should have had waited until after the summer to release the Pre with refinements and with a public SDK.



    Palm was, of course, smart not to wait, but to challenge the iphone, whose 3gs was not much of an innovation over the 3g, just a speed boost. To wait longer would have given apple a further lead in marketshare.



    I also note that, while the app load speed on the pre is lagging, they're a 1st gen product AND OS, so to be in competition at all is a feat. Additionally, they have been updating the OS regularly (including one announced today), so we'll see if those things improve.



    Thirdly, I note that the comparisons done today were only for Wifi and app load times - what is conspicuously missing are the 3g/EDGE tests of page loads and email and such. Since the 3gs is currently crippled by ATT's inferior network, in real world tests (such as the recent one at cnet), the pre actually outperforms the iphone in communication speed in many real world applications.



    And what you can't measure easily is the fun and gain in usability that multi-tasking on the pre gives you. Battery life aside, multi tasking also has realworld usefulness, and going back to the modular approach of the iphone can feel like going backwards in functionality.



    But I admit, the 3gs is a fine phone, and the apps are smoooth, and the slightly bigger screen is nice, despite the relativly clunky size it gives the iphone.



    All in all, I don't think it's a slam dunk for either phone. They both are great, they both have room for improvement. Fanboys from both sides love to claim victory. I think the real victor is the consumer, who gets increased innovation and lower price due to the REAL competition of the pre, and I hope that RIM and Android can step it up too.
  • Reply 7 of 366
    Sorry, but seeing is believing and real world tests over benchmarks prove everything.



    The iPhone and iPhone 3GS lost two out of three in important factors: http://bit.ly/m1N4D



    Hit the link for video proof. The Pre p0wned iPhone.
  • Reply 8 of 366
    shadowshadow Posts: 373member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by masklinn View Post


    Not really. They never had the power to nuke the iPhone, but they managed to show a very well designed phone (out-appleing apple in several ways) before the 3GS blitz hit (which I'd expect was their goal more than shadowing Apple's spotlight).



    I don't know about the public, but as far as reviewers go very clearly the Pre has captured their minds as being the iPhone contender. Not Android, not Blackberry, not (lol) WiMo, the Pre.



    I say that's a pretty good start, and down the line it'll be much better for everyone (apart from Apple themselves maybe) than if the pre had been dead in the water. I'm expecting great things from the mobile space if Palm plays their hand right (and releases their damn phone out of the US already!)



    The Pre hype was a bit overblown IMO. Also, I am not impressed by the phone as well (this is a personal opinion. As far as it is Sprint only, and more importantly, not GSM, it is not an option for me anyway). It is a bit early to say that the Pre is not dead in the water. The hype and media attention was good for Palm so far, but when the quarterly results come out, they may kill Palm. I mean, my feeling is that the investor expectations are set too high. I still think that the only option for Palm to stay in the game is takeover from a deep-pocket company.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    What I find most astounding are the application load times and boot times for the Palm Pre v. iPhone 3G with half the HW performance. Palm really should have had waited until after the summer to release the Pre with refinements and with a public SDK.



    I could not come up with benchmarks but I already shared my observations that the Pre feels like the old iPhone and when the 3G S comes out it will be hard to believe that they run on almost identical hardware. Oh, and there are only a handful of apps one can actually compare.



    This comparison still does not get into account the whole package: those 50000+ apps and the bunch of the hardware add-ons making their way. There is no Pre vs. iPhone game, they are not in the same league.



    The original iPhone launch was one of the biggest in the history of the industry. But Apple managed to draw crowds at the launch day of a new version of the existing device three years in a raw. I don't think this will be replicated soon.
  • Reply 9 of 366
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    The Pre is *still* takeover bait. In light of what the iPhone continues to bring to the table, the pre is nothing special.



    Palm is no innovator in handheld devices, anyway.That title goes to Apple, who introduced the PDA to the world with Newton. Palm is a derivative company; a follower, not an innovator. If Palm is a pioneer at anything, it's in sitting around on its collective ass, resting on its laurels, milking/screwing its cusotmers, and then running around in a too-late frenzy like a chicken after Apple lopped off its head.



    Which sounds very much like another, much larger company that can't seem to get its act together.



    Too little, too late.
  • Reply 10 of 366
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    I'm surprised that O2 have shifted so many. Their prices are batshit crazy.
  • Reply 11 of 366
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    I'm surprised that O2 have shifted so many. Their prices are batshit crazy.



    People simply want the iPhone. Demand for this device is crazy. People see real value in it and are willing to pay.
  • Reply 12 of 366
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FoneFrenzy View Post


    Sorry, but seeing is believing and real world tests over benchmarks prove everything.



    The iPhone and iPhone 3GS lost two out of three in important factors: http://bit.ly/m1N4D



    Hit the link for video proof. The Pre p0wned iPhone.



    Ah - first post, eh, troll?
  • Reply 13 of 366
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    People simply want the iPhone. Demand for this device is crazy. People see real value in it and are willing to pay.



    Sadly this is true.
  • Reply 14 of 366
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    Count me as one of those possibly 500,000 people who pre-ordered and bought/will buy this weekend.



    Lovin' it. Of course, I'm coming from an original iPhone, so the difference is probably much more noticeable.



    And as for the Sprint comparisons!? Who cares? Why am I interested in how good or bad the Pre is or isn't doing... I'm very happy with the iPhone.
  • Reply 15 of 366
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FoneFrenzy View Post


    Sorry, but seeing is believing and real world tests over benchmarks prove everything.



    The iPhone and iPhone 3GS lost two out of three in important factors: http://bit.ly/m1N4D



    Hit the link for video proof. The Pre p0wned iPhone.



    One real world test doesn't prove anything over benchmarks. I've been with friends who have iphones where, for whatever reason, one person will beat out another. That's why you need a test that is more objective.



    If that test showed anything, it was that the ATT signal was so weak that one iphone couldn't hold on to the 3G signal and went to edge.
  • Reply 16 of 366
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FoneFrenzy View Post


    Sorry, but seeing is believing and real world tests over benchmarks prove everything.



    The iPhone and iPhone 3GS lost two out of three in important factors: http://bit.ly/m1N4D



    Hit the link for video proof. The Pre p0wned iPhone.



    Palm and its shills will do and say anything at this point, especially after the Pre's lukewarm reception.



    Plus, according to your source the Pre took ages to start up.



    And I just love the small-ass screen, thicker form-factor, and the ancient, dinky keyboard. A nice WebOS engine wrapped in a cheap, obsolescent package. Well done!



    Really, tough, when it comes to the whole iPhone/Apple ecosystem, the pre is nowhere. And don't forget, Pre and iTunes syncing might very well never materialize. Being locked out of iTunes or at least having the experience frustrated by Apple's updates, does not bode well for any device hoping to compete with the iPhone in its areas of strength.
  • Reply 17 of 366
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macnyc View Post


    One real world test doesn't prove anything over benchmarks. I've been with friends who have iphones where, for whatever reason, one person will beat out another. That's why you need a test that is more objective.



    If that test showed anything, it was that the ATT signal was so weak that one iphone couldn't hold on to the 3G signal and went to edge.



    Wanting to take signal strength out of the equation idealizes the situation, which just doesn't make much sense.
  • Reply 18 of 366
    HW specs are secondary are secondary to Apple. It was never mention in the keynote. Apps were the showcase. Intel is piling up cpu cores, they can barely pass 3.0 GHZ nowadays. due to MHZ limits, SW holds increasing significance.
  • Reply 19 of 366
    taurontauron Posts: 911member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Trajectory View Post


    I think Palm's biggest problem is the name: Pre. What the hell does it mean? It's just stupid. Pre-what? What will the next phone be called, Post? Pri?



    It means "Pre-historic"
  • Reply 20 of 366
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tauron View Post


    It means "Pre-historic"



    Your guess is as good as anyone else's.



    http://mypre.com/the-names-pre-palm-pre-2009061270/
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