Hardware Capabilities of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Last updated: March 2, 2011 after the introduction of the iPad 2.  The updated spreadsheet of hardware capabilities can be accessed here.

Apple introduced the next generation of iPhone (iPhone 4) on June 5, 2010 and of the iPad (iPad 2) on March 2, 2011.  These announcements provide a timely opportunity to review the hardware capabilities of Apple's older and current models of mobile devices -- the four generations of the iPhone, the three generations of the iPod Touch, and the two generations of the iPad -- hereinafter referred to as Apple's iOS devices.

This posting presents three innovative ways at looking at the hardware capabilities of the iOS devices. This information will be valuable to anyone interested in mobile devices:  buyers and users of these devices, developers, industry analysts, and other mobile device manufacturers and resellers.

This posting presents:

• The reason why this posting focuses on hardware.
• A view of the hardware components, capabilities, and example uses. This answers questions such as “What capabilities do these hardware components provide and what are some examples of applications that use that capability?”
• A view of the hardware components and capabilities by iOS device. This answers questions such as “Why can’t my iPod Touch do the same thing as an iPhone 3GS?”
• A view of example applications and the hardware they exploit. This answers questions such as “What are some examples of applications and the hardware components they leverage?”
• An opportunity to contribute to a list of future hardware components and capabilities
• How you can help improve the information in this posting.

This is also a “Your Input” posting.  I have taken the first cut at collecting and organizing this information.  I need your expertise to make it: More accurate More complete More valuable, such as contributing more information, suggesting additional views, and perhaps extending beyond the Apple iOS devices to other smartphones and tablets for comparisons and broader insights on the future direction of these mobile devices from a hardware perspective. Based on your input, I will update this information on a regular basis.  The links to the views in this document will always point to the latest version.

REASONS FOR THE FOCUS ON HARDWARE

In many respects, the mobile device I own (an Apple iPhone 3G) is better than my laptop.  The 3G not only has better portability (I carry it everywhere I go and in my pocket), it includes a GPS chip, an accelerometer, a touch screen, and cellular technology.  My laptop has none of these hardware components built-in.

If the iOS devices were simply miniature versions of a laptop, they would not be successful.  They would run the same types of applications we run on our desktops today, and they would not be very good at it.  It is the hardware capabilities unique to these iOS devices, combined with portability, that have opened up new possibilities and innovations in applications for the broader population.

This is not to downplay several other very important elements for a successful mobile device beyond hardware.  These include a powerful and elegant operating system, useful and affordable applications, good development tools and a vibrant developer community to create applications, smart marketing, innovative retailing, non-frustrating end-user support, an underlying long-term vision and roadmap, and a robust ecosystem.  Therefore, choosing a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device is not a matter of looking at the hardware feature list alone.

I have picked the Apple hardware as a baseline for the following reasons:

• There are a limited number of mobile devices to examine (nine in total: iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch, iPod Touch 2nd generation, iPod Touch 3rd generation, iPad Wi-Fi and iPad Wi-Fi + 3G)
• They are designed and manufactured by the same company, so there is more uniformity and evolution to the hardware components and capabilities to make categorizations and comparisons simpler
• They run an iOS operating system, leverage the same development platform and APIs, and utilize the same App Store, so the example applications ("apps") are available for most or all of the different Apple iOS devices.
• The same iOS devices are available globally
• It is the current standard by which other smartphones are compared against.

VIEW 1 – HARDWARE COMPONENTS, CAPABILITIES, AND EXAMPLE USES

This view depicts the hardware components contained in one or more of the various Apple mobile devices, the capability of each component, and some examples of how that capability is exploited.

This information is depicted graphically in a mind map, a diagramming technique to show the hierarchical relationships among this information.  The mind map was created in open source software called FreeMind.  Here is an example from a portion of the mind map:

(Click image to enlarge)

This view can help answer the following types of questions:

• What are all of the hardware components that are used for input to iOS devices?
• What are the capabilities of each hardware component?
• How can each of these capabilities be used?
• What are some examples of applications that use that capability?

The legend describes the types of information captured and displayed in the mind map:

(Click image to enlarge)

The following categories are used to group the hardware components:

Category	Description
Input (IN)	Components used to capture information from outside mobile device, such as a touch screen or a microphone
Output (OU)	Components used to deliver information outside of the mobile device, such as a display or a speaker
Connectivity (CO)	Components that serve as both output to other devices and input from other devices, such as Bluetooth and cellular
Storage (ST)	Components that store information within the mobile device, such as flash memory or a SIM card
Processor (PR)	Components that serve as the main processors within the mobile device
Enclosure (EN)	Components that encase the mobile device
Power (PO)	Components that provide power to the device, such as a battery
Other (OT)	Other components that may not be accessible, exploitable, or relevant, such as the moisture indicator
Limitations (LI)	A category to capture constraints on the components that may limit their utility, such as temperature or altitude

Over thirty hardware components have been documented.  Here is an example in the mind map of the components documented within the Input category.

(Click image to enlarge)

Here is the complete list of hardware components documented in the mind map:

IN-01 - Touch screen IN-02A - Home IN-02B - Volume up IN-02C - Volume down IN-02D - Mute (ring/silent) switch IN-02E - Sleep/wake button IN-02F - Screen rotation switch IN-02G - Combination push IN-03 - Back Camera IN-04 - Built-in microphone IN-05 - Headphone jack IN-06 - Ambient light sensor IN-07 - 3-channel Accelerometer IN-08 - Proximity sensor IN-09 - Assisted GPS IN-10 - Magnetometer (Digital Compass) IN-11 - 3-axis Gyroscope IN-12 - Front camera IN-13 - Second microphone

OU-01 - Screen OU-02 - Speaker OU-03 - 3.5mm stereo headphone jack OU-04 - Receiver OU-05 - Vibration OU-06 - LED Flash CO-01 - Bluetooth CO-02A - Cellular-EDGE CO-02B - Cellular-3G CO-03 - Wi-Fi CO-04 - 30 pin connector ST-01 - Flash memory ST-02 - SIM card/Micro SIM card PR-01 - Main processor EN-01 - Plastic EN-02 - Aluminosilicate glass EN-03 - Stainless steel band PO-01 - Lithium-ion battery OT-01 - Moisture indicator

Capabilities are associated with each of the hardware components.   Here is an example of the capabilities for one of the components:

(Click image to enlarge)

Uses and/or example uses are also provided for each capability.  The name of the application is included if you wanted to test out the use in the app.  I picked free apps (as of June 8, 2010) for most examples; paid apps are noted.  Here is an example of uses of a capability:

(Click image to enlarge)

I am providing the mind map in three different versions.  The first two contain interactive mind maps, that is, you can expand and collapse the nodes of information.

I will be updating these mind maps as I receive corrections, updates, and enhancements from readers like you.  These links below will always point to the latest version.  The date of the latest version will be noted in the legend of the mind map.

Format	Features
Java applet	Graphical mind map view.  Can expand and collapse nodes by clicking a node.  A right mouse click displays options, including search.
Flash version	Graphical, can expand and collapse nodes with a mouse click on a node.  Upper left corner displays icons to access a search box and a thumbnail to quickly move to another portion of the mind map.
XHTML version	Textual outline of the contents.  Supports expanding and collapsing of outline.

Here is a thumbnail of the original mind map.  Use the links above to access the latest version.

(Click image to enlarge)

VIEW 2 – HARDWARE COMPONENTS AND CAPABILITIES BY iOS DEVICE

This view presents in a tabular format the list of components and capabilities by category and notes which iOS devices contain that component/capability. 

This information is contained in a spreadsheet.  It mirrors the higher-level taxonomy of the mind map in View 1, listing the categories, hardware components, capabilities, and uses.  For each capability the spreadsheet notes if the iOS device supports it (designated by an 'X') or does not support it (designated by a dash).  The iOS devices tracked are:  iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad Wi-Fi, iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, iPod Touch, iPod Touch 2nd gen, and iPod Touch 3rd gen.

(Click image to enlarge)

This view can help answer the following types of questions:

• Which iOS devices have a certain hardware component or capability?
• What hardware components and capabilities does a certain iOS have?
• If I develop an app exploiting a hardware capability, which iOS devices will it not function on?
• What are the hardware differences between two iOS devices?

The list focuses on the hardware components at a certain level and does not distinguish differences that do not materially affect a capability.  For example, the different processors among the iOS devices are not broken out even though the speeds have gotten faster -- the iOS devices can still execute apps albeit as different speeds.  Apple has limited certain software features and operating system upgrades due to the processor speed, however.

Click here to view the spreadsheet in Google Documents.  I will be updating this document as I receive corrections, updates, and enhancements from readers like you.  This link will always point to the latest version.  The date of the latest version will be noted in the legend of the mind map.

There may be blanks and question marks in the spreadsheet when you view it as I do not have access to all of the iOS devices to validate the information collected.  Please help me update it to make it more accurate and complete.

This view could be expanded to include non-Apple smartphone and tablet devices.  If you want to help, please contact me through the Feedback page on this website or daniel at danielsklar.com.

VIEW 3 – SAMPLE APPLICATIONS AND HARDWARE COMPONENTS THEY USE

This view lists some of the iOS apps and the hardware components they exploit.  Since there are over 200,000 apps in the App Store, it would be impossible to document all of them.  Even a dozen is a lot to document.  I have gone ahead and documented a few apps I thought did a good job of exploiting the hardware capabilities.

The list leverages the hardware component taxonomy used in View 1 (the mind map) and in View 2.  For each app, all major hardware components used by that app are noted along with a description of how the hardware is leveraged by the app in interesting or unique ways.

This view can help answer the following questions:

• What are some example apps that leverage several hardware capabilities?
• If I have an iOS device that does not have a certain hardware capability, which apps will I not be able to run fully featured?

This second question can only be properly answered if the information in this view is extensive.  If you would like to contribute to extend the examples, I have created a form you may use to enter in this information.  Click here if you have good knowledge of an app and how it leverages the hardware.

Click here for a view of the apps entered so far.

FUTURE HARDWARE COMPONENTS

Apple has included a few new hardware components in the iPhone 4, including an LED Flash, a front-facing camera, and a gyroscope.  The first two could have been anticipated as they exist on some other smartphones, but a gyroscope?  It will be exciting to see how some of the developers leverage the capabilities of this new hardware component.

This is your chance to suggest what new hardware components we could see in the future.  Be as visionary as you would like.  If you know of a hardware component that exists on another mobile device that is not currently in an iOS device, please suggest it as well.

Click here to enter in your favorite ideas.

And click here to see what other people have entered.

HOW YOU CAN HELP IMPROVE THIS INFORMATION

I have prepared the first iteration of this information.  You can help improve this information by noting inaccuracies, filling in incomplete information, and enhancing the taxonomy and examples.

If you would like to do so, please do one of the following:

• Send updates to daniel at danielsklar.com
• Fill out the Feedback form page with a small number of changes or to express interest to help

For those who are experts and want to provide more substantial help to this effort, please make that comment in your communication.

Thanks in advance for your help in making this information better.


Happy mobiling!

Toolkit: Information Mapping for Business Writing

One of the most important tools in my consulting toolkit is Information Mapping, both a formal method (approach) to writing and a format (visual style) for writing.  I personally have written thousands of pages of documents in this method/format, from memos and proposals to project charters and training materials.   I recommend it for most business writing for the advantages it offers both the writer and the reader.

I learned Information Mapping in 1993 as a manager in consulting at KPMG.  I brought the method to Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. in 1994.  It became the standard for training documentation and technical writing by the Information Technology department, and many of my colleagues adopted the format for their own use.

This post introduces you to Information Mapping by:

• Providing a real-life example of traditional business writing and how it was improved by the Information Mapping method/format.
• Presenting an overview of the concepts of the method and the typical formatting.
• Sharing some practical tips on using the method and addressing some of its shortcomings.
• Listing additional resources if you are interested in learning more about Information Mapping.

REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE

Read the following two one-page memos written with the same purpose:  to communicate to the company’s customers a very important change to a procedure.

The first memo displayed below was the original draft given to me to proofread.  I suggested rewriting the memo in the Information Mapping method, asked some questions for clarification, and quickly drafted a new version.  The revised memo displayed below was the one actually sent to the customers.

Example 1 - Original Draft (click image to view)	Example 2 - Revised Memo (click image to view)

The original draft (Example 1) uses a typical memo style of writing used in business.  The procedure changes are embedded in the first paragraph and are difficult to follow.

The revised memo (Example 2) uses the Information Mapping method of writing.  The change, benefits, new procedure, and contact information are clearly presented to the customer.  The process of organizing the information in the memo exposed gaps in content in the original draft.

Since the original draft memo was not distributed, it is not possible to measure before and after results.  A comparison of the two memos suggests the revised memo anticipates and addresses concerns and questions that would have arisen with the original draft, reducing confusion, e-mail follow-ups, and telephone customer service calls.

OVERVIEW OF CONCEPTS

I consider Information Mapping to be both a method and a format.  I make that distinction because many people become aware of the look of an information-mapped document (the format or visual style) without realizing there are underlying principles and techniques (the method) to the writing.

The Method

In traditional business writing, the basic unit of writing is the paragraph, made of several sentences.  In Information Mapping, there are two basic units of writing:

• Information block:  One or more sentences, a diagram, a table, and/or a list about a limited topic.  The content is based on the purpose or function for the reader (not the writer).  This replaces paragraphs.  Note in the example revised memo presented above, there are four information blocks:  Change (with some sentences about the change), Benefits (with a list of benefits), Procedure (with a table presenting the steps and actions to take), and Questions.
• Information map:  A collection of relevant information blocks about a limited topic.  In the example revised memo, the one page is an information map about the change to the ordering process.

Another example of an information block and and information map is presented below.  In this example two pages of the same information map is displayed.

Example 3

(click image to view)

Information Mapping is based on several principles applied to writing.  These principles are based on research conducted by Robert E. Horn, who founded a company (Information Mapping, Inc.) to commercialize the findings.

Principle	Description
Chunking principle	All information should be grouped into small, manageable units. Each information block in Example 3 illustrates chunking.  And each information map is a chunking of an overall document or section.
Relevance principle	The information grouped in a unit should relate to one relevant point based on its purpose or function for the reader. The "Description" information block in Example 3 only gives a description, nothing more.  The "Sources of information" block only lists the sources.
Labeling principle	Each relevant unit of information should have a label to “advance organize” the content of the unit for the reader. The map title ("Information Maintained in IS Project List") in Example 3 is a label for the map.  "Description", "Sources of information", and "Fields set at creation time" are labels for the information blocks.  A reader can scan these labels to find a chunk of information more easily as a result of this principle.
Consistency principle	Information presented should use consistent words, labels, formats, organizations, and sequences. Business writing is not creative writing; the same word should always be used consistently.  In Example 3, the word "project" is consistently used throughout the document.
Integrated graphics principle	Diagrams, tables, pictures, and other visuals should be incorporated as an integral part of the text, not as an afterthought added after the writing is completed. Example 3 includes a table to visually depict the data, rather than narrative which buries the data in text.
Accessible detail principle	Writers should write at a level of detail that makes the information the reader needs readily accessible and put what the reader needs where the reader needs it. Example 3 shows the "Sources of information" abbreviations immediately above the table that uses those abbreviations.  The reader should not have to flip to an appendix to find out what the abbreviations mean.
Hierarchy of chunking and labeling principle	Small, relevant units of information should be organized hierarchically into larger groups and provide labels for each larger group. Example 3 only shows one information map.  It is part of a larger document that contains additional maps which are organized under a chapter of a document.  The document as well as the chapters, information maps, and information blocks are all labeled.

The Formatting

Information mapped documents are easy to spot because of certain characteristics.  There are usually:

• Labels (map titles) at the top of a page (or a title with a continued tag)
• Labels (block labels) to the left of an information block
• Lines (block lines) in between information blocks
• Several tables and bullet point lists

These are all depicted in Example 3.  The Information Mapping company sells a template for Microsoft Word that helps writers create and format Word documents in this style more easily.

PRACTICALITIES AND SHORTCOMINGS

There are specific rules prescribed by the Information Mapping method.  It is good to learn them so you fully understand the concepts and why they are important.  But once you learn them, adapt them to meet your own needs.

As an example, the method leverages Miller's Law, which states the number of objects an average human can hold in memory is 7, plus or minus 2.  Thus, the Information Mapping method states a bullet point list should not have more than nine items, a table no more than nine rows, a map no more than nine blocks.  It is a nice guideline to keep in mind, but there are examples where following this rule would split information unnecessarily.  Use your good judgment.

Because I have been writing this way for many years, I have a feel for when a map needs to be broken down into multiple maps.  This occurs throughout the writing process.  The document morphs and changes as I write, adding new information, creating new blocks, breaking apart maps, identifying new maps.  I think and write at the same time and use an infomap template to facilitate the process.

I find few shortcomings to business writing using Information Mapping.  Here are a couple I will point out, along with suggestions on how to address.

• “A fool with a tool is still a fool.”  Just because it looks like an information-mapped document with map titles and block labels does not mean it is written well.  The writer may not have an understanding of the underlying principles or the writing skills to put them to use.  I address this twofold:  first, by determining who has the aptitude to write well (some people do not have the aptitude), and secondly, by training people on the method and on writing.  On small projects, I typically provide introductory training myself with the group in less than three hours, and I include Microsoft Word training in the mix.  (Side note to reader:  It is amazing how many users of Microsoft Word do not understand style sheets and tables, two of the most powerful features of the software.)  I would recommend full-time writers that want a deep understanding of the method and want to practice and get feedback from experienced Information Mapping instructors take a formal class from the Information Mapping company.
• Documents written in the Information Mapping format tend to be larger, both in pages and file size.  There is more whitespace on infomap formatted documents.  The block labels take up a column of space on the left of each page.  The block lines spread out the text more.  Information blocks that do not fit at the bottom of the page are moved to the next page, adding to whitespace at the bottom of the page.  The pervasive use of tables and graphics tend to increase the size of a document.  The key, though, is whitespace and better presentation make it better for the reader and for communication.  I somewhat address this by making my own infomap Word template and reducing the text size from 12 point to 10 point.  This reduces the number of pages since more text fits on a page.  It also usually means more blocks can fit on a page (if you do a good job chunking), so there is less wasted space at the bottom of each page.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

If you want to learn more, I suggest one or more of the following:

• Attend an Information Mapping course.  The Information Mapping company provides training programs on the method, and it comes from the owners of the method.
• Read a description of the seven principles at TechWriter Wiki.
• Read the 1993 paper by the founder of Information Mapping, Robert Horn, titled “Structured Writing at Twenty-five” (a pdf document).  The content is good.  Unfortunately, it is written in neither Information Mapping nor Structured Writing.  Other links to his writings are here at his Stanford University website.

Happy mapping!

My first post - An introduction to the site

I met a woman at an Atlanta Press Club event last week and mentioned I was starting a blog.  Has she created a blog before?  "Honey," she replied, "ask how many of mine have died over the years, because the answer is the same and it's more than you can count on one hand."

I hope my first foray into blogging does not suffer the same fate.

My goals for this website are threefold:

• To serve as my personal website.
• To share information and wisdom on a variety of specially chosen topics.
• To give value to my readers and contributors.

You should expect at least one post per week.

I am initiating the website with five focus areas:

• Credo:  I will introduce my credo for living well -- LRN LAF LUV LIV, my shorthand of Learn, Laugh, Love, Live  -- and the tenets of this philosophy.  If the concepts resonate with you...live it.
• Toolkit:  I will share proven tools, techniques, and frameworks I have used in my career and that are part of my consultant's toolkit.  If you find a gem (or two) in this toolkit you like...use it.
• Ideas:  I will present ideas (business and personal).  If you are inspired by one of the ideas...run with it.
• Knowledge:  I will compile information I find of interest.  If you find value in the information...leverage it.
• Your input:  I will be asking for your help in certain topics that I am interested in.  Please...contribute to it and make it better.

I am officially kicking off this website on June 1 in honor of my Dad's birthday.

Happy reading!