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| Apple iPhone 4S |
The wait is over. Apple announced the next incarnation of its smartphone - an iPhone 4S - at an event yesterday at its headquarters.
Apple finally announced the long-awaited iPhone 4S. Looking identical to the previous iPhone 4, it certainly isn't the radically redesigned iPhone 5 many people were expecting.
Apple is trotting out a new iPhone on Oct. 14, but it's not the iPhone 5 some were expecting. Instead, it's a more modest upgrade, the iPhone 4S. Here are some facts to help you decide if it's time to make the plunge.
Apple announced the iPhone 4S, which looks exactly like the iPhone 4—on the outside. On the inside, it’s a whole different story, and that the message Apple tried to get across during its presentation yesterday.
"Don't be fooled. Inside it is all new" Apple's Phil Schiller said during the phone's unveiling. Indeed, while the iPhone 4S looks strikingly similar to the iPhone 4, it's packing some seriously upgraded hardware and promising new software.
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| iPhone 4S Black |
First, and most importantly, the iPhone 4S will be powered by a new A5 processor. The A5 is a dual-core processor which will be up to twice as fast as the current A4, and seven times faster processing graphics. Apple is also claiming faster data speeds (with maximums of 14.4 Mbps download speeds, and 5.8 Mbps upload). The battery life is slightly longer *8 hours talk time versus 7 hours for the iPhone 4), but standby time is much less (200 hours versus 300).
The iPhone 4S is powered by Apple's new dual-core A5 chip, which Apple claims can deliver up to two times more power and seven times faster graphics performance than the iPhone 4. In addition, the iPhone 4S will be available on Sprint, along with AT&T and Verizon Wireless. It is a world phone, meaning it will support both CDMA and GSM networks.
Second, it’s got a dual CDMA/GSM chip for different networks, making it a world phone. The antenna is also redesigned to improve call quality.
Third, the camera is much better. Not only is it an 8-megapixel sensor with 60 percent more pixels than the one in the iPhone 4, but it is also designed to capture 73 percent more light 33 percent faster. The camera includes a high end infrared filter as well as five layered lenses which should improve the sharpness of pictures by up to 30 percent. And since the camera is one of the most used features on the phone, double-tapping the home button now opens the camera. The time it takes to get off your first shot is 1.1 seconds, and half a second for each shot after that. And it shoots 1080p video as well.
Based on the specs it’s probably the best camera system attached to a phone on the market right now, though real-life tests will have to be performed next month to determine image quality and evaluate the veracity of Apple’s speed claims. The changes aren’t superficial, though, and the camera should be on the short list of reasons to consider upgrading.
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| iPhone 4S White |
The iPhone 4S also will ship with iOS 5, and all the iCloud-enabled apps. AirPlay will aslo work on the phone so that you can stream videos wirelessly to your Apple TV.
In addition to these improvements, the iPhone 4S will feature advanced support for voice-recognition and control through Siri.
It's the biggest new piece of software that takes advantage of the A5 chip - the Siri Assistant - a voice-controlled assistant you can call up anytime by holding down the home button for a few seconds. You can ask it the weather, time, directions from Yelp, schedule a meeting on your calendar, reply to messages, play a song from iTunes, or ask any factual question via Wolfram Alpha. All with voice commands.
Despite these improvements, many things remain the same. The physical design, for instance, has remained untouched, and the phone has the same 3.5-inch display found on the iPhone 4.
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| Apple iPhone 4S - White and Black |
Let's see the iPhone 4S features:
- Operating system: Apple iOS 5
- Dimensions: 4.5 inches tall by 2.31 inches wide by 0.37 inch thick; 4.9 ounces
- Display: 3.5-inch, 960x640-pixel Retina Display touch screen
- Processor: 1GHz Dual-core Apple A5
- Storage: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB internal
- Camera: 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, 1080p HD video recording, backside-illuminated sensor; front-facing VGA camera
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0; Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n); dual-mode world phone; GSM/HSPA+ 14.4; CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A
- Battery life: 8 hours talk time on 3G, 8.3 days standby time
- Expansion slot: No
- World phone: Yes
- NFC support: No
- Carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint
- Price (on contract): $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB
So, if you travel a lot, it might be worth upgrading from the 4 to the 4S because you'll be able to use it on wireless networks in other countries.
Take a look at the Apple iPhone 4S introduce video:
