The short version is that Apple announced the iPhone 4S today and it will be available October 14th for purchase. The long version (the one with all the hardware updates, software updates and new features) is well, a bit longer. The iPhone 4S is nothing huge, nobody besides Apple will tell you it is, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some awesome new tweaks and perks that this new contraption had to offer. So if you happen to have an upgrade ready to go, here’s everything worth noting about the iPhone 4S.
Stronger, Faster Insides
The iPhone 4S looks exactly the same as the 4 on the outside. A little dissapointing but we’ve gotten over it. After all, I have one in my hand and I can’t really think of anything they could do to it physically to make me happier. The insides however are a different story. The first thing mentioned was the battery. The new battery will allow you to talk on a 3G connection for 8 hours straight, 6 for browsing. Next was the processor; 7 times faster than the current 4 model. The data speed will be 2 times as fast and will essentially operate on a 4G system, comprised of two stainless steel antennas that share power. In short, it’s a lot frickin faster and a lot frickin smoother. Damn, I could have just said that.
Snazzy New IOS 5 Operating System
This was actually announced a while ago, but the iPhone 4S will fully implement Apple’s new operating system iOS5, hence the OS in iOS. Some of the cooler features are a Notifications Center, iMessage which I imagine will be a better version of Blackberry’s BBM and Twitter Integration. IOS 5 will also feature iCloud which is a Cloud system set up by Apple. For those who don’t know what a Cloud is, it’s basically a system that stores all your data in space and allows you to access it from any device at any time. iOS5 officially launches October 12th.
Shiny New Camera
Apple responded to all the snobby Droid users who go on about the Droid’s superior camera ability, the only way they know how: By making a better frickin camera. Will a phone camera ever replace your digital SLR or even your $99.99 Sony? Maybe, but not today. None the less, the iPhone 4S’s camera blows the competition out of the water with face recognition and 78% more light per pixel. What you’ll get is super clear pictures with special emphasis on every detail of a face, which in a way is both good and bad, depending on who’s sending you a nude shot. The camera has 8 Megapixels and a much faster shutter speed which will make those fly-by pictures of funny billboards a hell of a lot clearer.
The Best for Last: Siri
Forget everything you just read. This is the best and potentially only reason you need to get an iPhone 4S. Siri is a voice recognition system, but not the stuffty one you had on your Nokia that seemed to call your ex-girlfriend no matter what you told it. Siri is meant to be like a personal assistant, trained to carry out your will at the sound of your voice, provided your will falls into her list of specific commands.
As an example, Apple Big-Wig, Scott Forstall asked Siri if he needed a rain coat to which Siri responded “Yes, it looks like rain.” No word on whether or not this was true, but i’ll assume it was for Apple’s sake. Siri can set your alarm, schedule appointments, call people, text people, respond to people’s calls or texts. I don’t know about you but i’m picturing a leggy blonde with shoulder length hair and a love of black mini-skirts, but according to Nick Bilton of the New York Times “It sounds like a female Hal who had too many Vodka Tonics.” Precisely my type!
