So, the wait is over and Apple have finally announced their latest object of desire. Months of increasingly fevered speculation had us gadget freaks desperate for news of the iPhone 5/4S/4G or whatever it would be called. Rumours about a new shape, aluminium body, bigger screen… all were quashed tonight as Phil Schiller revealed the iPhone 4S.
I watched with interest as the news came through. Here’s my thoughts:
The full specs are here in Armand’s post, but as a quick overview, the changes are mainly under the bonnet, things like better processor and antenna. What is most of note – particularly for 3GS owners like myself – is the new 8MP camera, complete with image stabilisation and 1080p video. Since its launch, the iPhone has lagged behind rival phones on the camera front. Now Apple are really competing. As Phil said, “We didn’t just want to make this better than other phones, we wanted to make it better than point and shoot cameras.” Time will tell how it compares to my Lumix, but on first appearances the camera looks impressive, and certainly up to the high standards expected from today’s smartphones.
The other big announcement is Siri – the assistant feature which had been reported by some sources. Using voice recognition, you can ask a question such as “what is the weather like today?” and it will bring up the Weather app. Or you can order it to create an appointment and it will do so in the Calendar app. Siri works with the built-in apps in iOS. The examples on display certainly sound impressive, and there’s no doubt the tech behind it is highly advanced. But how useful it will prove remains to be seen – I can see it being a feature which is cool and fun at first, but with the novelty wearing off after a while. There’s also the question of whether you want to be seen in public barking orders at your phone…
As I mentioned, the rest of the new features are under the covers, with the promise that processing and graphics will be 7 times faster than the iPhone 4. I’ve only seen still photos, but the images do look amazing for a handheld gaming system. I can see that going from gaming on a 3GS to a 4S will be a pretty big leap, and no doubt it will entice me to spend more time gaming on the move. iPhone games are getting more impressive all the time, and if the 4S performance lives up to the hype, exciting times lie ahead.
Overall, my feeling is one of excitement tempered with a little bit of disappointment. Technically the iPhone 4S looks great, but there were no mind-blowing surprises. It definitely looks like more of an incremental release – as evidenced by the phone being called 4S rather than 5. For me, upgrading from the 3GS will be a big step up; I expect iPhone 4 owners to be less enthusiastic about it.
Will you be rushing out to buy the iPhone 4S? Or will you wait for the eventual release of the iPhone 5? Let us know in the comments.
Yawn..
My sentiment is that of disappointment, ‘Lets talk iPhone’
whoever thought of that title needs to be sacked on the spot. It’s an arrogant title, I guess after afew
good products the successes has gone to their head. If anything they should
have understated the conference, everyone with any savoir knows they were going
to mention the iPhone. I infer that apple know this isn’t the release everyone
was inspecting due to the small conference size the lack of online streaming.
I am due to upgrade my phone next month, rather than opt for
the Iphone 4s,I would rather make the point of switching to another handset.
This is a loss for Apple firstly because I don’t generally like apple mac I
think they are the most over rated, overcharged, dumb down pieces of crap. This
aside I own an ipod, and imported the first iphone after the US launch. Since
then I have owned a legitimate 3g and 4g. I’m in a rush so i’m going to list
words and you can infer what you will; 3d camera = worlds growth in 3d tv, making
cards… stick to what you know, improve your ipad functionality, dont charge
for word your shooting yourself in the foot, think business use.
The announcement was pretty underwhelming for sure. Yeah the faster processor and cameras are all good but it seems that Apple have done the same as the 3G / 3GS. After the 3GS came out I think it was 9 months later the iPhone 4 was announced. I hope this is what they have planned for the next iPhone. A bigger step up.
I am looking forward to the iOS 5 update thats due out soon. That will be of more interest to me than the new (errr slightly refreshed morelike) iPhone. I’m sure the die hard apple fan boys will be queuing up to get the iPhone 4S. If they currently have an iPhone 3GS or earlier models then I can see the point of upgrading, however with the iPhone 4, what’s the point?
I welcome the 64gb model. About time!
When my upgrade is due next year I will see what’s available then, but i’m certainly not going to rush out to buy it now. Even thinking that it’s time to sim only next year and purchase the device I want outright. Even if that’s straight from apple, the sim only deals out there are getting better all the time.
It will be interesting to see what other manufacturers release in the mean time. Bigger screen, 3D without glasses, faster, etc etc. I know it’s not all about specifications when it comes to phones, it’s a mixture of tech specs and usability, this is where Windows Phone and Android can really excel. While the Apple faithful are purchasing 4S’s the other device manufacturers will be releasing higher spec, higher mega pixel phones.
Roll on October 12th iOS 5.
Sorry Apple but i’m not going to be giving you my hard earned cash. Nice try, but no cigar this time!
pretty underwhelming to be honest.
i just yesterday picked up a htc hd7, yeah its old i know (but it was cheeeeeap), so far loving it, like anything, people eventually get bored with iPhone/android and try something else.
looks like im at that point. why all these iphone 4’s are flooding the market just get get an 8mp camera and a virtual assistant, i dont know.
How much did you pay for the HD7 if you don’t mind me asking? My brother is constantly changing his phone and likes both Android and Windows Phone so im interested to find out how much they are going for. Cheers
picked it up used for 250, covered by a guarantee so all in all a good deal, ill prob get bored and sell it on but so far, the sim is staying in it, gonna use it as my daily.
I’m not really sure what I was expecting but like most other people say it was pretty under whelming. I think the hype that surrounded the launch is the problem, rather than the actual release. iOS 5 is the big announcement for iPhone users but we already knew what was coming. One thing which I thought was exciting is the iPhone 4s wireles mirroring function. I can see that this could be a real threat to other gaming devices. Being able to play a game on your TV after buying apple TV could be a real game changer in my opinion.