Alright, so iPhone 4S owners won’t receive the jealous stares that early adopters wait on long lines for, but it remains to be seen if “the most amazing iPhone yet” will languish on shelves while would-be buyers sort through the myriad Android options.
To say it’s what’s inside that counts is a tad cliche, we know, but the new iPhone has a lot more going for it than a capital ‘S.’ But that does that mean you should run out and sign over two more years of your life to your phone carrier? We’re here to help you weigh the pros and cons of whether or not you should pre-order and get that phone, or hold out for something greater.
The iPhone 4S might look the same as its predecessor, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The iPhone 4 is still one of the most striking and remarkable handsets on the market, taking its cues from a classic Leica camera and hitting the sweet spot between form and function. We don’t mind that it’s sticking around.
Overblown or not, Antennagate was serious enough that Apple felt the need to first apologize, then hand out free cases and ultimately, return to the drawing board. One of the biggest changes with the iPhone 4S is in its cellular radio, which "intelligently" switches between a pair of antennas. The result should be a significant decrease in the number of dropped calls.
The first killer app since FaceTime, Siri won't just be a feature iPhone 4S users show off to their friends and forget about. The personal assistant's seemingly flawless speech recognition makes it more than a mere novelty act, making the 4S just a little smarter than the average iPhone.
We know it won't last, so snatch up those iPhone 4S Sprint plans while they're still unlimited.
The 8 megapixels are nice, but we're most excited about the iPhone 4S' custom lens, increased aperture and “hybrid” IR filter. And being able to record movies in 1080p HD ain’t too shabby, either.
As good as the iPhone 4's design is, we're pretty confident that the iPhone 5 will be every bit as sleek and sexy as the rumors promised. Plus, we hear Steve had already put his stamp of approval on it, so we know we're going to want one.
The new features in iOS 5 -- not to mention iCloud -- are enough to make our iPhone 4's and 3GS' (we hope) feel new again. All those new features will surely feel snappier on the 4S, but the new notification center, PC-free backups and all the rest should run just fine on the old hardware.
With the first October launch of an iPhone, it's anybody's guess as to when the next model makes its appearance. But if Apple returns to its regular spring/summer schedule that was thrown off by Verizon, the iPhone 5 might be here sooner than we think.
It’s no big surprise that the iPhone 4S doesn’t support 4G LTE--Apple has never been known to rush nascent technology at the expense of hardware. But all three iPhone carriers are making major advancements in the high-speed wireless arena in time for 2012, when LTE chips should be small enough for Apple’s liking.
The 3G brought GPS, the 3GS introduced a digital compass and the 4 added a 3-axis gyroscope to the original iPhone's accelerometer and proximity sensors. Surprisingly, the 4S had nothing new to show off at its introduction, so we can only assume the next model will have some next-gen, space-age chip -- such as Near-Field Communication, the technology that allows your smartphone to double as a debit card. Unless, of course, Apple decides to just stick with their own (better) proprietary version of NFC.
