Since the release of the first iPhone in 2007, Apple has released new versions of the phone every successive summer like clockwork — until this year. Throughout June, July, and August, tech enthusiasts waited and waited for Apple to send out invitations to the press to an “iPhone event”. Alas, nothing materialized. The delay only magnified the already hot rumor mill. Some reports stated the new device would feature a larger screen — up to 4 inches — to compete with those found on new Android devices. Others speculated that it would receive an upgrade to 4G LTE compatibility. Still others, fueled by early case designs by manufacturers in China, believed the phone would see a physical overhaul. However, when the device was finally unveiled in October, all these rumors proved to be false. The new iPhone, named the iPhone 4S, retained the overall design of it’s predecessor, while upgrading some internal aspects and adding some nifty software features.
The “S” in the iPhone 4S stands for “speed”. Thanks to Apple’s new A5 processor, the same dual-core chip found on the iPad 2, the iPhone 4S is among the fastest, if not the fastest, smartphone on the market. However, this speed boast only applies to the device’s overall performance — not to its data speeds. Perhaps to maintain battery life, Apple decided to keep the new iPhone on the 3G network. This was a disappointment to many. There are already several Android phones on the market that have 4G data speeds — but at the price of a much lower battery life. Some of the high end Android phones, like Samsung’s Galaxy S ll, can only produce about three hours of data intensive usage. Look for Apple to hold off on adding 4G to it’s devices until it develops a more efficient battery.
Despite appearing to have the same design of the iPhone 4, the new device does have slight modifications. Remember the antenna issues of the iPhone 4? This has been resolved by implementing two strategically located antenna. The phone switches between the two depending on which has a stronger signal. Additionally, the camera has been upgraded to 8 mega pixels and now takes 1080p HD video — specs strong enough to replace the average point-and-shoot camera.
Apple is known for hyperbole when describing its products, inducing collective eye rolling within the tech industry. Every new device is deemed to “magical” or “revolutionary”. Well, the 4S packs something worthy of these labels: Siri, a digital personal assistant that can complete tasks simply by being asked. This may sound like just a voice control feature, something that has been available on mobile phones for a long time, but Siri is more then that. Traditional voice control requires users to utter commands in pithy, deliberate phrases: “open weather application”. This is not the case with Siri. Users can make commands in their normal, conversational tone. If, for instance, you want to know if it will be raining before you head out in the morning, you can ask Siri “should I take an umbrella with me?” Siri will then quickly interpret the meaning of your command and promptly respond with something akin to “No, the weather looks great. No showers in the forecast.”
Other new features on the iPhone 4S are due to the iOS 5 upgrade. Announced in the spring, iOS 5 delivers several functions long desired by users including the notifications center, an app that can be accessed by swiping your finger down from the top of the screen; news stand, which is similar to iBooks but rather stores periodicals such as magazines and newspapers; iMessage, which sends texts to any iOS device for free, and over 200 other features.
Chahel works with ShoutOut.co.in to provide Indians the ability to resolve consumer complaints about different products and services such as the iphone.