Playing the sadist to its Android, Blackberry and other smartphone rivals, Apple today launched the iPhone 4S at a hall-filled event in Cupertino, California.
The upgrade to the world’s favorite smartphone comes with a faster dual-core processor, a voice-based intelligent assistant Siri and an 8-megapixel camera.
The new phone runs on the Apple A5 chip, the same processor powering the company’s market-leading iPad 2 tablet.
Key Features of iPhone 4S
* Supports both GSM and CDMA phone standards making life easier for international travelers
* 8-Megapixel camera with a new custom lens, a larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid IR filter that produce sharper and brighter images.
* Can intelligently switch between two antennas to send and receive.
* Supports download speed with HSDPA of up to 14.4 Mbps
* Voice-based Siri ‘Intelligent Assistant’ to make phone calls, sends messages, schedules meetings, sets reminders, and more.
* Battery life of up to 8 hours of 3G talk time.
* 1080p HD resolution video recording
* 3.5-inch multi-touch screen and Retina Display
* Comes in two colors Black and White
* Three different storage options – 16GB ($199), 32GB ($299) and 64GB ($399) with 2-year contract.
* Includes iOS 5 mobile operating system with over 200 new features; and iCloud free cloud services to automatically and wirelessly store customer content in iCloud and push it to all their devices.
* Facetime video calling service to other iPhone users
iPhone 4S will ship on October 14 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.
No word on availability dates for India but Apple plans to make the iPhone 4S available in 70 countries with 100 carriers by the end of this year.
Besides AT&T and Verizon, Sprint will also be offering the iPhone 4S.
Not Worth Upgrading for iPhone 4 Users
While the iPhone 4S has compelling features that could cause more misery to Apple’s Android and Blackberry rivals, it’s not that attractive if you already have the iPhone 4.
Since SI has already has the iPhone 4, it’s unlikely we’ll upgrade.
In any case, iOS 5 software will be available on October 12 as a free software update via iTunes 10.5 for iPhone 4 users.
But if you’re on the iPhone 3G or 3GS or heaven forbid one of those crappy non-iPhone devices, SI recommends that you drop everything you’re doing, rush out to the nearest Apple store and get yourself an iPhone 4S.
With the launch of iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4 will be available for $99 and iPhone 3GS for free with a two year contract. Now, if that’s not bad news for Android and Blackberry smartphones we don’t know what is.
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Confused between iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S 2.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined
Samsung Galaxy S 2 has been getting rave reviews and the specs look promising too.
PS: Don’t start saying SGS2 is crappy without even looking at it.
Given the fact you think you think you are too smart you are prone to go with your preconceived notion that ONLY Apple iPhone is good (As if you are some geek who knows in out of both the phones :P)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Sweetie, it depends on what you want to do with your phone and what your current phone is.
Do you want to easily load legal music, video & a gazillion other apps? – Then iPhone (cornucopia of content via iTunes & AppStore) is a good bet.
Do you want 500,000 vetted apps (including plenty of India-oriented apps) that work with your mobile phone? – Then iPhone 4 or maybe 4S (wait for the reviews) would be a good bet
Do you want a mobile phone that’s gone through 5 iterations and works well for the most part? – Then iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 is your device.
Do you want a good camera? Then iPhone 4 or better still 4S is your answer. We’ve used the camera in iPhone 4 (5-megapixel) countless times and they produce pretty decent pictures.
Do you want a menu and UI not unlike your current phone? We’re all creatures of habit and often find comfort in the familiar. If you currently own the iPhone 3G or 3GS, it’s worth upgrading to iPhone 4 or 4S. We’d do it because we feel comfortable with a familiar, good device/interface.
Do you have an iPad2 tablet? Then, it makes sense to get the iPhone 4 or 4S (wait for the review) because your content
digital media (music, video, eBooks) gets replicated seamlessly on both devices.
Then, there’s iCloud storage for what it’s worth.
Now for the Samsung Galaxy S 2:
Despite the fact that it does not carry the Apple name, the Samsung Galaxy S2 might not be a bad device. But there are issues with the S2 as you can see in the YouTube video in your link:
1. Back cover on Galaxy S2 looks flimsy and cheap & there’s an annoying White Screen bug
2. Battery life is a concern as per some reviewers on Amazon
3. Android App support is way, way inferior compared to iPhone. Often, a lot of Android apps are not vetted properly/not vetted at all and can cause havoc as happened in a prominent incident some time back.
4. If you look at the comparative specs in this Engadget link, S2 might seem ahead but end user tests have invariably found iPhone customers to be happy campers.
5. Important: Sooner or later, Google is gonna shaft all other Android phone vendors. Surely, you don’t believe that Google is paying $12.5 billion to buy Motorola Mobility and will still treat all other Android vendors on par with Motorola. Last, we checked Samsung & Motorola sported different names.
6. It might be worth looking into S2 security issues such as this.
Bottom line, if you have Julia Roberts sitting on your lap or in close proximity, why would you want to displace her for the meretricious appeal of a Nayantara or Kareena Kapoor. ๐
In any case, wait for the hands-on U.S. reviews of Galaxy S2 (U.S. models, not international models) and iPhone 4S from Walt Mossberg (Wall Street Journal) or others of equal credibility.
Dear SI, agree Apple iPhone 4S is the best quality smart phone in the market. But I am afraid that the price tag of Rs 32, 500 for a 16GB and 40,500 for a 32 GB iPhone is too much for the middle class Indian, no matter what.
Guess all those Indian kids and teenagers, who have filthy rich parents can afford it.
At 34,500, iPhone is costlier than the average Laptop ๐
SI Wrote: “Bottom line, if you have Julia Roberts sitting on your lap or in close proximity, why would you want to displace her for the meretricious appeal of a Nayantara or Kareena Kapoor. ;)”
Yup, we don’t need Nayanthara nor Kareena Kapoor, but Julia Roberts seems too costly at the moment, it’s unfortunate that we don’t have a Megan fox as an alternative ๐
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: At 34,500, iPhone is costlier than the average Laptop ๐
There are some advantages to the U.S. post-paid model where people pay just $199 for the latest iPhone but sign a 2-year contract agreeing to pay a minimum of $75 a month (talk+data).
We’ve never found Megan Fox that attractive.
Heard of Google Wallet?
iPhone is missing this feature. ๐
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/09/20/247936/Google-rolls-out-Mobile-Wallet-across-Sprint-Nexus-S-4G.htm
This should be there in the next iphone release.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Google Wallet is stillborn. Ain’t going anywhere.
Your link highlights a Google Wallet deal with Sprint.
Sprint is #3 U.S. carrier, struggling and has just signed a $20 billion deal with Apple for 30.5 million iPhones. We can’t see Sprint aggressively focusing/pushing Google Wallet or any stuff not directly relevant to their survival.
As for other phone vendors, why would they want to cooperate with their rival (Remember, Google is buying Motorola Mobility)?
This concept is been there for a couple of years now.
What do you mean by not going anywhere? Are you predicting this to be a flop?
May be you did not read this.
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/05/27/246801/Google-launches-Google-Wallet-for-NFC-mobile-payments.htm
Testing is almost complete and will be available to the customers in a few months. Google is planning to make it availabe with other phones. I think phone vendors make their decisions based on the customer needs there by gaining more market share.
I would love to have a similar application in my phone and I would not have to carry n number of credit cards. If it succeeds, future enhancements possible will be huge.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Consumers are not clamoring for Google Wallet.
2. Phone vendors are likely to offer lukewarm support at best for Google Wallet. Don’t you understand that Google is their competitor now (via Motorola Mobility purchase).
3. Yes, Google Wallet ain’t going nowhere. Just some media hype.
At last… I find a person excited about the 4S and thinks that it will eat up Android’s market share. Jobs will be proud of you!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Rumor has it that you are now using your Samsung Galaxy tablet as a pillow while we use our iPad 2 to respond to your sophomoric comments. ๐
As we said in our post, with the launch of the 4S, iPhone 4 is now $99 &iPhone 3 is free. Why wouldn’t that hurt Android?
Plus with Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility, the other Android phone vendors are already looking for alternate platforms. Samsung & other Android vendors would be mighty stupid to share the same bed as their new phone rival – Google/Motorola.
Hey Apple has bumped the processor up! It is a dual core A5, iPad2 had only a single core.
Like you said, not a worthy upgrade for iPhone 4 users.
Google Wallet will catch up, so will NFC to facilitate contactless payment. In Japan, you have this Suica embedded feature phones (they are light years ahead in adoption of new technologies) more than 3 years back. It is super convenient, you could use it as a smart card for your train journey, in vending machines and even in super markets.
It is super convenient, you got to use it to believe it.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: iPad2 had only a single core.
Wrong. iPad 2 has a dual core A5 chip.
In Apple’s words: 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
2. NFC might win support from carriers but not via Google Wallet. This sucker is DOA (dead on arrival). Carriers won’t trust Google now as it’s a rival (via the $12.5 billion Motorola Mobility deal)
We’re not disputing its convenience.
Oops! A mistake. The GPU is optimized for better graphics performance, not the A5 chip.
You cannot just write-off Google. After all there should be a plan behind the Motorola deal. Capturing US market might be difficult – US folks being obsessed with iPhones but they might go after rest of the world market.
Ofcourse iStore has more apps than Android but the rate at which they increase and the quality of new apps matters. Nevertheless it is an interesting race where Apple is way ahead as of now, but things can change.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Our basic point is that with the Google-Motorola deal, other Android vendors like Samsung, HTC etc have less reason to stick with Android. Why would they want to sleep with their enemy (Motorola/Google).
For the moment, Samsung, HTC etc are screwed but they must be desperately looking for an Android alternative. Windows?
Google game plan behind Motorola deal? Desperation & fear of Apple-Facebook. Outside of search, Google is screwed. Kinda like MSFT outside of Windows.
SI Wrote: “For the moment, Samsung, HTC etc are screwed but they must be desperately looking for an Android alternative. Windows?”
Very funny!!!!! Why would Samsung and HTC opt for Windows as an OS, Windows produces crappy PC OS, what is the guarantee that their mobile OS would be any better.
As you would have known by now, Nokia has struck a deal with Windows. The deal is that all upcoming HIGH-END Nokia mobile phones will contain the Windows OS. This move has not gone well with Nokia investors nor its consumers. Imagine yourself buying a high-end Nokia mobile for INR 20k only to find your OS crash during an important task ๐
As of now, Samsung Galaxy 2 with Android Version 2.3.4 is doing superbly in India. People are more than happy to opt for Samsung over previously preferred companies like Nokia, Sony Ericcson, and Motorola. HTC is not setting the market on fire. So Samsung will prefer not to change the Android OS here in India atleast. I donno about the other parts of the world, but here in India, Samsung is leading the way in SmartPhone market, closely followed by Sony Ericcson and Blackberry RIM.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
The reason Samsung has to look for an alternative OS is that sooner rather than later Google will screw them in favor of its Motorola devices.
Other than iOS, Android, Windows and webOS (almost dead), what else is there as a cell-phone OS?
Windows seemed the most logical choice.
“The reason Samsung has to look for an alternative OS is that sooner rather than later Google will screw them in favor of its Motorola devices.”
I really hope that Google does not jump the gun on the android issue. They have to find a workaround to ensure that Motorola and Samsung co-exist. If Google does not co-operate with Samsung, they will be actually digging their own grave. As they say, in the times of war, even bitter enemies team together to combat their biggest Foe.
If the Smartphone market is a war, Apple is the bigger and most powerful enemy, Samsung and Google/Motorola have no other go except to join hands. It’s either fight together or perish to Apple.
As for Windows as the next alternative to mobile OS, please forget it. Nokia is screwed already. Microsoft is notorious for many things, and more notorious for their inconsistent Operating Systems, which are more volatile than the US economy.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. After paying $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility, why would Google treat Motorola & Samsung on same plane?
2. A recent piece on Windows Phone – http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/13/can-microsoft-salvage-windows-phone/
“After paying $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility, why would Google treat Motorola & Samsung on same plane?” – There goes my dream of buying a Samsung Galaxy 2 down the drain ๐
Guess Microsoft is back to its ugly self again. Charging Samsung 15$ (Patent Right issue) on every Android Phone they sell is indirectly killing the competition ๐
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Just get an iPhone 4.
Should be cheaper now because the new model 4S is out.
OMG! The Vedi review link is hacked or what? When I click on the link or the comments leading to the post,
I get a webpage showin “Hacked, Cracked and Jacked”. ๐
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Not anymore.
I am able to access it now. It was not accessible when I posted my comment at 5:04am
A person without taste adds up the number of features and compares it with the price paid. Apple isn’t in that league.
iPhone 4S was a slight disappointment to me becz i hoped for a new sexy shell. No worries.
Apple is playing its cards well here. They know that first time buyers wouldn’t change their phone every year. 4S is made purely to pull customers from the fragmented android camp (not owners of iPhone 4).
Despite having the technological might, Apple opted not to make iPhone 5 in 2011 becz they didn’t wanna fire all the bullets in first round itself.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
At a starting price of $99, iPhone 4 not 4S is the best value for money for U.S. smartphone buyers.
Another cheapo bites the dust..
Ordered a
3GS4S.. Was tempted to go for 4, but bit the Siri bullet, also because I am a cameraphile. Switched to ATT because of the cheaper data plan (200 MB) although I could have got the phone for 50$ cheaper (loyalty discount) with Verizon. I’m thinking 200 MB should be enough for my use..May I ask how much data you use monthly?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: May I ask how much data you use monthly?
Last month, we used 82.66MB.
But our data use varies depending on how much we travel, if our cable Internet is down, Skype on the road etc. It was as high as 181.34MB in May.
200MB should be enough unless you do a lot of YouTube or iPorn on the road. In any case, even users on unlimited data plans like SI are not really on unlimited plans because the carrier motha*ckas are now throttling the unlimited users too. ๐
2. Camera should be impressive in 4S because even the 4 takes pretty nice pictures.
Enjoy your nice iPhone 4S. It’ll be hard to get back to a regular phone after the iPhone experience. ๐
Thanks!
Hope the AT&T coverage will be good.. Verizon was awesome – it had a good signal in the Yellowstone wilderness, but they didn’t offer a cheap data plan.. and I don’t go to Yellowstone NP everyday.
Even Sprint’s seems expensive.
I will use PC for my porn. Don’t want to end up like Scarlett Johansson.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Sprint iPhone 4S download speeds are getting poor reviews.
2. We’re skeptical of all actors/actresses who claim their ‘revealing’ videos were stolen.