Everyone was expecting Apple to launch the iPhone 5 at the keynote speech in California on October 4th. After a lengthy intro talking about Apple's recent market successes and the introduction of iCloud, the show moved onto what everybody had been waiting for: the new iPhone. Unfortunately this was just the iPhone 4S, and not the new iPhone 5 as people had hoped.
There are many people across the internet and blogosphere venting their disappointment at the latest Apple announcement. Apple fans have had to wait longer than usual for this announcement, with iPhone releases usually occurring in June. 18 months after the iPhone 4 and Apple does not seem to have added much new.
Sure they have increased the processor to a dual core 1GHz chip and bumped up the camera to 8 megapixels with 1080p video. But out of the myriad iPhone rumours that were floating around in the run up to the launch these were the most certain to be true, and haven't really impressed anyone.
So, is the iPhone 4S a huge disappointment?
Not really. Many people had been expecting an iPhone 4S anyway, and Apple has delivered exactly what was expected for this phone. Perhaps the iPhone 5 has been delayed for a few months as many people had previously speculated, or perhaps it is just set for release in 2012. This would make more sense considering the previous iPhone launches. The iPhone 3G and 3GS were not major redesigns of the original iPhone, and perhaps now it is wrong to expect a completely new iPhone design each year.
As Mark Hirst of Best Mobile Contracts has said:
"The improved specs, including the A5 dual core processor, an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording make the iPhone 4S a welcome addition to the iPhone family."
But even though the iPhone 4S is physically identical to the iPhone 4 (except for being a little bit heavier) there is plenty more on offer. Not only has the camera been improved in megapixel count but you can now access it quickly by double tapping the home button. As well as this, thanks to some new hardware additions to the camera you can be snapping photos in away with just a half second delay, making this the fastest smartphone camera currently on offer.
Many of the most interesting new features of the iPhone 4S may not seem that impressive, and indeed are not at all evident merely from photos, but will certainly dramatically improve the iPhone experience from the earlier iPhone 4. Such features include the new notification tray that gets rid of the quite annoying pop up messages. Also, iMessage now allows you to chat to friends in real time along with sending content such as pictures and videos for free.
Then there is the Siri voice command system that is perhaps the central feature of the iPhone 4S, just as FaceTime was the central feature of the iPhone 4. This allows you to book restaurant tables, check the weather or stock exchange or write out messages by talking into your phone. All you need to do is hold down the home button and talk away.
Voice commands have already existed on many smartphones including many of the iPhone's top Android competitors, but Apple have made it a little bit more flexible so that you are not restricted to a limited set of commands – and can talk more naturally to Siri. There is a danger here that Siri will be a lot like FaceTime, a flashy feature that no one actually wants or needs, and many people will not use.