“As the iconic smartphone for these times, any new iPhone would make a huge splash. But coming so soon after the passing of Apple’s longtime visionary leader Steve Jobs, it’s possible that the freshest model, the iPhone 4S, will attract even more attention,” Edward C. Baig reports for USA Today. “Apple has already announced that pre-orders for the 4S topped 1 million on the first day you could reserve a phone, bludgeoning the previous mark of 600,000 held by the prior-generation iPhone 4. So much for naysayers put off when Apple failed to introduce an iPhone 5.”

“For a week now, I’ve been testing the AT&T version of the iPhone 4S in and near New York City and San Francisco. Sprint joins Verizon Wireless as the other U.S. carriers who on Friday will start delivering the device,” Baig reports. “And Apple takes the finest smartphone on the market to even loftier heights.”

Baig reports, “Apple also says the 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to provide the best possible reception, even in the middle of a call. I couldn’t say if that was happening during my calls, but call quality was generally quite good and the speaker-phone came through loud and clear. I didn’t experience dropped calls, either, in the areas I tested.”

Much more in the full review here.

Related articles:
WSJ’s Walt Mossberg reviews Apple iPhone 4S: Siri artificial-intelligence has to be tried to be believed – October 12, 2011
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Apple iPhone 4S: Conceals sheer, mind-blowing magic – October 12, 2011