“Apple introduced the world’s smartest smartphone yesterday, delivering a faster processor, faster graphics, better camera and world-changing voice assistant technologies — but it seems many in the analyst and media communities are disappointed,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld. “Why? Because Apple didn’t change the shape… Does this strike anyone else out there as weird?”
Evans writes, “This a seriously impressive slice of combined technology. Combined? Yes, simple voice recognition, powerful use of Internet information sources and an interesting use of maps…. I’d argue that access to Siri is a big enough reason to upgrade to the iPhone 4S all on its own.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Apple’s iPhone 4S gets rotten reviews at unveiling – October 5, 2011
The iPhone 4S is what Apple on cruise control looks like or something – October 5, 2011
iPhone 4S: Where Apple screwed up (what happened to the silver model?!) – October 5, 2011
It’s what’s inside Apple’s iPhone 4S that counts – October 5, 2011
Analyst: iPhone 4S is incremental stopgap; Apple saving ‘iPhone 5′ name for 4G LTE model in 2012 – October 5, 2011
New Apple iPhone 4S fails to wow investors, fans – October 4, 2011
Apple underwhelms with iPhone 4S – October 4, 2011
I really had my fill of all the whining too …!!!
Sick of it too.
What is going on….
You have all the analysts and stock market boys doing what they do best, lying.
They see the best oportunity to hammer the stock so they can buy more at an artifical low. We all know it will be going up more.
At last, someone who gets it.
oh i think a lot of people will get it. just wait and see when it sells like crazy. the consumer will decide. not some techtard wannabee anal-ysts pundit page hit sell outs.
The stores are going to be slammed again.
The real decisions will be made at those tables in the Apple Stores.
You got that right.
Finally sanity!
Exactly right. It stays an attractive phone (looking forward to trading my 3G for one) and gets so much more awesome, both in software and internal hardware. This is good. We are not talking about Chevys here. We do not need new fenders and curves to sell. Form can follow function in a tasteful, high quality way.
I’m with you. I think the iPhone 4/4S form is ideal. This lust over a tapered form is counter to function. A tapered form is great for a device meant to be used in a single orientation; portrait, with defined top. The iPhone is made to be used in any of four positions. Holding it in any of orientations works because of its equal proportions. A tapered shape might look cool, but it would not be as practical as the current slab.
… but the materials? Just one minor complaint about the materials – they shed stuff. Mostly, this is a “Good Thing”. Except when what’s being shed is the wide angle or the telephoto lens attachment. That wider angle can be quite useful in close quarters, the tele less so with the additional pixels. Besides … it’s a PHONE, right?
“I’d argue that access to Siri is a big enough reason to upgrade to the iPhone 4S all on its own”
We actually had Siri already. Now, of course, it’s being pulled on Oct 15th. Way to go, Apple.
What you say is true, but:
1) You didn’t pay anything for it in the first place
2) It is Apple’s tech, and they want it in the 4S. If it drives more sales, I’m good with that (of course, I am an Apple stockholder).
You had nothing even remotely close to this iteration of the software tied to the whole system.
+1
There seems to be a real (purposeful?) misunderstanding of the integration Siri. I also balk at calling it Voice Recognition. As Apple clearly admits, Voice Recognition has been around a long time and is implemented on many phones. Siri is Voice Control, Voice Assistance, and it has the promise of revolutionizing the way we commonly interact with our information devices.
Siri the app only does a fraction of what Siri-integrated-into-iOS5 will do. There’s no comparison. It’s like your friend buying a computer and then you go “well, I already had a calculator, so you’re dumb.”
Sure.
Don’t forget iCloud. I think this is going to be a really big step forward also. In that note, does anyone know how iCloud will work with families? Can photos taken on both my wife’s and my iPhone be uploaded to the same account and both pushed to our iPad and Mac? Can we still have separate email?
I’ll be camping out in line to upgrade my iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S, just like I do every year, but…
I really wanted a larger screen, and those “unibody” mockups looked incredible.
No offence but you really need to get out more!
The expectations for Apple by the so-called analysts are incredible and also not realistic. What other company is expected to produce ultra revolutionary products at each announcement? Sure, the iPhone 4S is an incremental upgrade physically, but the software upgrade is tremendous. Why is it that the analyst are constantly only looking at the specs. for a given device and not prior consumer satisfaction or sales figures? What kind of analysis is that? My 10 yr. old can analyze any product based on specs. if necessary, but you’d expect these so-called experts to dig a little deeper and to provide some contextual insights, but they don’t. The iPhone 4S is a solid “base hit” not a home run, be realistic. If you need a new phone it’s a very solid contender for one of the best devices out there on specs. alone and when you combine the software value it’s still a great value. Plus, as MDN points out, it generates a ton of profit, way more than any other phone. And, that profit goes to one entity, Apple, not to multiple other entities.
MDN:
Please iCal all these morons who keep saying how the iPhone 4S is an iFail. Just wait until they use the device. Then they’ll change their tune, only, of course, they won’t admit how wrong they were to begin with.
Apple is going to embark on case designs every two years. Get used to it. So let’s not hear people whine and cry when the iPhone 5S comes out in 2-3 years.
And Apple’s not doing LTE because it’s currently power-hungry and really not all that available. Even in areas that supposedly have LTE coverage, it’s not very consistent. It will take another 6-12 months for LTE to be decently available so as to be useful to the majority of consumers, so why put in a chip that will just drain the battery faster?
I’ve alway felt that the iPhone 4G was like the Mac G5, as the iPhone 3G was to the Mac G4. The 4G and G5 were more “Form Follows Function” and the 3G and G4 were more along the curvy artsy line. I just never bought into the going back to the smooth curvy back of the 3G. Look how long the Mac G5 form has been around. I don’t see much change in the iPhone anytime soon, be it the 4Gs or 5 or 6.
There is no such thing as iPhone 4G
He’s nailed it. Prior to the announcement I was delighted with my iPhone 4, even after a year. It’s wonderful. But after the announcement, I like Siri and the better camera and other improvements so much I’d be willing to upgrade if ATT would let me, but they say I can’t (cheaply) until next March. 🙁 By then I may seriously consider switching to Verizon now that iPhone is a world phone.
Sell the old iPhone 4 (you’ll get over $400 for it) and pay the early upgrade price. You’ll likely come out a bit ahead.
Or wait until March and get a fully subsidised one (AT&T or Verizon) and you’ll still be able to get decent money for the old 4.
Why are so many insistent on changing the form factor of easily the most attractive smart phone on the market. I held off buying for improved hardware and software. My greatest hope was that they wouldn’t change the look. I will be in line as soon as it becomes available. I’m in no hurry for the next iteration.
Here is a story for you:
I’m a ‘mac guy’ I preordered a 1st gen iPhone the day it was announced. I am also married with three kids. The wife and the kids are all on my cell plan and at that point had moto phones. (at the time, there wasn’t anything compelling enough to warrant the expense of that many $700 phones)
Then the 3G came out, soon the app store was rolling. Then came the new 3GS, about that time my contract was almost up. It was decided that it was simply too great a technology and my kids were old enough to be able to have their own. So when it was upgrade/new contract time. I got a 3GS as every did other member of my family.
Due to our contract, we all ‘missed’ out on the 4, which seemed to be the ‘model for the masses’ now most people we know and most of their friends have 4’s. After watching the announcement I was discussing it with my wife and we were thinking 4’s for all of them and a 4s for me. (budget).
After watching the nonsense all day today over the damn appearance of the 4S, I’ve just decided that budget be damned, I will trim something else and get them for everyone. Siri, the A5, the camera, all look AWESOME.
I am now determined that we will be part of the enormous sales success that is too be the 4S. Can’t wait for all these idiot shills to eat crow…
You sir are a great dad!
I think the iPhone 4 still looks great so I don’t care about a re design. I do care about the better processor, the better camera and I would upgrade just for Siri.
Imagine telling your phone to wake you up tomorrow at 7.00am.
Imagine telling your phone to take a note re something you want to remember later.
Imagine telling your phone to remind you about blah when you leave work.
So cool!
Omg siri is almost like having a real friend!!! Lmfao
I had to replace my Iphone 2G about a month ago cause I broke it. Got a 4, Looking at Siri is enough for me to think WOW, I wonder if I put mine on ebay if I can get enough to buy a 4s 😉
Should be able to get a fair amount. I’d think anywhere from $300-$400. People will pay to get a contract free iPhone 4 and $300 or even $400 is cheaper then it cost to buy a new contract free iPhone 4.
I’m going to buy one Friday (or whenever I can get online) and pass my old iPhone 4 to my wife and her 3GS to some other family member.
My boss will buy one Friday (I am so desperate to get her off of her 3G).
I watched the demo yesterday, I don’t know what any of these naysayers are complaining about (I’m looking at you Ballmer’s Left Nut). The iPhone 4S meets all of my expectations, then again maybe because that’s because I read all the rumors that the phone would be called “iPhone 4S”.
In the iPhone 5, the one feature I am anxious to see is inductive charging, so I don’t have to carry a cable around with me and maybe a small integrated solar charger (if my damned TI calculator in the 80s could have one why not my phone in 2011?).
An NFC chip so my iPhone could substitute for a credit card would be nice, but I see so many security holes with it that I’d rather it were done right than soon.
An edge-to-edge screen is okay, if more pixels don’t mean less battery life, but if I need more real estate I have a MacBook Pro, a Mac Pro, and two iPads.
And LTE is available in my city, so why do I care a single whit about LTE and it’s battery hogginess (if I wanna drain my battery I’ll play Words with Friends).
The one announcement that Apple made yesterday that was a real game changer was the iPhone 3GS for free. I am utterly surprised that no one picked that up. Why bother to get a feature phone if a real iPhone can be had for free? That is the nail in the coffin for Nokia and it will leave Motorola gasping.
For very many, the psychological aspect of $0 (“Free with plan”) is a powerful force. The reality is, Motorola and Nokia have nothing to fear, regarding their dumbphones that they sell for $0 with plan.
There is a big difference between the $40 voice plan and $70 iPhone plan. And that difference is usually the only reason there are still people who don’t have smartphones, even WITH that powerful $0 force.
A cheap ($0 with plan) featurephone retails for some $150 or so (without the plan). No iPhone can ever be had for less than $450 (again, without the plan). That’s three featurephones for the price of an iPhone. Let us not forget those cheap Android phones, several of which you can now have for less than $100 (no plan required).
Whether iPhone 3GS is the nail in Nokia’s coffin, or if that’s the role of 4 or 4S will have to be seen, but it is certain that Nokia (and Moto, LG, Samsung and others) only have a fighting chance at the bottom end of the smartphone market, harvesting those razor-thin margins from sub- $200 (without plan) pre-paid phones.
Siri was a big let down.
I examined the footage of the demo and saw several flaws.
Also all Siri does is pull together several existing apps that I already use voice recognition with on a butt ugly slow iPad 1
Siri is nice but not enought to excite me on what is an otherwise dull offering from Apple under the direction of a boring Tim Cook.
Did anyone else have trouble staying awake while he was speaking?
Wow. We watched the same demo?
seriously , what demo were you watching??
I totally agree with you macdaknife. Siri in my opinion is probably the reinvention of the wheel for trekkies or other lost souls but certainly doesnt float my boat. Cant see it appealing to the average person the street. Too nerdy to use in public unless youre a 14 year old showing mates at school to get their attention lol
The average man on the street likes to get stuff done SIMPLY and QUICKLY. Do you think the average man on the street would prefer to tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap squinting in the sunlight at a tiny little screen, making careful and slow decisions OR do you think the average man on the street would prefer to simply speak a few words… Seriously, this isn’t tricky – you are saying folks would rather do things the hard way. Me, I’m thinking the easy way will be their choice, but maybe that’s just me… 😉
Siri is a giant mega-sunami of a revolution and when it finally smashes into the mainland of the tech world, everyone will know it.
Insanely Great finally learned to listen…
With all of this focus on Siri, I sure as hell hope it works as advertised.
OMG cheer up emo boy.
Most of the people whining are ill-informed, or just plain stupid. Erin Burnett disgraced herself on TV yesterday claiming there were barely any changes whatsoever but “Apple fans” will scoop up anything that’s thrown at them. Know your song well before you start singing.
My wish…
Apple will add an iPhone Pro to the lineup at next year’s WWDC.
The Pro will have the larger screen, LTE and perhaps the tapered unibody design similar to the mockups that had everyone drooling.
It will cost $299 with 2-year contract.
I want some of what you’re smoking.
iPhone 3G…iPhone 3G S…iPhone 4…iPhone 4S…iPhone 5…iPhone 5S…..does anyone else see a pattern here?
Apple fallows there one rules, why would they jump the iPhone 4S? Did Apple said they would release an iPhone 5? I don’t think so. That’s why it’s called ‘rumors’ <- they're not true or there is a mix of true/false/fantasy/whatever…
If you don't like it, don't buy it and move on. All this winning for nothing. I'm still rocking on a iPhone 3G and i wish i could upgrade it to iPhone 4S.
It’s really weird. Apple sells really great consumer products and still ends up alienating the tech-heads and Wall Street. Fortunately Apple product sales are majorly dependent upon consumers buying their products which will continue. Unfortunately, Apple shareholders are still at the mercy of Wall Street’s likes and dislikes and Apple is clearly being punished. In theory, if the iPhone 4S sales are high, then it should be a positive thing to investors, so again, I’m not sure why Apple shares are being punished. It’s a matter of Apple being damned by Wall Street no matter what it does.
The 30 million iPhone unit advance contract from Sprint is a guaranteed $20 billion paycheck to Apple’s coffers over four years. That many iPhone units will also generate quite a bit of revenue from iTMS and App Store purchases and strengthen the ecosystem. How is that a bad thing from an investor’s point of view? Why would that upset Wall Street? Amazon offering the Fire tablet wasn’t money in the bank, but investors seemed happy about it. I honestly don’t get it.
I love the design of the Iphone 4. I’m glad they didn’t change it. With all the upgrades, heck it’s well worth the upgrade.
I’m not reading MDM for another two months. Then, hopefully, whining like babies who don’t get something for the seasonal holidays, all this bulls—t will have abated.
Also, it was we the public and media who caused all this–NOT APPLE. It was NOT, and again repeat–NOT Apple’s job to quash the rumors. If you don’t like the phone for the sake of a “teardrop” form factor-even that was a rumor- then don’t but the 4S. But please remember that Apple provided us a feature-packed phone than, for most part, was expected in this small upgrade.
No need to wait for two months. With the attention span of the whiners, this will clear out by the end of tomorrow (or Friday, at latest). Come Monday, they’ll all swear by the 4S and fight crusades against infidels who dare question its superiority.