It seems that most of the world (too much of an exaggeration?) has been waiting with baited breath to see what the new iPhone release would bring. What would it look like? What would it do? How much cooler was it going to be than the iPhone 4? And when the heck was it coming out?
Well, October 4th marked the day of deliverance. This was a big release on a couple different fronts: for one, it’s later than the traditional iPhone releases – to date June has been the big release month, and for two, this was Tim Cook’s first appearance releasing new technology since Steve Jobs stepped down for health-related reasons. So was it a collective sigh of relief or disappointment that was let out when Tim Cook unveiled the new iPhone?
The Disappointing News
This is no iPhone 5. Nope, this is an iPhone 4S. Wait, what? What happened to the iPhone 5? Apparently, there was no iPhone 5. There is no new design either. In fact, the phone is aesthetically a virtual replica of its predecessor. And with that, there goes the stock… in fact, the stock went down by nearly 4% after the release of the new phone.
The Exciting News
The new phone (can we call it that? or is it just an upgraded version of the old phone?) has the same A5 processing system as the iPad. That means that the phone is going to really appeal to anyone who likes to game on their phone. Apple has tailored the phone to work with high speed and intense graphics, which are additions that should please any gamer. The iOS 5 is another major selling point of the new phone, especially since it has been simultaneously released for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch, giving the same operating system to all Apple products across the board. It also has managed to fill in holes that have previously required users to use their computers when they wanted to do something. Now you will be able to do just about everything (minus adding music to your music library) with any of your i-products thanks to the new iOS 5. You also will be able to back up your device via the Cloud versus the traditional iTunes connection. All in all, the iOS 5 is proving to be a key perk of the new iPhone 4S.
The Random News
In addition, you also are getting your own personal assistant – Siri – with your new iPhone. Siri will apparently be able to get you whatever you need just by talking to her (it?). It’s a little weird considering that, according to the Apple press release, you can tell Siri to remind you to call Mom and Siri will find the number for Mom in your phone and remind you to call her, but it will definitely be useful considering the voice recognition software allows users to set appointments, issue reminders, find restaurants, schedule events – all by simply telling Siri what it is you want. Appointment next Tuesday? Schedule it with Siri and she will remind you of the upcoming event. Need to make sure that the appointment is at a restaurant that serves seafood? Let her know you want seafood and she’ll find all the close restaurants for you. Basically she will be your own unpaid personal voice recognition secretary.
So What Does That Mean?
“iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever. While our competitors try to imitate iPhone with a checklist of features, only iPhone can deliver these breakthrough innovations that work seamlessly together,” Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller said.
However, despite what Apple is calling a “breakthrough combination”, the phone release has been met with some pretty disappointed reviews. It is likely, though, that in the next couple months the phone will gain some momentum, especially with the looming Christmas season, die-hard Apple fans, and the untimely death of Steve Jobs.
A guest post by Kate Croston, a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09 @ gmail.com.