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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
iPhone 4S
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|---|---|
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| Developer | Apple Inc. |
| Manufacturer | Foxconn |
| Slogan(s) | It's the most amazing iPhone yet. |
| Form factor | Slate smartphone |
| Generation | 5th |
| Model | Apple |
| Release date | |
| Units sold | Four million in first three days |
| Operating system | iOS 5.0.1 |
| CPU | 800 MHz Dual-core Apple A5 |
| Storage capacity | 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Display | 3.5 inches (89 mm) diagonal 1.5:1 aspect ratio widescreen LED backlit IPS TFT LCD Retina display 640×960 resolution at 326 ppi (0.61 MP) 800:1 contrast ratio (typical) 500 cd/m2 max. brightness (typical) Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back glass |
| Audio | Single loudspeaker 3.5 mm TRRS Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz |
| Input | 4 buttons switch microphones, touch-screen, acceleration, orientation |
| Rear camera | 8 MP back-side illuminated sensor HD video (1080p) at 24/30 frame/s IR filter Aperture f/2.4 5 element lens Image signal processor (built-in A5) Facial recognition (stills only) Image stabilization |
| Front camera | 0.3 MP VGA 30 FPS (480p) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) (2.4 GHz only) Bluetooth 4.0 Combined GSM/CDMA antenna: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (800 850 900 1800 1900 MHz) Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (800 850 900 1900 2100 MHz) (800 MHz unannounced) Dual-band CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A (800 1900 MHz) GLONASS signal reception GPS signal reception |
| Online services | iCloud, App Store, iTunes Store, iBookstore |
| Dimensions | 115.2 mm (4.54 in) (h) 58.66 mm (2.309 in) (w) 9.3 mm (0.37 in) (d) |
| Weight | 140 grams |
| Predecessor | iPhone 4 |
| Related articles | iPhone, iPad 2, iPod Touch |
| Website | Apple – iPhone |
The iPhone 4S was unveiled at Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event on October 4, 2011 in Cupertino, California. Apple started taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S on October 7, 2011 in seven initial countries (United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan) with a first delivery date set for October 14, 2011, and available on that same day for direct store sales in those countries. It was released in 22 more European, American and Asian countries, including Ireland, Mexico and Singapore on October 28.
It will be available on 100 carriers in 70 countries overall, including AT&T, Verizon, and for the first time, also for Sprint and C Spire customers in the United States. In Japan, it is available for au (a KDDI brand) and Okinawa Cellular, for the first time.
For US customers, while pre-orders for purchasers buying contracts started on October 7, 2011, unlocked (contract-free) sales started on November 11, 2011.AP said that AT&T described early iPhone 4S demand as "extraordinary".
History
Announcement
For some, a series of expectations about Apple's next generation phone, including various specifications and a predicted name ("iPhone 5"), were built up in the time preceding its debut.After the iPhone 4S was announced, there was some disappointment about the new phone's name. However, as early as May 2011, some leaks had a fairly accurate description of the product including the name "iPhone 4S", the A5 chip, HSDPA, new/better camera, and Sprint carrying.As it turned out, there were no external differences between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S; all of changes were internal. Nevertheless, it has still been described as a "dramatic leap forward in technological innovation and sophistication...". The keynote was the first in which Tim Cook led since the Verizon keynote earlier in the year. It was also Cook's first product launch without Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, whose health was deteriorating and who died the day after the announcement of iPhone 4S. Tim Carmody of Wired praised Cook for focusing on company achievements, calling him a "global business thinker" and a "taskmaster". One unique aspect was that the whole management team of several people took turns discussing the new products.Reception
Initial reaction to the iPhone 4S announcement was generally favorable. Echoing technology pundits, Reuters suggested that the lack of a more radical departure from the iPhone 4 could open new market opportunities for rivals. Shares of Samsung Electronics, HTC and Nokia gained on Wednesday after the 4S was announced, while Apple stock dipped sharply. However, later in the day Apple shares rebounded, ending at a 1% gain. Analyst C. K. Lu of Gartner believed that Apple no longer had the leading edge and 4S would only sell due to brand loyalty, as fans had been expecting an iPhone 5 with a thinner profile, bigger screen, and stronger features.Some of these same people had also wanted a cheaper, stripped-down iPhone 4.The German phone company Deutsche Telekom said they were "satisfied" with consumer interest.
With the launch of the pre-order, AT&T said that the demand for the iPhone 4S was "extraordinary". Over 200,000 pre-orders were placed within 12 hours through AT&T. In addition, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint sold out of pre-order stock by October 8th, 2011 and by the 9th there was a 1-2 week estimate on new pre-orders to be filled. On October 20, 2011 AT&T surpassed 1 million iPhone 4S activations.
On October 10th, Apple announced that over one million iPhone 4Ss had been pre-ordered within the first 24 hours of it being on sale, beating the 600,000 device record set by the iPhone 4.The 16-month wait between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S may have contributed to overwhelming sales as well.
By October 11th, early reviews of the iPhone 4S were released. Reviewers noted the software voice assistant, camera system, and processing speeds as significant advantages over the previous model.
Retrevo surveyed more than 1,300 U.S. consumers and reported that 71 percent of all smartphone owners were not disappointed by the new iPhone 4S but 47 percent or almost a half of current iPhone 4 owners were. 12 percent were hoping for a bigger display, 21 percent wanted a refreshed design, and 29 percent desired 4G.
Unlike previous iPhone models, the sales of the iPhone 4 had not climaxed prior to the 4S introduction.For example, the 3G model came out when sales of the first iPhone had declined to less than half their peak.In addition, iPhone 4 users had high marks for being satisfied with their phone.Nevertheless, they wanted even more from Apple, but forgot that from Apple's perspective the iPhone 4 was still a hit and that new users may not be bothered by the look and feel staying the same, because they did not have iPhone 4 in the first place.[
On October 17, 2011, Apple had announced that four million iPhone 4Ses were sold in the first three days of release, and 25 million iOS users had upgraded to the version supported by the iPhone 4S, iOS 5. Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, stated that the “iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days.”
On October 19, 2011, private wireless carrier C Spire Wireless announced they will be beginning selling the 4S as well in the United States. It is the smallest provider to carry the 4S so far as well as the first privately-held carrier.
Design
See also: iPhone hardware and iPhone 4 hardware
The iPhone 4S is primarily a combination of a hand-held computer, cell-phone, GPS, digital/video camera, and music player into one device, powered by a rechargeable 1432mAh lithium-polymer battery. It is supported by an online infrastructure where media and secondary applications can be acquired to run on the device, thereby expanding its capabilities.The iPhone 4S retains almost all of the same design features as its predecessor, the iPhone 4. The front and back are both flat, the screen being made of glass. There is a camera on the back and the sides are stainless steel with metal buttons. It keeps the 3.5 inch (8.89 cm) screen of past iPhones with the "home" button at the bottom. The iPhone 4S comes in two colors, black and white.
Hardware
Antenna
The iPhone 4S is theoretically capable of supporting a maximum throughput of up to 14.4 Mbps with HSDPA as a result of an upgraded radio chip inside the phone, in addition to being a world phone, so both CDMA and GSM customers can roam internationally on GSM networks.It also supports Bluetooth 4.0.
Camera
Input and output (I/O)
Like the iPhone 4 the 3.5 inch 960 by 640 pixel Retina Display supports multitouch, a technology that allows multiple simultaneous touch inputs. Siri, a voice control feature exclusive to the iPhone 4S, interprets voice commands and can give visual and auditory feedback. The iPhone 4S has two volume buttons and a vibrate on/off switch on the left side. On the top left there is a 3.5 mm Headphone jack and the lock/power button is situated on the top right edge of the device.. The right side of the device is devoid of inputs except for a SIM card slot. The bottom of the device features a speaker output on the right and a microphone input on the left with Apple's proprietary 30-pin dock connector in the center. The top left on the back of the device houses an 8 megapixel f/2.4 aperture camera with an LED flash.The iPhone 4S supports video out via AirPlay and various Apple A/V cables. Supported video formats include such as H.264 (1080p 30 fps max.), MPEG-4 video, and motion JPEG (M-JPEG).
In addition to user inputs, the device also has several other sensors, such as a 3-axis gyroscope that allows it to detect its orientation.
Power and battery
The iPhone 4S is stated to have 200 hours standby time (iPhone 4 300 hours), 8 hours talk time on 3G (iPhone 4-7 hours), 14 hours talk time on 2G, 6 hours 3G browsing, and 9 hours Wi-Fi browsing.However there are widely reported issues of rapidly decreasing battery level. The time of use depends on power from the lithium-ion polymer battery inside the device. It can be recharged by power from a USB port or power adapter. The battery is enclosed inside the device and is designed to be removed only by technical experts.
Processor, memory, and storage
Further information: Apple A5
The iPhone 4S has a dual-core Apple A5 processor,compared to the single core Apple A4 processor used in the iPhone 4. It has 512 MB of RAM, the same as its predecessor.Maximum available storage size increased to 64 GB whilst the 32 GB and 16 GB model options were retained. The screen is the same as the previous generation iPhones; 3.5 inch, 640×960 resolution (Apple's "retina" design). The improvement in interactive multimedia applications was obvious compared to its predecessor. However, applications that take more advantage of the new specs will take time to be developed and released. In one early review it scored 677 in a Geekbench benchmark speedtest compared to 380 for the iPhone 4, higher being better.Features
Gaming
See also: Game Center
The iPhone 4S uses the Apple A5 system-on-a-chip that uses an Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX graphics processing unit, which features pixel, vertex, and geometry shader hardware, supporting OpenGL ES 2.0.. The SGX543 is an improved version of the GPU used in the iPhone 4S’ predecessor, the iPhone 4. However, the iPhone 4S uses a dual-core model, the SGX543, that is integrated with the Apple A5 SoC in the same way as the iPad 2.Apple’s claim that the iPhone 4S can process graphics up to “seven times faster” than the iPhone 4 was corroborated by Epic Games President Mike Capps. At the “Let’s Talk iPhone” event held by Apple on October 4, 2011, Capps demonstrated Epic Games’ Infinity Blade 2, the sequel to Infinity Blade, on an iPhone 4S. Capps boasted that the game uses Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 and features the same graphic techniques used in the Xbox 360 game Gears of War 3.
Gaming on the iPhone 4S has been likened to the PlayStation Vita, that features the same SGX GPU only in a quad-core configuration, and the Nintendo 3DS handheld game consoles. Additionally, the iPhone 4S’ ability to process 30 million polygons per second has been compared to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 home video game consoles that are capable of processing 275 million and 500 million polygons per second respectively.
CVG’s deputy editor Andy Robinson told TechRadar that the “[iPhone 4S] is certainly laying down some serious credibility for the iPhone as a core gaming device. Not only is it now pushing out games that simply eclipse the [Nintendo 3DS] visually, but features like cloud saving and TV streaming support are really exciting for gamers.”[39]
Senior Gaming Analyst at Jon Peddie Research Ted Pollak believes the biggest improvement to gaming on the iPhone 4S is the voice control features, noting that “one of the features that Nintendogs players loved was the ability to talk to it. There’s no reason why a game like that couldn’t be done on the iPhone 4S, and much more sophisticated given the voice control shown.”
Siri
Main article: Siri
The iPhone 4S introduced a new automated voice control system called "Siri", unique to the 4S,that allows the user to give the iPhone commands, which it can execute and respond to. For example, iPhone commands such as "What is the weather going to be like?" will generate a response such as "The weather is to be cloudy and rainy and drop to 54 degrees today". These commands can vary greatly and control almost every section of the phone. The commands given do not have to be specific and can be used with natural language. Siri can be accessed by holding down the home button for an extra amount of time (compared to using the regular function). An impact of Siri, as pointed out by Apple video messages, is that it is much easier and/or possible for people to use device functions while driving, exercising, or when they have their hands full. It also means people with trouble reading, seeing, or typing can access the phone more easily.Its not clear what the impact of Siri speaking in public will be, but it does not have to speak out loud and can be used with headphones. One interface feature of Siri is that it can be activated by holding the phone to a person's head. The iPhone 4S has a proximity sensor.
At launch Siri supports French, English, and German languages.In one early review, German Siri handled the language well but needed more information from supporting databases, such as route information and possibly the Wolfram Alpha "Computational Knowledge Engine".One early review noted its good performance in English, although it did confuse "4" and "for" at one point. The New York Times said Siri's ability to comprehend was "mind-blowing".
The Harvard Business School described Siri as the new phone's most interesting feature, and how well it works could make or break it. Apple says the A5 is a reason why Siri may not come to other devices even with iOS 5 upgrades. However, some gadget reviewers believes otherwise. Several smartphone reviewing sites have pointed out that Apple is making Siri exclusive to the iPhone 4S because that is the only selling point of the phone compared to the previous iPhone 4.
Siri is supported by the A5 chip and currently an iPhone 4S exclusive.Siri also needs internet access to function. When used for the first time, Siri does not require setup but does adapt to a user's voice over time, and can also be taught certain things directly. A number of aspects of the software can be configured, such as language and its voice feedback ability (its ability to talk back).
At launch Apple said Siri is still in Beta, and it has a certain set of abilities with restrictions, such as being able to dictate texts but not emails, and only controlling certain apps. Nevertheless one area it may be useful is driving and exercise activities. It is integrated with Apple's Find My Friends program (which debuted at the same time as the 4S), so Siri can potentially answer questions like "Where is my wife?"When it is enabled, Apple's Find My Friends lets a social group know where each other are and Siri can use this information to answer questions. Siri can be taught information, so it knows who a person is referring to when they use generic terminology on that device.
Recently iPhone 4S users reported that there is a security Loophole in iPhone's Siri which allows unauthorized users to bypass the passcode lock to perform tasks like making calls and sending messages with the help of Siri. However, this loophole can be dissolved simply by changing settings on the iPhone 4S.
The British English voice for Siri is provided by Jon Briggs.
Messaging
Main article: iMessage
On the iPhone 4S, texting can be done aided by the voice assistant which allows speech-to-text.In addition to regular texting, messaging on the iPhone 4S is supported by iMessage, a specialized instant messaging program and service that allows unlimited texting to other Apple iOS 5 products. This supports the inclusion of media in text messages, integration with the device's voice controlled software assistant, and read receipts for sent messages. iMessages are in blue, and regular texts in green in the screen bubbles.Input to the computer comes from a keyboard displayed on the multi-touch screen or by voice-to text by speaking into the microphone. Entered text is supported by predictive and suggestion software as well as a spell checker, that includes many regional dialects like Swiss spoken French.Since Siri can send text messages, a person can text and drive without taking their eyes off the road, as shown in Apple's video ad.Another example, is that a person can ask Siri for information while they are cooking and their hands are messy.It also makes it much easier for people with physical disabilities such as blindness to compose and send text messages.
Language
At announcement plans were in place for the iPhone 4S to support many languages from around the world. Different features have different language requirements, such as keyboards compared to the word predictor and spell-checker, which needs a large dictionary of words. Language support is related to the iOS 5 operating system that the device launched with, although not always. The Siri digital assistant supported French, English, and German at launch. Since it uses a software based keyboard supported by the multi-touch display, it can support many different keyboard layouts without having to change physically. The iPhone 4S can display different languages and scripts at the same time.Network
The device is a World phone and can work on both GSM & CDMA networks. On a 2G (on GSM) network it supports up to 14 hours of talk time. It can download at maximum rate of 14.4 Mbps on a HSPA+ network such as AT&T Mobility's. On CDMA networks however it is limited to 3.1 Mbps, this includes Verizon Wireless's.Operating system
Main article: iOS
iPhone 4S was announced with Apple’s iOS 5 operating system, which Apple claims as having 200 new features compared to the previous version. On the 4S, the Apple A5 processor and iOS 5 work together to support many subsystems of the device, such as data processing for the camera. Some major tasks performed include browsing the internet with Safari, voice assistance with Siri, cellular communications, media playback, and applications.It supports PC and Mac freedom, where updates can be downloaded by over-the-air to the device.Another feature is the ability to have Apple send a real card in the mail with the Apple Cards application.
Accessories
Bumper
Since the iPhone 4S has nearly the same design (mute switch has been moved slightly similar to the iPhone 4 CDMA model) some bumpers may fit both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
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