Tech Focus: 4S, not iPhone 5?

Courtesy of QuickPwn

On October the 4^th, IPhone had their highly anticipated announcement of new products that would be coming to stores. Before the announcement early Wednesday morning for us in Hong Kong, there was some serious hype and excitement over the possibility that Apple would finally be releasing their new revolutionary, and re-designed iPhone 5. In this regard however we were all sadly disappointed. Apple has announced that the IPhone 4S will be the new IPhone in stores, and we will have to wait even longer for the IPhone 5

There were some mixed reactions at the event to the unveiling of the IPhone 4S, the main being that it wasn’t the IPhone 5. The second however is that it still looks basically exactly the same to the IPhone 4. Apple executives however insist that it though it may look the same; the technology has been highly upgraded. Lets talk about Upgrades:

The IPhone 4S will have a faster processor than that of the IPhone 4 thanks to the new processing system that Apple have put in (a major upgrade to the IPhone 4). The camera quality has nearly doubled in resolution and sharpness. It will have the ability to shoot in 720p and 1080p HD videos.

The introduction of the new IOS5 and ICloud mean that you will never have to sync your IPhone to your computer in the traditional fashion anymore. Every thing will be online, and downloadable to any computer or Apple device connected to it. The Software will become available for all on the 12^th of October for yearly subscriptions. Ranging from 5GB of storage for free, to 50 GB (55 with the 5 free) for 100 USD a year.

Finally, undoubtedly the coolest feature of the IPhone 4S is Siri. Siri is a combination of Voice activated technology and Artificial intelligence (AI). Apple Executives made a big show of its incredibly advanced new features. With just a click of the home button, Siri will respond to any and all voice commands. It can write texts and all you have to do is talk, you can ask Siri for any suggestions on restaurants and she will respond with locations and directions. The demonstrator at the meeting showed how Siri responds to the meaning of the phrase and not key words. For example one could ask “What is the weather like today” and get a weather forecast; The person could also ask “Is it going to rain today” and Siri will answer with the weather forecast and (as seen in the demonstration) “It sure looks like rain today”. Siri has the potential to negate any need to actually touch the IPhone other than to hit the home button.

The IPhone 4S will be on sale a week from Friday at all Apple retail stores at up to 64GB of memory. Though it might not be the IPhone 5, it still has some pretty cool new features that are still head turning in the market of smart phones. However, in my opinion, it is not worth breaking your contract to buy. Wait for the IPhone 5 as it will undoubtedly have all these features and more.

Jonathan Evans, KGV