Apple released its latest version of iPhone—the iPhone 4S—at a launch event in Cupertino, California, early yesterday afternoon.
Even though there is no major change to the design, Philip Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said that “inside, it is all new.”
The new iPhone features the A5 chip used in the iPad and is twice as fast as the iPhone 4, Schiller said. Battery life is also improved, with eight hours of talk time on 3G, 14 hours on 2G and 10 hours of watching video. And yet, it will weigh 33 percent less.
The camera is also improved. It now boasts an 8-megapixel sensor, 60 percent more pixels than the iPhone 4’s camera. It has a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that captures 73 percent more light.
The iPhone 4S takes 1.1 seconds to take its first photo once you start up the Camera app. The Droid Bionic, by comparison, takes 3.6 seconds, Schiller said.
But perhaps the most important upgrade to the iPhone is the presence of a new application called Siri.
“It’s an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done, just by asking," Schiller said.
To demonstrate the new application, Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iPhone software, asked the phone, “What is the weather today?” The phone answered, “Here is the weather for today,” and displayed the weather screen. Mr. Forstall then continued, “Do I need a raincoat today?” The phone replied, “It sure looks like rain today.”
Mr. Forstall noted that Siri can look for directions, set alarms, read text messages, schedule events, take dictation and create reminders.
“Remind me to call my wife when I leave work,” Forstall told the phone.
Siri knew who Forstall’s wife is from previous conversations and would use geolocation to find out when he left work.
Apple has also collaborated with Wolfram Alpha to provide data for Siri.
“Define mitosis,” demanded Forstall.
Siri promptly read back a definition.
But perhaps the most chilling demonstration of the capabilities of this virtual assistant came when Mr Forstall asked Siri, “Who are you?” and it replied, “I am a humble personal assistant.”
Prices for the iPhone 4S start at $199 for 16 gigabytes of storage, $299 for 32 GB and $399 for 64 GB. There will be an 8 GB iPhone 4 for $99. iPhone 3GS is now free, with a two-year contract.
Preorders for the 4S start Oct. 7 with delivery on the 14th.
Despite the new Siri application, some observers and investors were not impressed, with the Wall Street Journal calling Apple'a announcement “underwhelm[ing]”. Stock of the company dropped by 5 percent after the launch, before it regained most of the losses by the end of trading session.
“Apple is running out of innovative ideas for [the] moment and so creates the iPhone 4S to hold for one more year before iPhone 5 is out,” said Zhen Gou, a junior.
Others begged to differ, including Tim Cook, Apple’s new chief executive officer, who called the new phone “the most amazing phone yet.”
“When you think about it, only Apple could make such amazing software, hardware and services and bring them together into such a powerful, yet integrated experience,” Mr. Cook said.
Judging from the buzz the phone has already created, he is not alone in his confidence.
“The iPhone 4S? S is for Sexy,” said freshman Eddie Li. "Love it."
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