The iPhone 4S in depth: More than just a vestigial 'S'
As marketing headman Phil Schiller ate up more and more minutes of Apple's "Let's talk iPhone" event, waxing rhapsodically about the new iPhone 4S, it became increasingly clear to those in attendance that the iPhone 5 wasn't going to make an appearance. Not that The Reg was there to take the pulse of the crowd. For reasons best …
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Hey Siri, where can I get a proper phone?
http://www.google.com/phone/
Fuck that...
1. Google is just as evil as Apple. Eye of Sauron etc..
2. Have you *EVER* used voice recognition? Even on a high end intel it is teh evilz.... You may have a chance if you speak American :P
Android, Apple, whatever.... All they want to do is grab your $$$ and your mine your demographics and now even "all your data r belong to us", real soon now, in Apple shaped clouds.
Proper phone = old school nokia or equivalent. Cheap. battery lasts for days. You won't cry if it gets squashed. So, not on the interwebs... Big deal. Pen and paper. Old palm pilot or work a like. Do you need to be on the internet 24 hours a day?
If you must, get a wifi telco dongle and use whatever tablet/lappie you have bearing in mind the nefariousness of the underlying vendors. Get an iPhone, android whatever, but ....
.... just don't *EVER* get the foolish idea that your data is private.
People are missing certain things
I will start off by saying I'm not an apple fan, and some would call me an android fanboi (have the original desire, which I love the physical keys for), but I do follow the Apple releases (try and avoid all the speculation, etc). I watched the event 'live' on Engadget last night, and Siri actually excited me a little. I even recommend iPhones to certain people, with certain needs (they do have the most/best games available for a mobile phone platform).
It turns out Siri was available on the 3GS or above, until last night (might not be quite in the same format), but now will be removed from these and only available on the 4S. That's appalling, never mind that it's available on Google etc albeit in not as polished form (Look for Edwin on android, or the built in functions, and await ICS). It might turn out it is available on older phones, but if they're removing it from the phones it was available before, then.... Pfffttt... The Apple marketing is just bad.
Another thing that stood out, was they're putting "BETA" on it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is sooooo un-apple. They perfect things, make it smooth and sexy and silky, sticking BETA on a product or app, etc is just against their ethos, what is going on with that? I guess they need a larger test base, but still seems so against apple to me.
And it IS about time they started offering a different screen size. 3.5 inch just doesn't cut it these days. People ARE different, and choice is a good thing. Where is the large phone on offer. I might consider a 4+inch iPhone next time, but I'm used to my bigger screen and the other halfs GSII has a better screen than any other mobile I've seen. For browsing, etc it's better.
Unfortunately Joe Public will not know about these things, and a lot of these will sell. I do recommend iPhones to certain people, as they are polished consumer devices, but their lying, and twisting of the truth, gets to me the most. I think they are a GOOD phone, and the app store has loads of good apps, but the company and the marketing stinks....
Are apple starting to lose it? I dunno... I appreciate what they're doing in a lot of ways and have made things better, but with the legal threats, and now way behind the curve (nearly everything in last nights event I've been enjoying for 1.5 years on my desire, and more). We'll see...
LOL, apple have the most/best games available for a mobile phone platform
You have fallen hook line and sinker into the trap the media have set for you. They all like to pretend this is true, but it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, they keep claiming this and the more they claim it the more it becomes fact, so much so that people simply forget the awesome Android games that aren't available on iOS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBkru6_BoPs
Games
That's not the first time I've seen someone comment on the games available for either platform. But I've not seen anyone give any evidence for iOS being the better option. What is lacking in the 8 categories of games in the Android store (and the Amazon store and other competing stores)?
https://market.android.com/apps/GAME
Well I would like to be prooved wrong in all honesty guys, as I personally feel it's IS androids biggest weakness (BTW just installed Apparatus, and I quite like it thanks!)
But if u want evidence, take Popcap for example (Plants vs Zombies, a game I like and would like ot play). Not on Android market, is on Amazon, but not available for us in the UK and have taken years to release. Also if the games are similar, I would hedge my bets that they're released on iOS first. I'm not a massive game player, and if I were might have got a iPhone. So please I'm not really arguing either way, can someone else provide evidence... Just a couple of examples.
Android games?
Are you serious? How about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_(video_game)?
Not for lack of capability
Here's what games developers can do on Android.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBvaDtshLY8
Is Shaky Tower available on the iphone? A quick google says no and the apple app store doesn't seem to be searchable unless you have itunes.
Re: Not for lack of capability
No, that's what developers can do with a very specific chip, from Nvidia.
There's way more Nvidia in that demo than Android.
And there's nothing to suggest other platforms won't be able to do the same when they get Kal-El Tegra-level processors.
Most significant
For me, the most significant aspect of the event was Apple actively comparing the 4S to Android devices to call out where it beats them (e.g. shutterlag in the camera). They've never had to do that before, they've always complacently ignored the competition and let their products speak for themselves. It seems like they're losing a little of their self-confidence.
A slight loss of confidence on Apple's part is not necessarily a bad thing, as companies that become complacent about their position rapidly lose it. I remember working with Nokia when the iPhone came out and saying "You really need to take this seriously, it blows anything we have out of the water in terms of usability and experience and they're easier to program", and the general response was "Well, our smartphones multitask, they have 3G, they make reliable phone calls, they have brilliant cameras*, who's going to buy an iPhone over ours? We're Nokia!"
Of course they might have just been flannelling an external contractor while the management quaked in their boots behind closed doors, but they certainly didn't seem to try to address the iPhone until much too late.
*I did cameras. Other people may have done the Brilliance.
What I really like
is the wireless (AirPlay) screen mirroring. OK, you need an ATV for that, but still... Having the ability to use all apps, video, photos, games etc. on the big screen without hanging off a cable and with no fuss is just sweet.
I think the 4S is evolution in a nice way. There was not much wrong with the iPhone 4 design, still a timeless classic as far as gadgets go.
you mean....
just like the HDMI out on Android phones, except its 1080 with a high bitrate? Something wireless can't do.
Oh and we don't need ATV to do it either, just a £10 cable.
@Monty Burns
No, he doesn't. Or he'd be comparing it to the HDMI out on iPhones, which like the HDMI out on phones running every other operating system doesn't need an ATV, just a £10 cable.
Only with the 4SSSSSS
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC953ZM/A
Seems you can only do that in the future (if Samsung don't get there way) ... and its £35, not a £10.....
Unless there is another way I don't know about?
Large screens
are better for browsing but I'm fairly sure that most normal people like to be able to use their phone one-handed and with 4" and more this gets really tough. You need to balance the thing on three fingers to reach everywhere with a larger screen. Ok, some people have really huge hands but this is not the rule.
That being said, I would have liked a 3.7" display or so, but with a screen reaching to the very ege it becomes hard to avoid accidental touches when holding it around the edges.
@ uhuznaa
A 4" screen is only about 2 3/4 to 3 inches wide at best.. meaning your hand only needs to 5" wide to comfortably hold the device.. pretty much anyone over 10 should be able to maintain a secure grasp.
A5 processor twice as powerful as the A4?
And presumably only half the size. Still, they must have had to fold it a bit more to fit it in an iPhone.
Wait...
Before anyone goes on about 2 cores yadayadayada... Battery life needs figuring too. That goes for the screen too. And the OS controlling all this.
No point having something that drains your battery twice as fast. For a smartphone to be usable I reckon, you should have at least 2 days from each charge.
And remember LiPo batteries do fatigue and die. The less charge cycles the better.
Very delicate balancing act. Apple may have got it better this time, or with 2 cores, it could be worse. Certainly I do not believe the battery technology is significantly any different between a 4 and a 4S.
Having said all that, this looks possibly iike what the iPhone 4 should have been.
I have no love lost for apple but I've used the iPad 2 (not mine, mind you!) and it's infinitely slicker than any android machine out there at present. Google's folly is Java, I reckon. If the iPhone 4S is like this, without any major hardware issues and a good battery life, it should do well.
In fact, the iPad 2 is so nice, I would consider preordering it on basis of this, were it an open system capable of being inspected and modified by anyone reasonably techically minded, and not just those elite well versed in the arcane black arts of jailbreaking....
... but I do not condone Apple's lockdown or the new 'All your data r belongs to us' thing...
So I say no and show Apple the finger.
Well I learned something..
hang on , you mean up till now Iphones weren't HDPSA ? ?
That's apple for you!
Remember, the first iPhone only had EDGE in a UMTS world...
"How do I get home?" Siri
Most people use their phone to call a taxi.
As a great man said, I think is time to "Think Different!".
The iphone now looks dated compaired with the competition. Grids of rounded shortcuts that only provide numbers and not present me with the live info I want, look tired along side Android and WP7.
I felt that Apple needed a complete GUI refresh, rather than the "Start menu in a phone" IP4, and now IP4S is. Android and WP7 are inovating GUI with live tiles giving you actual information at a glance, on your front screen, and that provide links and info from deep within an app. Apples GUI is stuck in 2006, as is their screen size. After using my 4.3" screen there is no way Im going back to 3.7"
They say they have fixed antenna design flaw so thats good news. We'll see when early feed back comes in.
As for the announced features. We already have them on WP7 and probably Android. I used my voice command and dictation for a few weeks on my WP7 and it works great. I switched it off in the end as it's just not the way I want to interact with my phone. Cloud, Yep I've been using it (Skydrive) on my phone since march and it works fine. Its no revolution though just a moderately useful option.
As for the internals. Some nice hardware inside. I'm sure apps will start to exploit the new graphics chip in the future but Im not much for phone games so not really too interested. To be honest my old IP4 was smooth and didnt need any more processing power so I think if I was buying a IP4S I'd be thinking, well keep the IP4 CPU in the IP4S, and give me the additional battery life a Dual Core would consume. Afterall, Im not wanting to play Battlefield 3 on the thing, nor will I ever be able to. Current smartphones/tablets are good for media consumption apps, small tools, and little else. So until someone gives a phone/tablet sized PC that can run some proper applications, the hardware speed race is a bit pointless, or even detrimental to our phone user experience due to the increased battery consumption. Appart from Android, which appears to need a bit more processing power. Just think, if they stuck with the old CPU you might get a week of battery life, just like the old days.
All in all a bit of a disapointing launch. It seems that simple feature additions were hyped up in the presentation to justify this new model. I suppose you could say its evolution not revolution. Apple are now in a position of dominance, just like Microsoft in the PC arena, that they dont need to take risks and push inovation. They just need to cover the competitors features and introduce them on their their own platform as we've seen here. The customers, or followers ;) will still buy them of course, hehe.
Dont get me wrong, the Iphone is a fine smartphone. Heck they all are. For me though using this phone is like a step back to 2006. Apple have not kept up with their competitors on GUI and the overall user experience, although they do still have the best app portfolio and ecosystem intergration.
This means when my contract is up in January next year, I will be upgrading to an Android or Windows phone.
Come on Apple, Innovate! And to the users, "Think Different" as a certain company once asked of us. Iphones user experience has stagnated and is stuck in the past. Embrace change. Demand more from your cutting edge phone tech.
Regards.
MAYBE THERE WAS AN IPHONE 5 BUT.....
it was so crap compared to other phones on offer, behind the times and slow that to save face the 4 was uprated with anything out of the odds and sods box, desperate to get some sales and fleece the sheep they know will buy it. Then in March next year a new phone will arrive ready to fleece the sheep again.
Not to nitpick.
72.8% vs 73%. Come, come now....
Significant figures my friend. It's plausible they got some wild exciting number to more significant figures but decided to round it off to 2 significant figures. Which is reasonable - and I'm not the first ever to jump into Apple's defence.
You think we're all dumb enough that things have to be rounded down to significant quartiles?
Ah....spin doctors.
Most of the general consumers will have NO idea what is inside the computer/phone. Apple sells like car salesmen. Their just using existing technology from the IPAD2 and putting it into the phone. Really clever if you think about it. They know they have a certain click of consumers that will buy their products, no matter what the cost or real improvements. Reselling old hardware to the masses that have limited budgets.....but apple has already re-couped their R&D costs on the older components. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Suckers !!! Thats what the S really stands for....Wait till 1st or 2nd Qtr for the 5 phone.
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