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© 2011 AFPApple fails to impress with updated iPhone
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The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© 2011 AFP
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whiskeysour
What about " flash " video ? Or using your iphone to purchase things / like the japanese mobile phones ???
All the hype for nothing !!!!! Looks like another iphone, They should have waited 2 more years and made something monumental.
whiskeysour
I'm not going to buy this one. i will just wait for iphone 10 or iphone 2000
nath
Agree quiet a let-down, and too pricey for my liking as are most apple products.
Dutchduck
A whole event just to announce an update... I don't think many iPhone 4 users are going to run to the ****shop to get their hands on some dual core power in the same package.. Most users don't need the extra power anyway. I think the 4gs is marketed to get 3gs owners whose contract is about to expire, android owners are not likely to jump ship either...dual core, 8m cameras are all too common, but the latest android sets all sport 4inch or bigger screens, support for 4g etc etc.
NetNinja
I'm not surprised. Times have changed. Steve Jobs is gone. The competition is happy though. This will be their chance to push out their new ideas. We usually look to Apple for those fresh, innovative practical creature comforts we look for in a smartphone. Now it would appear that the door is open.
Besides who wants to spend 50,000 yen year after year trying to stay on the tech curve?
I do hope iPad 3 comes with the retina display I had hoped for with 2 instead of milking the cow. Ipad is the most addictive tablet PC ever.
soldave
No surprise they were going to introduce the voice commands to try and keep up with Android.
daisan
If only the design was a little different people would already be lining up, otherwise how are the rest going to notice that you have the last model.
knowitall
By just reposting the AFP article, JT has omitted the only big news out of this event: KDDI (au) will be getting the iPhone. Now I can go back to a decent carrier and dump Softbank.
nath
I have the iPad 2 and the system just roars. Great tool...for angry birds.
TokyoTanuki
If anyone thinks that Jobs had nothing to do with the spec and design of the iPhone4S, then they are living in cloud cuckoo land.
nath
Time for iSheep to leave the walled garden of Apple and explore the Android universe!
nath
What was AU's recation to this? I think there is already a brouhaha that AU will sell iPhone 5.^^
societymike
wow.. so they introduced a rebadged phone with "new" features that Android phones have had for over a year, and STILL inferior in performance to Android phones. Apple is going down again.... What get's me is, IT LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME as the iphone 4.. why didn't they even TRY to redesign it a little.. more importantly, why did they keep that tiny little screen!?!?! That's the worst part of an iphone, the tiny screen, and all the wasted space around it.
gogogo
Boring... time to switch to android
badmigraine
Not a peep about the new iPhone on either of the Softbank or AU websites. Now that's what I call excitement and efficiency in marketing.
Dvn Kurt
Pathetic! Gone with the Jobs ...
namabiru4me
I am ready for an upgrade, as my contract on my current iPhone has expired...but I was looking forward to hearing about an iPhone5. Damn!!
papigiulio
ouch apple made a booboo, they couldve made a shitload of money if they AT LEAST had redesigned the case. I think they are already working on the iphone 5 which will shake the world next year march.
2020hindsights
Totally. Jobs had all to do with this.
This was always going to be a tweek. Like 3G to 3GS. Look to next year for a major change. And why would that be...? Anyone who can think out of the box should be able to work it out. The two year contract. It's not worth a major upgrade when people still have a year on their contract. 3GS and 4S are for people out of sync with the major releases.
What's in a name? Write iPhone 5 on the back.
The only reason that I can see for upgrading if you still have a contract is to get the 64G model. I'm always running out of storage and I need more memory.
I hope it's cheaper than that. In the US the 64G model is equivalent of 30,000.
Inferior in performance? I would doubt it for CPU and graphics. Jury still out.
Who cares that it looks the same? I guess the latest gadget buyers may be disappointed. Small screen maybe, but high resolution. Wait until next year for a bigger screen at the same resolution.
2020hindsights
I said it here first - I think they will still shift a lot of units - of all models now that they are all cheaper. They shift the most now (although Samsung is close) and they have the highest margins.
change
I skipped iPhone 4 hoping to get the 5. Now I stucked with my 3G. Waiting for 5 is just too long but I don't wanna go for this half-baked 4S. Maybe time to consider Android
Elbuda Mexicano
What's the big deal about the iPhone 4S?? The Chinese already came out with their own original version of the IPhone 5 right??
Ranger_Miffy2
Got my upgrade to iPHone 4 last week and I'm happy with it for the next couple of years. Next: iPad!
kaketama
I feel a bit disappointed. Apple took more than a year to introduced the iPhone4S, not iPhone5. The apparence of iPhone4S is just the same as previous one and the spec is not cutting edge, it already lose to the GSⅡ which released in June. Moreover iPhone4S has a shorter battery life than iPhone4. Siri? Who want to voice their schedules and messages in public? I want to believe Apple will introduce iPhone5 in the near future.
Piglet
Siri personal assistant is miles ahead of the competition. Apple bought Siri company and integrated their AI technology into iOS. The result is absolutely stunning. Too bad Apple did not release the iPhone 5 yesterday, but the speed bump is quite significant (9X with the dual core A5).
lostrune2
This is not revolutionary. This is just a stepping stone for iPhone 5, just like 3GS was for iPhone 4. So wait for iPhone 5. Regardless, so then......... what was that iPhone that got leaked, I mean, left at the bar again?
Anyways, Apple has to move along their iPhone development cycles a bit faster now that there's real competition from Android. Since Android is used by several phone manufacturers (while the iPhone only has one) and each of which has their own development cycle, the overall development of the Android is moving along at a faster congregated pace (e.g. by the time the iPhone gets an 8MP camera, there's already Android phones beyond that). That's why there are more Android users now than iPhone users. Apple has to keep pace; otherwise, they could end up like how their Mac computers ended with just 10% of the marketplace (Mac users also started out of the gate faster than PC users, but eventually, PC users caught up then left Mac users behind).
Bluebris
Re: Apple fails to impress with updated iPhone.
They failed to impress me with any of the earlier versions so I wasn't expected to be impressed by this one either.....
smithinjapan
The updated functions aren't all that great, though it is of course still the best smart phone out there by far. Androids are absolute garbage, but will still try to copy from this new phone. When iPhone 5 DOES eventually come out... wow.
TimeiClic
smithinjapan: Android phones are garbage? Have you tried the Samsung Galaxy S2? It is STUNNING.
アメリ フセイン
People are spoiled, the new iPhone4S is mind blowing, especially Siri.
choiwaruoyaji
Will Siri get proper respect and be called o-shiri in Japan?
LostinNagoya
I think that Apple made a big mistake: why didn't they say earlier that there wouldn't be an iPhone5 this year? Such an announcement would have killed all the rumours and the iPhone "5" 'features' bloggers were creating every two minutes, with crazy expectations. I even read that the iPhone 5 would have a holographic keyboard! The power of rumours can be devastating for a company. Anyway, from what I read the 4S is a superb smartphone. Now I am ready to upgrade from my 4 to 4S, in my family there will be at least 10 buyers for this X-mas.
smithinjapan
As I've still got only a 3G it'll be a pretty good update for me. I AM disappointed it's not the iPhone 5 everyone (media including) were saying would be released, it's better than nothing.
smithinjapan
timeiClic: "Android phones are garbage? Have you tried the Samsung Galaxy S2? It is STUNNING."
Okay, so my bias for iPhone made my statement a little over the top. They are not garbage, and for those who use and enjoy them I say all the power to them. However they still have copied the look and feel of iPhone, as have all smart phones more or less, and the open source development of applications causes a lot of problems and confusion. And while Android has a higher number of FREE apps on the market, Apple leads in overall apps.
Jobs' death is going to hurt the company, especially because I have my doubts that he can be replaced by someone of the same calibre and ability to create so innovatively.
Anyway, it'll be a success in the long run, if not immediately.
cracaphat: "Well my 3GS contract finishes in Dec,so I have to get 4S and down the line get the 5.Boo hoo!!"
You don't have to wait until December. As part of a campaign Softbank has launched to keep it's customers they are dropping any penalty fee left on current contracts, so you could pick one up next week. Well, actually, you can't -- but you can RESERVE one this week and pick it up when it comes in (there are already a million reservations so you might have to wait until November).