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As expected, Apple revealed the new iPhone last night. Not all of the rumours panned out, but this is certainly the next generation iPhone. It is not called the iPhone 5 though, it’s called the iPhone 4S. (Both names were rumoured)

Introducing the iPhone 4S

From the outside, it doesn’t look like too much has changed for the iPhone 4S. It weighs just 3 grams more than the iPhone 4, and the physical dimensions are identical. The screen is also the same as the famed 3.5 inch ‘retina display’ of the iPhone 4. But, that’s where the similarities end – on the inside, everything is different!

Powering the iPhone 4S is a brand-new and much improved dual core Apple A5 processor. Apple claim this chip has up to seven times improvement over the (single core) A4 chip in the iPhone 4. This what powers your apps, runs your games, and makes everything on the phone run fast and act quickly. So expect the traditional Apple ‘polish’ to be even more refined, and don’t ever expect this phone to lag, stutter or skip a beat.

Also all new, Apple touts the iPhone 4S as a true ‘World Phone’, which can operate on both GSM (as we using here in Australia) and CDMA networks. As far as we’re aware, this is a first for a smartphone, and it could be a game changer for travellers and business-people. However, there is an indication that handsets bought outright and unlocked will not be useable on a CDMA network (such as Sprint or Verizon in the US). It is not yet clear if phone’s bought on a contract with a GSM network (such as Vodafone or Optus in Australia) can be unlocked to work on a CDMA network in the US.

The Camera

Increasingly important in smart phones these days is the camera. There is a large group which is devoted to ‘iPhone photography’. This group also includes professionals, who will use an iPhone when the situation means they can’t take their bulky DSLR along. The camera in the iPhone 4S sports an 8 mega pixel backside illuminated sensor, which is supposedly developed by Sony. The all-new lens features a max. aperture of f/2.4, with 5 lens elements and a hybrid IR filter. There is of course also the LED flash and Autofocus included. All of this adds up to a much improved camera, with very high resolution and great low light performance.

Along with improved still shots, the camera will also provide much improved video. the iPhone 4s is now capable of recording full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second, upgraded from 720p in the iPhone 4. There is also the front-facing camera, capable of VGA resolution, primarily for use with Apple’s Facetime and other video calls.

Siri

The iPhone 4s also introduces a new apple technology called ‘Siri’. Siri is a voice controlled virtual assistant – tap the microphone icon and ask Siri to get whatever information you need. Siri technology will recognise your voice, understand what you are asking for, and fetch you the information you need, or perform a task for you. This includes things like looking up the weather, getting directions, searching the internet, setting an alarm, making a new calendar entry or even writing a text message. The accuracy is reported to improve over time as Siri becomes accustomed to your voice. As well as English, Siri also understands French and German. No doubt more languages will be incorporated over time. Unfortunately, it does not look like Siri will be available for the iPhone 4 (or other previous versions) at this stage.

Availability

The iPhone 4S will be available to preorder from the Apple store starting this Friday, October 7th, with delivery beginning the next week on October 14th. Prices start at $799 for a 16GB model. Also available are 32GB ($899) and 64GB ($999) models, all in both black and white. We also expect Vodafone, Virgin and Optus to sell all versions of the iPhone 4S on various priced contracts. They haven’t release any details yet, but come back in the next few days, or sign up for our e-mail newsletter, to get all the details and to find the best deals for your new iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS prices

With the new model iPhone being released, this is also a perfect time to buy an older model iPhone, as the prices drop. An 8GB iPhone 4 will be available for just $679 and an 8GB iPhone 3GS will now cost just $449. It looks like all larger capacity (16GB and 32GB) iPhone 4 models will be discontinued, and available only as long as stocks last. We’ll keep you up to date with this situation. The 8GB iPhone 4 is available in both black and white, and will ship with IOS 5 pre-installed. An upgrade to IOS 5 will be available to download for the iPhone 3GS.

IOS 5

The iPhone 4S will also feature Apple’s brand new mobile operating system, IOS 5. This brings with it a whole slew of new features and improvements – over 200! IOS 5 will also be available as an update for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS owners, but performance and some features may be limited due to the age and lower performance of the older hardware.

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