Tim Cook, the Apple’s new CEO, had his first chance yesterday to mark
his official position by presenting a brand new Apple product. Cook is
following the tradition that was initiated by the Apple’s founder and
former CEO, Steve Jobs, by presenting all the new releases.
However, iPhone 5 was not present at the event, to the disappointment
of many who really wanted to see a slimmer profile and a bigger screen,
but the iPhone 4S looks like a very successful incremental update to
the iPhone, keeping the exact same external design, while completely
upgrading the hardware system.
This update is similar in a lot of respects with what we have seen
when 3GS was launched. Apple had to introduce a series of worthy
upgrades and features for the most popular iPhone 4, keeping the Apple
customers happy until they manage to release a more revolutionary
product, hopefully, it will be the iPhone 5 in several months from now.
If you aren’t clear about what iPhone 4S has to offer, and what the key
differences between 4S and its predecessor are, here is what you should
know.
HARDWARE
The new iPhone 4S uses the same chassis and the same body structure
as the 2010 model. Inside, the memory has been expanded to 64 GB and the
camera received a series of upgrades, offering 8 mega pixel with highly
improved imagery, 1080p video recording capability, enhanced low-light
performance and a fifth lens for more picture clarity, and overall image
quality. The camera offers better color accuracy, better white
balanced, faster photo capturing and face recognition, as Phil Schiller
said during the presentation last night “To many customers this will be
the best still camera they’ve ever owned and the best video cameras
they’ve ever owned”.
In terms of hardware performance, the latest iPhone sports a
processor which is two times faster than the one operating the iPhone 4.
The graphical engine is new, and combined with the dual core processor,
it manages to output a graphical performance which seven times better
than its predecessor. Despite the faster processor, which inherently
uses far more battery power, the iPhone 4S’s battery time has been
improved.
If you are a CDMA user who travels frequently, keep in mind that the
new iPhone supports GSM global roaming. That’s a huge deal for a lot of
business people who are traveling most of the times. Also, it seems that
Apple has solved some of the issues regarding signal attenuation by
employing a new antenna system which features two reception spots.
The following image presents in a more structured manner the differences between the iPhone and the new iPhone 4S.
The iOS 5
The next version of the iOS will be available to the general public
on October 12. The models that will be able to run the system will be:
iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and the latest, iPhone 4S. Also, the third and
fourth generation of iPod Touch, as well as both iPads, will have the
capability to run the system. The iOS 5 is free to download and is set
to bring over 200 brand new features to the mix.
The new features include: the new messaging service called iMessage, a
facility similar to BBM, an upgraded notifications system (similar to
Android’s), Twitter integration, location-aware reminders, a new camera
application, which makes the photo shooting process much simpler by
allowing users take photos by pressing the volume button, which now acts
as a shutter button, an upgraded Safari browser, featuring tabbed
browsing, a new email app, and automatic PC synchronization.
Apple has created a new service called iCloud that allows automatic
synchronization between all your Apple devices that are capable of
running iOS 5, which is more than 200 million units worldwide. The
automatic synchronization facility allows you to sync your calendar,
contacts, documents, email, music, photos, apps books and backups. This
new service gives you 5 GB of free storage space. You can pair iCloud
service with iTunes Match, a music locker service that costs $24.95 per
year.
The company did not release all the upcoming features during WWDC in
June, it kept a few for yesterday’s show. One of these features is an
application called Cards, which allows you to create greeting cards on
your iOS-powered handset. You can opt from 21 designs and once you have
created your card, you can print it and then send it wherever you want
in the world. Apple will send it for you. You are charged with only 3$
per card, and if you want to send it outside US, you will be charged
with $5.
Another great feature that is worth mentioning is Find my Friends.
This is much like the Google’s Latitude but it has better privacy
controls. With FmF you can temporarily or permanently share your
locations with people, also, you can set parental controls or simply
disappear by accessing a simple setting. This feature comes free with
the iCloud and it’s also integrated with Maps and Contacts.
Probably the greatest Apple innovation featured in the new iPhone 4S
is the Siri app. This software is actually a voice command Assistant,
which helps you do all sorts of things that would otherwise take a lot
of your time, while also keeping your hands busy. Siri allows you to
send voice commands such as to schedule meetings, send messages, make
phone calls and much more. This brand new feature is set to change the
whole paradigm of using a phone.
The Assistant interprets what you are saying and it then works with
you to complete the tasks. Working with you means either giving you the
answer verbally, initiating an application or requesting more
information in order to get the job done. A simple command such as
“remind me to make a phone call to work when I leave home” will enable
the Assistant to create a reminder in your phone, set up by a geofence
around your home area, and when you leave that area it will
automatically remind you to call work.
The Assistant is essentially the main difference between iPhone 4 and
its precursor, the iPhone 4S. Is it worth to upgrade? It all depends on
a lot of factors. For some users, the matters are simple, and there
might be enough to the new iPhone to persuade them to make a purchase,
and since the iOS can be installed on iPhone 4 as well, most users will
probably choose to wait for the iPhone 5.
Also, if you want to use the iOS 5, you don’t really have to purchase
the expensive iPhone 4S when the previous model still does the job well
and is able to operate the new system as well. Plus, it’s like half the
price of a new handset. Taking full advantage of cell phone recycling is in your best interest, even if that means purchasing an older handset in order to enjoy the latest software releases.
0 comments:
Post a Comment