Edmonton: Apple's newer-gen iPhone is finally out, putting at rest all the frenzied rumours floating for past few months. And there is no iPhone 5, at least not for next few months!
The new phone - Apple's first launch since founder Steve Jobs stepped down from CEO's post in August - is expected to raise the benchmark for smartphone manufacturers afresh.
The iPhone 4S with Apple's A5 dual core processor (as in iPad2) will be seven times faster than the iPhone 4. The new 'World Phone' which can run on both CDMA and GSM networks and has an advanced, faster 8 megapixel camera with backside illuminated CMOS sensor that gives 73 percent more light. The phone is capable of shooting videos in full HD (1080 pixels) mode unlike the 702 pixels in iPhone 4.
The new iPhone has been priced at $199, $299 and $399 with two-year contract for 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models respectively.
Most incredibly, Apple has ensured its earlier generation iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 will stay on and get more popular. It has changed the price tag on iPhone 4 to just $99 for 8GB while announced the 8GB 3GS will be made free, bundled with data contracts by carriers.
Apple also claimed the new iPhone has a much better battery life. It offers "eight hours of 3G talk time, six hours of browsing, nine for WiFi, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music," according to the company.
The new iPhone will come with voice recognition software Siri built-in. It also has Wireless Mirroring AirPlay technology, using which a user can for instance mirror the gaming content on a bigger screen.
It will be launched on October 14 in seven countries, followed by another 22 on October 28 and 70 countries by end of the year. Apple will be launching with over 100 carriers, making it the fastest and widest iPhone launch ever.
However, there is disappointment in store for potential Indian buyers, as the country does not figure in the first two stages of launch. This is despite Apple CEO Tim Cook's acknowledgement that Apple is likely to witness maximum growth in the emerging countries.
The new iPod Touch will have iOS 5 with Retina Display, HD video and gyroscope. It is priced at $199 for the 8GB touch, $299 for the 32 GB, $399 for the 64GB.The new iPod nano will have Nike+ app built in.
"iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "While our competitors try to imitate iPhone with a checklist of features, only iPhone can deliver these breakthrough innovations that work seamlessly together."
iPhone 4S's new native feature Siri is touted to be like an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Artificial intelligence, if you will! Siri "understands the context, allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions."
It is also claimed to be smart enough about using the personal information you allow it to access. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses and get directions. Users can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking, according to Apple.
The 8 MP camera of iPhone 4S claims to pack 60 per cent more pixels for better, detailed pictures. It has a new custom lens, a larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid infrared filter for sharper and accurate images. With the new A5 processor, the Camera app launches much faster and can be launched even with the phone in locked state.
Cook made the announcements at the much anticipated but compact, media-only event at its Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday which was not streamed live, unlike earlier times.According to Cook, iPhone comprises 5 per cent of the overall global mobile market. Apple has so far sold 60 million Mac computers. Its iPod has 70 per cent share of the portable music player market. Despite "everybody and their brother' trying to compete very hard in the tablet market in past one year, Apple's iPad still enjoys 74 per cent market share, he pointed out.
Steve Jobs, who stepped down as CEO due to health reasons in August, was not present at an Apple launch event, perhaps for the first time in many years. His last engagement as CEO was the launch of new operating system Lion and iCloud service
The first iPhone launch in over a year - during which Google's Android based handsets more than doubled the market-share in mobile OS - is a litmus test for Cook, who officially took charge barely a month ago, but had been the shadow CEO during Job's long illness leaves.
Apple is currently the world's largest smartphone manufacturer and its riches are reportedly more than the US government . The challenge posed by over a dozen Android-based device manufacturers has so far not dented the mania for its iconic smartphones, but today's announcement is an indicator Apple will never sit on past laurels.
Its contract manufacturer went in overdrive to make 1,50,000 iPhone 4S a day to meet the anticipated surge in demand.
About 18 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple's App Store so far, roughly a billion downloads a month. Of this, iPad alone has 1.4 lakh apps. Apple has paid $3 billion in payouts to the developers.
Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is now the number one mobile operating system, 43 percent share compared to Android's 33 per cent as per the ComScore data for July, claimed Apple's senior VP Scott Forstall.
The company's new mobile OS, iOS5 and iCloud service will be finally launched on October 12 for iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users. The company also said its new mobile OS, iOS5 and iCloud service will be finally launched on October 12 for iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users.
iTunes Match, using which Apple's multiple device users can stream their music stored on one iOS device across all iOS devices, will be launched by the end of the month in the US and by year end in rest of the world.
iOS 5 includes over 200 new features including Notification Center, using which one can easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption. It also has in-built Message messaging service - a rival akin to Blackberry Messenger - that lets the users easily share text messages, photos and videos between all iOS 5 users. iOS 5 will also be available as a free software update for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS customers.
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