Key Point 3: Apple took 16 months and the only major upgrades were...

Apple took 16 months and the only major upgrades were a CPU, graphics and camera.

Key Point 4: Newer and bigger display screens have been around since last...

Newer and bigger display screens have been around since last year -- 3.8", 4.0", 4.3" and even 5.3".

Why we’re disappointed there’s no iPhone 5?

Q: Key Point 1: Yes, there's the iPhone 4s but most of us were...

Yes, there's the iPhone 4s but most of us were expecting an iPhone 5 -- a totally re-designed and cosmetically enhanced compared to the iPhone 4.

Q: Key Point 5: So let's put it to a vote -- do you...

So let's put it to a vote -- do you like the new iPhone 4S?

Abe Olandres October 5, 2011 · 3 min read

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Probably the biggest disappointment with a lot of Apple fans, including me, is that there’s no real new iPhone. Yes, there’s the iPhone 4s but most of us were expecting an iPhone 5 — a totally re-designed and cosmetically enhanced compared to the iPhone 4.

Apple took 16 months from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S and I ask why did they took that long and only had these upgrades?

Since the iPhone 4, a lot of competitors have brought so many Android and Windows Phone 7 handsets into the market — a lot of them are really great and impressive devices.

Let me try to dissect the source of that disappointment.

Apple took 16 months and the only major upgrades were a CPU, graphics and camera. So okay, these are the heart and soul of a smartphone but the upgrades are to be expected. Nothing earth-shattering considering we already saw this in the iPad 2 many months ago.
An 8MP camera with 1080 video recording screams “me too”. A lot of earlier smartphones have this — SGS2, Optimus 2X, Sensation, etc. Camera quality is another thing though and is a saving-grace for the iPhone 4/4s. How about HSPA+? SGS2 already has that as well.
A 3.5-inch display for a smartphone is already considered an entry-level to mid-level display size. Newer and bigger display screens have been around since last year — 3.8″, 4.0″, 4.3″ and even 5.3″. Three-point-five is so June 2010.
We wanted to hear all the superlatives. The iPhone 4 claimed it was the thinnest smartphone in June 2010 at 9.3mm. The SGS2 and the Optimus Black (among others) have displaced the iPhone from that title for months now. We’re hoping the iPhone 4S would have reclaimed that title back.
The iPhone 4S’ crowning glory is Siri. Then again, it’s just an App which you can also install in other iOS5 devices so it’s a function that’s not inherent to the iPhone 4S.
The most obvious of all disappointments is that there was no re-design. The iPhone 4S is like the 3GS of the iPhone 3G. Nothing visually significant.

A lot of people have been asking me for months now if they should wait for the next iPhone or go ahead and get the Galaxy S2. I always tell them to go get the SGS2 right away. With the announcement of the iPhone 4S, I’m glad I know I did not disappoint them.

Then again, it’s really up to the individual user.

So let’s put it to a vote — do you like the new iPhone 4S?

React to this article:

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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232 Comments

Iyan Sommerset · 15 years ago

Honestly, if people treated cars like they treated phones… *sigh* (I bet some do/are willing to if they had the cash.)

Friend · 15 years ago

who said that they’re going to announce/release the iPhone 5 anyway?

MyMaria · 15 years ago

I think that if u dont own an iphone yet… Maybe u should get the 4s..otherwise, stick to your iphone 4 for now :D my 2 cents.

Name: · 15 years ago

San ba nakakabili mhl cable for sgs2? thx

Edw · 15 years ago

Yep, go for Samsung Galaxy S 2… :) I am very satisfied with mine. :)

Telcom guy · 15 years ago

look guys its Apple with the capital A. its not the some brand that usually release redesign phone every year or month.

all i can say is wait until Oct 11.
for the nexus prime, Samsung galaxy prime or whatever name it is.

what happens here we’ve already know it.

Angela · 15 years ago

Siri is for iPhone 4s only.

jayman · 15 years ago

not exactly…if its offered in iOS then it is possible for ipad and ipod unless apple disables it…marketing plan of apple is to control everything…zero freedom more revenue…thats what apple lovers fail to see

lawrence · 15 years ago

walang problema sa specs, kasi iOS by nature doesn’t need a very high-class CPU to perform fully functional. remember the first version, 400mhz. the problem is the design. for a device that has a premium price tag,people are expecting that somehow, the phone will have a look that will make it distinct from the others, especially if put against it’s previous version.

jeyem · 15 years ago

I totally agree with this article! I’m planning to sell my iphone 4 and buy a Windows phone with mango update… Sorry i am not really an android fan.. :)

Bek bek · 15 years ago

Sir yuga ung Siri po eh iPhone 4S-only feature kaya d po ito malalagay sa ibang iOS device.

Nakita na naman natin n nangyari na to nung sa 3Gs pero madami pa dn bumili ng iPhone.

In all fairness naman sa mga Android phones, magaganda ang mga specs tlga pero dahil hindi nga swak ang software sa hardware hindi magamit ng husto ang magagandang specs.

Sabi nga ni Sir yuga sa dulo. It’s really up to the individual user.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 15 years ago

@bek bek – once the iPad 2 3G gets iOS5, the it will be the same as the 4s and can run Siri.

kazu · 15 years ago

Sa palagay ko naubusan na ng IDEA and Apple para sa iPhone. Wala na eto super disappointed din ako sa 4S WTF naman. Wish ko lang wala ng bumili ng iPhone.

kArLaLa · 15 years ago

So that means the White iPod Touch that they mentioned that’ll be coming out will still be under 4th gen? That means it won’t have the 8 MP camera capabilities?? O.O

whatif · 15 years ago

Nexus Prime!!!!!

garz · 15 years ago

I think you guys munched too much iPhone 5 rumors..

RJ · 15 years ago

Many are disappointed.. what were they expecting, a space shuttle?

Yogs · 15 years ago

Figuratively, yes.

Steve Jobs · 15 years ago

hahahaha… they expect 42″ phone that they can carry on.

Tim Cooks · 15 years ago

its a pattern that doesn’t need to be thought of real hard.

Really.

Every after 2 years you get a redesigned mobile device from apple.

if u love apple fine, if u love some other brand fine. but pls we don’t give a F about your rants.

booboo · 15 years ago

How about iPods? Been waiting for an upgrade to iPod Touch.. any 5th gen coming?

anton rossini · 15 years ago

i consider the 4s a midrange phone. like yeah, it packs the same features as most of the high-end phones of today, but these phones have been out for quite some time now. also the nexus prime is right across the corner, not to mention the galaxy s3. so for me, the 4s is not the right phone to spend up that cash.

garz · 15 years ago

S3? It still remains a rumor….

vek · 15 years ago

real downer on the iphone 4s. But I think the cheap 8gb iphone 4 is good for the market. How much do you think it will sell here? Both with globe and not globe?

jayman · 15 years ago

no gsm yet for the 8gb version sir…my sister is already in line for the 4s in japan and what only changed for apple via softbank was the pricing…global version tentative via feb next year…apple is now late…what a disappointment

vek · 15 years ago

What do you mean by no GSM yet? And does that mean we’ll get the iPhone 4 8gb and iPhone 4s on Feb? I heard they’re rolling everything out by December.

Rusty Gonzaga · 15 years ago

i knew there will be no iPhone 5, why? they launched it on October 4, not October 5, to signify it will still be an iPhone 4 :) just a thought. branding the date to be remarkable for the iPhone 4S.

dreamon · 15 years ago

@rusty – may tama ka! Dat’s why Oct 4 dahil 4S pala announcement nila. Assuming, correct ka! dapat cguro nong 4th of September ang announcement dahil Iphone 4S! =)

roland · 15 years ago

quoting from one of the forums:
“start by taking a hammer to any and all Apple hardware you now own – they purposely let everyone down by not introducing a new design iPhone with a bigger screen and super duper faster processor and 4G speed and and and.

Very odd that people have such strange expectations – if you want a bigger screen, either buy an android phone or try to get a job at Apple as a industrial designer or product manager and make the suggestion for a bigger screen.

I’m pretty sure Apple has looked at just about every aspect of every possible spec for a smart phone. They chose what they chose for reasons they don’t necessarily need to explain to you or anyone for that matter.

You don’t know and don’t think big picture (not big screen) the way that Apple does. If all you care about is specs, please go get yourself any other manufacturers phone and enjoy you got the spec you wanted.

And for those people who say voice control is available already – it’s not in the same integrated way just introduced by Apple.”

louie · 15 years ago

Nokia N9 is the winner…
Tsk tsk tsk Apple…

iNono · 15 years ago

Amen.. :)

Sidewinder · 15 years ago

I agree Totoy. Might be better to take a good look at the competing smart phones in the market and get rid of the Apple fever in most of us.

Totoy · 15 years ago

Thumbs down to the new iphone 4s. Failed to set new market standards like it use to do. The upgrades are minimal considering the competition for smartphones nowadays. Hope they’ll do better on their next release!

Messie · 15 years ago

I am really disappointed. And to think that they delayed it for 4 months before releasing it (should have been released last June) just for this? I think it’s really lazy for them to not change the body design a year and a half after the original iPhone 4 was released.

dreamboy · 15 years ago

Still a good buy but not what I was expecting from Apple. Anyway, Iphone4s is still > Iphone4 in specs but this announcement made me think of waiting for other options like the Google-Samsung phone.

blaze · 15 years ago

for more than a year yun lang pinagbago??!!kahit ilaban siya sa mga phone nilabas 6 months ago talo pa rin.. oh well, at least hindi ako mahilig sa iphone at matutuwa rin mga taga greenhills na nagbebenta ng protector dahil hindi na sila magdadagdag ng puhunan…

blaze · 15 years ago

ooops..sorry nakalimutan ko”s” sa phone..hindi bale phone ko nman me dalawang s…peace.

r41n · 15 years ago

iPhone 4 (without the S) still beats all of the phone released 6 months after its release in term of its design. Ang papangit pa dn ng phones ngaun. Ung GALAXY S2 nga ang pangit (ung AT&T version lng maganda design). Xperia Arc lng tlga pinakmaganda sa mga Android Phone.

Kahit pa maglabas ng quad core ibang phone company di naman masyado relevant un. It’s an overkill and only to be futureproof. iPhone on the other hand, runs smoothly with single core. Dual core is already too much to ask. So, for me, no disappointment here. iPhone 4S still beats them all in terms of design (except for Xperia Arc which still runs at single core, but nonetheless, is still a great device.

Brickz · 15 years ago

@r41n Woah, fanboy much? Sure the iPhone consistently sells well but you can’t say it is THE best phone out there based on sales alone. And all you point to is design? I’d choose performance over form any day of the week. And futureproofing is very much relevant considering the accelerated rate of advances in mobile technology now compared to the time before the iPhone. Developers are releasing bigger and better apps and to have a phone that can run them is certainly an advantage.

arch · 15 years ago

para sa akin a fone is like a friend, hindi ka kelangan maging pogi o maganda, yung panloob mas importante…relevant yung mag upgrade ka ng specs syempre,kasi kung hindi,, yung susunod na iphone same pa rin specs.kainis lang minsan na pag nasa resto ka lahat ng tao iphone ang dala, bakit? maganda kasi at sosyal…feeling pag naka iphone sosyal na agad(hindi naman lahat pero bato bato sa langit nalang)…and not true i am a fandroid, just bought my son an ipad and own an ipod …also used for some time iphone 3gs and 4…

Kevin · 15 years ago

Apple is losing steam obviously. And now we wait for the much anticipated Android rebuttal: Ice Cream Sandwich. Pray tell me sirs, what is the best ice cream sandwich brand in the supermarket today?

wacko · 15 years ago

ok lang naman at least may bagong silang nalabas, try ko to 4s as alternative sa sg2 ko, then try ko din paglabas ng iphone 5, wala naman big deal kung same design sa iphone 4 at least may improvement sa processor , yung nga lang kung mahilig kang magyabang at ilabas yung phone ( my new iphone , new design) hindi applicable..

dan · 15 years ago

from what’s circling around in cupertino society stevie had a hand in this luckluster… he didn’t want the spot light stolen from him yet. they say that when the real deal will come “iphone5” he will once again come out behind the curtain to brag his demi-god personality

Nikko · 15 years ago

I think the reason why people are disappointed is because they got used to the 3GS to 4 upgrade, Apple’s first total “overhaul” of its smartphone. But considering that the iPhone looks pretty much the same from the original one until the 3GS, this shouldn’t be a really BIG disappointment. Consider also that the 3GS sold lots of units despite being a “performance” upgrade of the iPhone 3. I also think their target market are not those with iPhone 4. I think they want conversion here, from other smartphones, include here the 3GS, to the new iPhone 4s.

garz · 15 years ago

No. The reason why people got disappointed is because they read too much iPhone5 rumors.. They accepted everything as true: leaked design, leaked case and so on..

On the other hand, I heard there’s another announcement coming. MAYBE it’s the 5th. Who knows?

jdGONEMAD · 15 years ago

SIRI is a fun feature. its like having your phone speak tagalog slang. can’t wait to text “thing none new see in die …(profane)”

i think id buy this new iphone 4s. since i badly need a new phone after leaving my bb inside my pant’s pocket inside the washing machine. then probably sell it once apple releases the new iphone 5.

arbee · 15 years ago

It is indeed a disappointment. Even if I am badly screaming for an iPhone unit right now after i got robbed.

will still get the iphone 4 but not the upgraded iphone 4s.

wreek888 · 15 years ago

So i guess those who are planning to sell their iphone4 will changed their mind. The iphone4 will be like a new phone when ios5 comes in oct 12. Feel sorry for those who sold their ip4 . Not much to look forward to. Siri im sure cannot detect jejomon messages. Apple probably didnot meet the deadline for iphone5. So they just upgrade the old one. But nextyear im sure there will be iphone5 with new design.

erwinator · 15 years ago

About siri, LOL! My thoughts exactly. And it needs you to speak in english to work. Personally, I’d prefer that Siri understands my native tongue, it just feels more natural and seamless like that. I doubt there would be a tagalog, bisaya, ilongo update for that and thus I’m not impressed.

jdGONEMAD · 15 years ago

apple is apple. iphone is iphone. parang honda. years back, may mga bumili pa din ng 2005 civic kahit may lalabas ng 2006 civic.

Steve Jobs · 15 years ago

Super tama… sa mga nag rereklamo. Magtayo kayo ng sarili nyong company then release a redesign phone every week.

Brickz · 15 years ago

@Steve Jobs That argument is alway used by Flips in the face of criticism and it’s just stupid because why would people bother to make their own company just so they could get a phone that they like? Don’t you think criticism should be encouraged to deter fanboyism and promote competition?

Paul · 15 years ago

Apple doesn’t change their hardware design after only one generation, they usually do it every two or three generations. That way accessory manufacturers can keep on producing more Apple accessories and be ensured it’ll still fit perfectly on the new iphones, ipods, macbooks, etc.

r41n · 15 years ago

I’m not disapointed, although I’m not that much impressed except for the camera. I think its camera would be the nearest to Nokia N8. Probably the second best camera next to it. I hope the sensor would be bigger. Some people might prefer 3.5 inch, but 3.5 inch shouldn’t be a flagship phone.

Shanae · 15 years ago

The newly unveiled iPhone4S is most likely to retain iPhone fans (which is a lot!) but it won’t attract as much users from the other OEMs (HTC,Samsung,BlackBerry)as I would have expected with a tapered & redesigned iPhone5

shanae · 15 years ago

quobetah · 15 years ago

Apple did the right thing, as of the moment there is no other smartphone that can match iPhone 4’s design, build quality and responsive OS. Have tried all those 4+ ins offerings by other brands and they’re all crap, not only because of poor design, measly battery life but because of the slow and buggy android OS. If there is any challenger to the iPhone its the upcoming Nokia Windows Phone offering. Ive handled an N9 in china and the hardware looks absolutely solid, its very well designed and built. Couple that with Mango and it will be a solid option than an iPhone..but still the most importatnt part,content, apps and games and books and music, apple is still king. Aint no one can beat them at that. demand for the old iPhone havent diminished one bit, it would be foolish for them to waste an iPhone 5 since the current iphone is still so well. Tsaka malay nyo, may announcement nman daw sa december ah, baka dun may iPhone 5 na.:)

Ravenmd · 15 years ago

Good morning all! Lots of disappointed people i know. I was thinking maybe they will come out with the re-designed case with all the upgrades and this time with the 4 inch screen sometime middle of next year. There was a mention of a January 2012 Keynote in one forum.. would you know what that’s about, Yuga Sir?

domz · 15 years ago

Im disappointed with apple.. They always entice people with their new products for a very long time.. Sana man lang they came up with a new design and other high end features that can really compete with new phones in the market.. Planning to buy sana pa naman kaso i changed my mind already..

poche · 15 years ago

you forget to mention that aside from the 8mp cam upgrade:
-it has a much larger cmos backside illuminated sensor than the ip4 meaning 73% more light.
-f/2.4 aperture
– 5 lens element which translates to more depth of field and wider f/stop and 30% sharper images than the ip4(4 element).
-hybrid IR filter which gives more accurate and vibrant colors, and also reduces red ghosting and chromatic aberrations which sometimes happen around light sources.

lastly Siri will be exclusive to the iphone 4s since it need the faster a5 to perform according to reports.

garz · 15 years ago

That is the only iPhone upgrade I wished I have on my Android. But if you’re buying 4S for the camera, it’s a waste of money. You can already buy a DSLR for its price – here in the Philippines anyway..

Arnold · 15 years ago

Exactly my thoughts and source of disappointment. When upgrading to a new phone, first thing I look for is how different the design is from the original.

At least when Apple upgraded the iPhone 3G to 3GS, they tweaked the design a bit.

But with the iPhone 4S, parang tinamad na sina Apple mag-design ng bago.

Jason · 15 years ago

How much does it cost here in the Philippines? I’ve heard the prices are much cheaper than before.

marvin · 15 years ago

Nope, it looks like the iphone 4 from almost 1 1/2 years ago. Why bother upgrade if you are not a power user.samsung’s google event next week i think would be more exciting and worthy to watch.

Jam. · 15 years ago

Bye iPhone. Hello Android. Hi Nexus prime

Yom · 15 years ago

Hear, hear. If you have been used to Android, then iPhone 4S is not a show-stopper.

Better wait for the Google-Samsung event next week!

al · 15 years ago

Whats up with this constant grammar/typo errors don’t you proof read your blog before posting? I’m still a fan though.

The phone, mehhh. Not enough reason to upgrade.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 15 years ago

@al – sorry, it’s been a bad habit of mine to publish first then do the edits afterwards. A single post would have undergone 3 to as many as 12 edits/updates after I first clicked the Publish button. It’s been a habit that I have not shaken off for the last 6 years that I’ve been blogging full time.