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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
apple is apple. iphone is iphone. parang honda. years back, may mga bumili pa din ng 2005 civic kahit may lalabas ng 2006 civic.
Super tama… sa mga nag rereklamo. Magtayo kayo ng sarili nyong company then release a redesign phone every week.
@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?
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.
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.
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
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 iPhone%
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.:)
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?
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..
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.
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..
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.
How much does it cost here in the Philippines? I’ve heard the prices are much cheaper than before.
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.
Bye iPhone. Hello Android. Hi Nexus prime
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!
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.
@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.
I feel sorry for those people who waited for this new iphone