It Looks No Different Than an iPhone 4

Prior to Apple’s Oct. 4 event, many people believed that the company would show off an iPhone with an all-new design. But it didn’t do anything of the sort. In fact, the iPhone 4S features the same, basic design as its predecessor, including the glass panels and thin design. It even has the same, 3.5-inch display. It would have been nice to see at least one major design improvement, but alas, Apple didn’t have that in its plans.

Although consumers will still find the Retina Display in the iPhone 4S, the new and improved graphical capabilities of the device will allow for vastly improved gaming experiences. In fact, Apple showed off a gaming demo during the event that the company claimed could deliver a graphical experience not found in consoles today. Look for game developers to deliver better and more-sophisticated games in the coming weeks and months, thanks to the iPhone 4S.

One of the big complaints about the iPhone 4 is its camera. Unlike so many other competitors that have 8-megapixel options, the iPhone 4 does not. In the iPhone 4S, however, Apple has brought the 8-megapixel camera to the smartphone. The company says that the improved camera will help users snap pictures more quickly and more accurately reproduce colors. On the video side, the iPhone 4S supports 1080p HD recording and image stabilization.

When Apple first launched the iPhone in 2007, the company only offered the device to AT&T customers in the U.S. Earlier this year it expanded its carrier partnerships to Verizon. At its Oct. 4 event, Apple said the iPhone 4S will also be made available to Sprint customers. That’s a major development and something that should benefit not only Apple as it expands its market, but also consumers who want more choice.

As video becomes more popular and consumers record more content, they need additional storage. That’s why Apple’s decision to offer a 64GB version of the iPhone 4S is such an important move on the company’s part. Digital content, like video, apps and music, takes up a lot of storage capacity and tends to pile up over time. It’s about time Apple acknowledged that and accommodated customers’ storage needs.

Over the years, Apple has maintained a policy that sees the latest iPhone version come in at the same price as its predecessor. Luckily for customers, the iPhone 4S is no different. Folks who were buying the iPhone 4 for $199 and $299 for 16GB and 32GB, respectively, will find the iPhone 4S with the same storage options on sale for those prices.

Much has been made about Apple’s decision not to support LTE in the iPhone 4S. However, when describing the device’s new wireless system, which relies upon two antennae to transmit and receive data, Apple said the device will allow for up to 14.4M-bps speeds on the downlink. That, the company says, will help it match the Motorola Atrix 4G, the LG Thrill 4G and the HTC Inspire 4G. It should be interesting to see if the device can live up to this bold claim.

At its Oct. 4 event, Apple spent a considerable amount of time talking about Siri, a new virtual assistant application. The service allows users to give voice commands, and after interpreting those commands, it performs the desired duty. Apple showed how Siri can provide restaurant recommendations, set alarms and help users answer messages from the device. But the question is will it work as well in the real world as it did in Apple’s demo?

Battery life is vastly important in today’s mobile world, and once again, Apple has delivered some impressive energy-conservation figures. According to the company, the iPhone 4S will provide 8 hours of 3G talk time and 14 hours of talk time on 2G. When listening to music, users will get 40 hours of battery life, and 10 hours with video. Not bad.

There has been rampant speculation about when Apple will ship its latest iPhone model, with estimates ranging as far back as the summer to as late as next year. But Apple says that the iPhone 4S will be made available to customers on Oct. 14, just two days after iOS 5, which will be running on the smartphone. And as with previous years, expect a long line outside Apple stores when the handset finally hits store shelves.