iPhone 4S Includes Significant Antenna Upgrades

I guess i'm not sad that apple didn't move away from this antenna. The external antenna provides some pretty neat advantages over internal ones. Overall i'm pretty satisfied with this update. it would have been nice if there were some sort of (small) visual difference between the 4 and the 4S purely for marketing purposes. It's just so sad that they called it the 4S. Inconsistent naming just creates customer confusion.

vartanarsen said:

Hey does anyone have any info on the Factory Unlockeds?
There was not a mention today.

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It looks like factory unlock will be available for all models; based on the limited part of the online store that is working.

fxscreamer said:

So my question is, will these antennas allow CDMA networks to have simultaneous connections for voice and data like AT&T?

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No.

EDIT: At this moment we are pretty sure the answer is no. It seems as though Apple is using the same World Chip that is in the Verizon iPhone 4.

I thought the upgrade was great. I don't get why people are disappointed. Technology only moves so fast. This year a speed bump, next year, a redesign, just like the iPhone 4 and 3GS before it.

As an indie game dev I'm excited about the new graphics capabilities, I LOVE the mirrored air play, and the tech demo that Epic released was very impressive.

Siri also has me interested which is funny because originally I thought it would be dumb, then I saw the video...

I also like the improved browsing speeds and storage bump. Very nice (and realistic) upgrade if you ask me.

diamond.g said:

Nope, requires the phone to support SVDO (which the iPhone doesn't).

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this makes me a sad panda

cms2 said:

So, Apple's announcement today: "After sixteen months, we've worked out the kinks. Enjoy." Oh well, life moves on.

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They worked out the kinks, put a brand new processor in it that is twice as fast and consumes the same power, and added a voice recognition system that actually seems to work. If someone installed an engine in your car that had twice the horsepower, got the same fuel economy, and added a brand new GPS navigation system, would you complain?

chrono1081 said:

I thought the upgrade was great. I don't get why people are disappointed. Technology only moves so fast. This year a speed bump, next year, a redesign, just like the iPhone 4 and 3GS before it.

As an indie game dev I'm excited about the new graphics capabilities, I LOVE the mirrored air play, and the tech demo that Epic released was very impressive.

Siri also has me interested which is funny because originally I thought it would be dumb, then I saw the video...

I also like the improved browsing speeds and storage bump. Very nice (and realistic) upgrade if you ask me.

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Agreed. I guess this is how iPhone releases and redesigns are gonna be. Sure seems like a pattern.

Blaunerts said:

Will that annoying proximity sensor be fixed??????

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It looks like it. It appears differently in the iphone 4s images compared to the iphone 4 images.


As for whining about antenna updates, scumbag apple fanboy: Apple brings a 1st to cell phone antenna technology, apple fanboy still complains.

I get bad signal, even with my bumper case. I live in a poor signal area (usually 3 bars of 3G) and they decrease down to 1, sometimes all the way to GPRS if I hold my phone.

Hopefully this solves the antenna issues once and for all.

Apple should update the iPhone 4's they are going to keep selling with this new antenna design. How can they sell an iPhone 4 which they know has bad antenna design, alongside the improved iPhone 4S which rectifies the antenna issues?

does anyone know if this new antenna means that the verizon iphone will be able to surf and talk at the same time now?

Edit: looks like this question has already been asked and answered

chrono1081 said:

I thought the upgrade was great. I don't get why people are disappointed. Technology only moves so fast. This year a speed bump, next year, a redesign, just like the iPhone 4 and 3GS before it.

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It would almost be better if Apple specifically announced a "tick tock" strategy like Intel. Then people wouldn't get their hopes up too much. Anyway, MacRumor, Apple Insider, and 9to5Mac were all on target that today would see an iPhone 4S and an emphasis on Siri. An iPhone 5 would have been a nice surprise. I'm not sure why people were expecting it after the news that broke over the weekend about the iTunes beta.

cms2 said:

So, Apple's announcement today: "After sixteen months, we've worked out the kinks. Enjoy." Oh well, life moves on.

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Apple is rolling like Intel on a tick-tock strategy; innovate, refine, innovate refine...

This iPhone will still sell like nothing before it.

jlgolson said:

Gonna unload your stock? Because I'll buy it.

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You should have bought some anyway. Was down close to 4%. Now rising back to just .5% down.

Is it just me or is the iPhone 4S and iOS5 taking a lot of cues from Android? The improved notifications, the speech recognition, the improved camera, the improved carrier support, and other areas all seem to be following in somebody else's footsteps this time. Some things are truly new and specific to apple but for me October 2011's presentation seemed to have a lot more to do with following than leading. It didn't really seem like a great time to bring Uncle Tim out either. Or maybe without the RDF everything that was previously amazing just seems so much less impressive?

ikir said:

They improved the antenna, it doesn't mean antenna was broken. Indeed iPhone4 receive much more better than 3GS.

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The problem DID exist. On every phone.

It just wasn’t worse on the iPhone

I like how non-iPhone-4-owners were so up in arms about the non-existent antenna problems, while those of us who owned one, and compared to other phones, saw no problem The iPhone 4 tests as better reception than the 3G/3GS, which was acclaimed for good reception! And that’s been my own experience too. I can hold the 4 in a certain way and make bars drop. I can do that with any phone I try. But I don’t lose calls on the 4—it’s been wonderfully reliable.

If Apple can make a good antenna even better—better, then, than the other phones that shared the same problem—that’s pretty good!

Santabean2000 said:

Apple is rolling like Intel on a tick-tock strategy; innovate, refine, innovate refine...

This iPhone will still sell like nothing before it.

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You mean this could be the first iPhone to underperform its predecessor?

igazza said:

iphone 4s makes me want to bang my head against a wall.

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I know! I want one now! But my contract isn’t up

No one saw this one coming.

so, there was a problem with the antenna! period.

keynote

here it is :

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/11piuhbvdlbkvoih10/event/index.html

Verizon

Does this mean I can not be on the phone and use the internet at the same time on Verizon? If so, I'm going to switch.

TLewis said:

Huh? The problem was not covering up the antenna (although that is, of course, a valid problem with cellphones), but the partial shorting of the antennas by bridging the gap between the antennas with somewhat low-impedance skin. We'll have to wait and see if the issue has been addressed (however a case -- which people should have anyway -- should solve the problem as usual).

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That shorting may sound like a problem, but not in every day real-world use. I can make my iPhone lose bars (not calls) by holding in a certain way. Any phone will do that—and in a weak coverage area, dropped calls will even result. But what I can’t do is make anything happen by bridging the metal. I’m sure that can happen in just the right conditions, but I’ve never been able to make it happen.

And the iPhone isn’t the first phone with an external metal antenna on the shell. Nokia did it too (differently) and their manual said not to touch it while making a call! No big stink was raised in the tech press, though...

You’re right, though, most phone owners use a case, making it a moot point.

diamond.g said:

Wait, I thought there was no problem with the iPhone 4's antenna. How can Apple fix a problem they claimed didn't exist?

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ikir said:

They improved the antenna, it doesn't mean antenna was broken. Indeed iPhone4 receive much more better than 3GS.

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Only one of these two posters is resistant to the Reality Distortion Field.

But, of course, the RDF will be buried with Steve - Tim won't be able to use it.

So there might still be a problem???

I though that the problem came by touching the antenna.. so will there be more free bumpers?? If I decide to buy the iphone 4s I will wait a while to make sure there are no problems.. or I might just keep my 3GS. BTW thanks for finally admitting there was/is a problem., Apple!

Santabean2000 said:

Apple is rolling like Intel on a tick-tock strategy; innovate, refine, innovate refine...

This iPhone will still sell like nothing before it.

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Great minds think alike.

I think the 4S will sell quite well. Remember, even the 4 sold well last quarter despite there being no update for a year. The new model has a lot of changes under the hood to keep pace with Android in terms of hardware, plus iOS 5 looks like it will definitely stay ahead of Android 4.0 in terms of usability (where Android is still playing catch up). Ice Cream Sandwich will be sweet, but I don't think it will have anything remotely like Siri (and no, I don't count its existing voice recognition - it's marginally useful at best if my Nexus One is any indication).

imansf said:

Does this mean I can not be on the phone and use the internet at the same time on Verizon? If so, I'm going to switch.

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Has nothing to do with apple's iphone and everything to do with Verizon. I don't think they plan on supporting it on anything but LTE. Sorry.