Apple to Release iPhone 4S with New GPS Features?

[iBug2]

Highlights of this thread:

1. People saying they won't buy it because the device is "named" in such a way.

2. People saying they won't buy it because it does not has a redesigned case.

3. People saying they won't buy it because there are "bigger" phones out there.

 

[ChazUK]

The crying sure will be entertaining, as always the "Apple fail" remarks are.

Apple apparently failed too when Jobs announced the iPhone 4. So you know, fails are bound to happen.

I wish I could fail like Apple.

 

[SeaLawyer]

I'm with the others. ALL this time for just a spec bump? I have a non-contract 3GS that's factory unlocked. I just spent $40 refreshing it with almost all new parts so I could sell it, but it runs perfectly now and looks/feels like a new phone! Guess I'll be keeping it for a WHILE longer then...

 

[SwiftLives]

This is probably meaningless, but has anyone tried to buy a new iphone (or at least check eligibility) on Apple's website today?

Or maybe it's just my computer.

But there is some strangeness.

 

[Abyssgh0st]

Here's one reason why I don't think Apple will release a 4S (identical design)- Do you really think Apple, who prides itself on innovation and "being the best" would be content knowing they do not have the lightest or thinnest smartphone for at least 12 more months? I don't think so.

 

[marksman]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_4 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8K2 Safari/6533.18.5)

They better not act like this voice assist crap is the reason everyone should upgrade to a 4S. Assist has been on Android for a while and guess what, nobody uses it. What a huge let down its going to be that after 15 months they upgrade the camera and proc. The iphone isnt slow on its current hardware so touting the A5 has a huge step is stupid.

Assistant has never been on android

 

[nospeed411]

hello Samsung galaxy S2

Ditto....no 5 no dice...they can keep the 4s BS

 

[raazman]

What the hell do you have against a bigger screen? what could possibly be a downside to being able to see things better?

I guess hipster pants don't allow for the size of big screens.

/s

 

[spazzcat]

Maybe the 4S will not be a huge demand and it will be humanly possible to get one on day 1. I wouldn't mind a few more GPS features.

I know of 10 people waiting to buy an iPhone, they don't care if it's a 5 or 4S.

 

[Kitschier]

GOOD then I can upgrade without a billion other people in line at the store...

One can dream, can't they? (because surely we know people will flock to the stores)

 

[KPOM]

The crying sure will be entertaining, as always the "Apple fail" remarks are.

Apple apparently failed too when Jobs announced the iPhone 4. So you know, fails are bound to happen.

Exactly. People are acting like all the wheels are falling off, and that by this time next year, the iPad will be history (killed off by the Fire and Windows 8), iPhone will be the next Symbian, and the MacBook Air done in by the Ultrabooks.

Meanwhile, Sprint just agreed to buy $20 billion of phones from Apple over the next 4 years. Evidently people actually in the business seem to think that Apple will do just fine.

 

[spazzcat]

I guess hipster pants don't allow for the size of big screens.

/s

I see no reason to give up battery life for a bigger screen when the current size is fine.

 

[JoJoCal19]

I bet that < 1% of the members here that say "... I'm getting an Android phone if this is true!" will actually get an Android phone.

I bet > 99% will keep their iPhone or buy the new one.

I bet Apple will sell millions and millions of new phones.

Well I am definitely one that speaks with my wallet and doesn't throw out empty threats. No redesigned iPhone 5 with 4"+ screen and I will either get the Samsung Nexus Prime or keep my iPhone 4 and not invest another dime into Apple's ecosystem on the off chance I decide to bail.

 

[NYC5]

It makes total sense.
The 4 month delay is because of iOS5/iCloud.

These features is much more important then a redesigned case. Hardware wise the Iphone4s has been ready.

I hope for a teardrop iPhone release, but the lack of leaked parts is evidence that does not exist.

I dont really understand why apple would wait 16 months to introduce a phone that isnt redsigned !! surely everyone will just wait until next year ??

so maybe we'll get 1 upgrade and 1 new design after all?

Or are we about to cry in to our breakfast/dinner !!

 

[applefan289]

This is probably meaningless, but has anyone tried to buy a new iphone (or at least check eligibility) on Apple's website today?

Or maybe it's just my computer.

But there is some strangeness.

It's happening with me too.

 

[iBug2]

There's a Nexus Prime coming out next week that sports a new OS (Ice Cream Sandwich) and supposedly a curved back and 4.7" edge-to-edge screen.

So? That's exactly what I'm saying. The only thing the competitors are adding are stuff like bigger screen (which isn't always a plus, I'm happy with the size of my phone) or different tech screen like 3D ones, 3D shooting capability (which is I must admit is cool but not that important), and NFC.

Other than spec bumping, what else can they do anyway? It's a small device, there's not an infinite amount of room to add all kinds of different hardware inside.

 

[lamewing]

No people are turning their back becasue it doesnt have a bigger screen, still has a glass back and still (according to many, not all) feels terrible in you hand.

More blanket statements. I am one who turned away due to these reasons.

I sold my iPhone 3GS (warranty expired) and my replacement iPhone 4 (hope for a body redesign - the sharp edges bother me) for a Samsung Focus with its smooth edges and 4 inch screen...and to try out Mango.

 

[Zunjine]

I'm constantly amazed by what people consider to be significant and not significant changes.

An A5 and twice the RAM would make the so called 4S many times more powerful by every possible measure than the current model. We would be talking huge differences in performance for anything involving complex mathematics - games, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, image and sound processing. We don't yet know what this Assistant feature really means but if it really does require an A5 then we're looking at some complex AI.

This people call a 'spec bump'?

But a new case design? That's revolutionary! A new shape? Really? Huge increase in processing power with the potential to drive apps that we can't even imagine yet is a spec bump but a new shape is mana from heaven?!

Sure, I can get why some people want a bigger screen. For me that's not a big deal. I get the feeling that pretty soon after owning it you'd stop noticing the difference in screen size when looking at stuff. The fact you'd have more trouble fitting it in your pocket and reaching the far end of the screen when holding the device in one hand, however, wouldn't change.

I think Apple chose 3.5 inches for a reason and I suspect they're going to stick with it because human hands are still the same size they were when the first iPhone came out. It hasn't stopped Apple having the two best selling smartphones and the best selling PMP in the world.

 

[Mums]

Macrumors is very much not the only site that believes this, it is pretty much nearly all sites now. In this day and age you cannot keep something as big as an iphone 5 with new design and kitchen sink etc a secret so embrace the iphone 4s as, for now, it's what we're getting. Iphone5 next year.

That's rubbish. All of these sites are getting paid or being tricked by Apple spin doctors. I'm all for Apple keeping its products secret but I'm also for critical thinking. If you think they are going to risk halving their stock price with a rerelease of iPhone 4 then it's time for you to buy my Florida swampland.

 

[raazman]

I see no reason to give up battery life for a bigger screen when the current size is fine.

By increasing screen size, the increase volume inside the case of the phone. Shouldn't they increase the size of batteries?

And this is a question I've had for a year or two now...when are they improving batteries? Tech is getting far too power hungry for batteries nowadays and we see the skimping on features like these.

 

[iBug2]

I'm constantly amazed by what people consider to be significant and not significant changes.

An A5 and twice the RAM would make the so called 4S many times more powerful by every possible measure than the current model. We would be talking huge differences in performance for anything involving complex mathematics - games, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, image and sound processing. We don't yet know what this Assistant feature really means but if it really does require an A5 then we're looking at some complex AI.

This people call a 'spec bump'?

But a new case design? That's revolutionary! A new shape? Really? Huge increase in processing power with the potential to drive apps that we can't even imagine yet is a spec bump but a new shape is mana from heaven?!

Sure, I can get why some people want a bigger screen. For me that's not a big deal. I get the feeling that pretty soon after owning it you'd stop noticing the difference in screen size when looking at stuff. The fact you'd have more trouble fitting it in your pocket and reaching the far end of the screen when holding the device in one hand, however, wouldn't change.

I think Apple chose 3.5 inches for a reason and I suspect they're going to stick with it because human hands are still the same size they were when the first iPhone came out. It hasn't stopped Apple having the two best selling smartphones and the best selling PMP in the world.

Exactly. One thing I really wanted to have in this phone is NFC, so I suppose I'll have to wait more for that one. I still have iPhone 1st gen, and I'll be upgrading it finally, with whatever they release today.

 

[cajun67]

iPhone 5 will be released today with a 9.7" screen. The rumors about the iPad 3 were really about the iPhone 5.

You heard it here first.

 

[snowcrash]

I'm getting it either way. Was (and still) looking forward to a redesigned iPhone. Really liked the idea of a larger screen and NO GLASS BACK. Was never a fan of the iPhone 4's form factor but it's still a great smartphone (if not the best) and for my little Apple fanboy world I'm looking forward to iTunes Match (running the beta), iCloud (running the beta), iOS 5 (running the beta) and seeing final versions of it all together. A5, 1gig ram, 8PM camera and Voice Assistant is great. I don't really care about the "look" of the phone so don't care if they upgrade internals from now on and keep calling it the iPhone 4s, iPhone 4ABCDEFG or whatever they want. I did really want an edge to edge screen or redesign for a slightly larger screen. I'm not buying the whole Retina issue with making the screen slightly larger. I'd rather have a little more screen real estate. Maybe it's because my eyes are getting old and my thumbs are getting bigger haha. But I think for apps, games, and surfing the more real-estate is a big factor to some people out there like myself.

Anyway only about 2 hours left and all our questions will be answered. If there is an iPhone 5 (redesigned) this will be one of the best kept secrets ever! Either way all this misdirection and misinformation would make the CIA proud!

 

[interestedabit]

The crying sure will be entertaining, as always the "Apple fail" remarks are.

Apple apparently failed too when Jobs announced the iPhone 4. So you know, fails are bound to happen.

Should read back at the ipad announcement threads and all the cry babies 'Apple FAILLLLLL,' 'worst device ever HAHAHAHA,' 'this is gonna kill apple!!!!!111' etc.. A lot of those accounts don't exist any more. Some of those people on this thread I see. Where's the ipad now? Oh right..

 

[3N16MA]

Perhaps Apple has managed to go old school where they would launch a product without any actual photos/prototypes/parts leaking. Makes these announcements more exciting.