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Yes.

But that was expected and it doesn't change the fact that, overall, its still the best smartphone in the market right now...IMO anyway.
 
They don't go Iphone 4 to Iphone 6. I said a few weeks ago the chances are they could brand it Iphone 5 and say it's got a duel core they don't need to make a big deal of the A6 name. Plus they could release IOS 5 and another number next to it to fit with the new phone.

People only assume it will be Iphone 6 now due to A6+IOS6 but that doesn't mean they can't call it Iphone 5 and release an Iphone 5S a year later? Also they could infact continue the Iphone 4 name for example Iphone 4GS as the 4G network may be ready next year.
does your brain even function?

Apple must have never went from iPhone to iPhone 3G right.... i mean, why would anyone skip iPhone 2 when it was obviously a perfect name for the second generation iPhone. There is no reason or evidence that apple can't "skip" iPhone 5 and go to iPhone 6.... kind of like, you know, how they skipped iPhone 2..... matter of fact, I don't even remember getting an iPhone 3. As it turns out, the iPhone 4 is actually the ONLY iphone released with a number designating which generation it is, so seems to me people only assume it will be iPhone 5 because that was the name floating around on rumor sites and now that we have a 4S, people assume the iPhone 5 is still coming next year.... yeah but why on earth would they call the SIXTH iphone the iPhone 5????
Indeed but for years other manufacturers thought different. It's very unusual for a company to offer a two year old flagship phone like the 3GS on a free contact. In years gone by it's usually a redesign with a worse camera, worse battery and just a cut cost one.

So I wonder if the Iphone 4 will be around for a while yet even if there is a redesign down the line? Who would have predicted in 2009 the 3GS could still look cool in 2011 or even next year? Personally I find this an amazing shift in the mobile trend market.

yeah iphone 3GS is sooooo ugly and outdated, why would they keep it around? i mean it only looks the exact same as every other iphone ever made from the front. A plastic back? OMG that's sooooo 3 years ago, SHOCKING they still sell the device!
 
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^^ I'm going to simply ignore the above post, because I can't make heads or tails of it. And of what Little I could understand seemed to be getting personal anyway.

And in a nuthsell: No, I don't think I have a stopgap product.

The difference between the 4 and 4S is significant if you actually care about how your phone operates. The 4 is good on iOS 5, but the 4S really performs the best, fastest and the smoothest. The upgraded HPSA+ data capabilities are a welcome improvement for someone like me, who used to carry around a separate cellular WiFi hotspot because the job demanded reliable tethering when traveling.

And even putting the above aside, the camera alone was well worth the upgrade for me. As a photographer, I've seen the camera on the iPhone models progress from something I'd never ever use because it sucked (original iPhone and 3G), to something I might use for personal photos only, and then only if I had absolutely nothing else and needed to get the shot (3GS), to something that I kinda enjoyed using now and then if I made the mistake of choosing not to bring my dSLR (iPhone 4) to "wow, I just shot a bunch of photos on this camera and it's a great point and shoot that I actually LOVE to use." (The 4S).

The fact that the outside of the phone hasn't changed much cosmetically is immaterial. MacBook Pros and iMacs have looked pretty much the same for nearly 4 years now, and yet no one ever raises a stink that they aren't worth upgrading because the cosmetics aren't any different. That's a silly argument considering the significant changes that have gone on under the hood.

Sure do, the 4s was a back out plan.

There was a lot to get in order before Steve's passing. It would have been nice to have launched the 5 for him.

Actually, the going rumor is that Steve objected to the iPhone 5 prototype and didn't want it launched, because apparently the battery life was atrocious and the screen's form factor would be a bag of hurt for developers..

And, if the alleged iPhone 5 design that we've all seen is actually something that came out of Apple, I agree with him. That thing looks more to me like something an Android enthusiast concocted in Photoshop to show what he thinks an iPhone should look like. I probably wouldn't have bought it, and would've stuck with my 4. And if that IS what the iPhone 5 will be like next year, then I'll be sticking with my 4S for a good long while.

I think what really happened is that the 4S is in fact what was planned all along for this year. I firmly believe that Steve was enamored with the iPhone 4 design, and he took it personally when antennagate blew up. I think he wanted to prove that the design wasn't flawed and could be made to work right, so the "next" iPhone was destined to get the same design early on in the process, no matter what the cost. And if it took a few extra months to get the dual-antenna system working right, then so be it.
 
Also, WHY do people keep calling it the iPhone 5? The iPhone 4S is the FIFTH iPhone, therefore 4S=5. Next years iPhone will not be called the iPhone 5, if anything it would be called the iPhone 6, but we really have no way of knowing... the most logical reasoning would be to think apple would add some type of 4G nomenclature to the next iPhone assuming it has LTE support.

Wrong.

Explain how we ended up with 2 iPhones with the '3' prefix then???
 
From a fashion point of view I do feel I own an Iphone 4 shame they never made something different about it. I know some people don't care about fashion but for some people they don't want to hold last years phone.

Good god...

But I'd relax more knowing the Iphone 4S was meant to be released...

You'd "relax more"??? First world problem alert!

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For some reason a lot of people get so bent out of shape about re-designs. Apple could probably have released an iPhone 4 with a new case and more people would have been content because... they think a redesign makes the phone better?

I know one of the reasons: Multiple people have complained around here that they're unhappy others won't know that they have the latest and greatest phone because it looks like the 4.

It's obscene, but there you go.
 
I don't know why its so much of a big deal that the 4S looks nearly identical to the 4, when the 3GS and the 3G follow the same pattern.

I recently got my very first iphone, a used, unlocked 3GS and I couldn't be happier!

I waited until the ipod/iphone hatching season finished before deciding which would be the best for me and I just couldn't justify spending that much money for a 4S when its new features didn't really impress me very much and the price difference was still pretty great between the 3GS and the 4.


I think its smart not to upgrade every year to get more for your money, but then again, I'm not interested in buying a locked phone with a contract so YMMV.
 
Aside from more storage which is always nice, the only thing the phone needs is more batter life. Double or triple if possible. Been using it for 9 minutes fresh off an overnight charge and I'm down to 98%. Not cool.

As for form factor, think of the classic products where they nailed it decades back and each year they build the same thing. The look is part of the product. Only a fashion weasel wants change for change's sake. There's an HP finance calculator all the suits use and the design hasn't changed since the 80's. It works and they like it and HP didn't try fixing what wasn't broke.

There are sometimes multiple options in the solution space but sometimes it boils down to one good one and any attempt to do otherwise brings you further away from the best answer.
 
I don't. I feel like I have the best phone on the market. My wife has a white 4s and it is a beautiful phone. I always thought that white would look weird in real life, but it does look amazing. Mine is black and I did have a 4 before. But I love the design and the screen size, which is perfect for one handed use. The new camera is great and I am still amazed by the speed of the phone even compared to 4.

4S is a huge improvement over 4. People are mostly upset that it looks the same since you cannot show off as easily as you would had the design changed. I'd hate it if all the rumoured design changes came true.
 
Wrong.

Explain how we ended up with 2 iPhones with the '3' prefix then???
ok here we go...

iPhone - first iPhone
iPhone 3G - second iPhone, had 3G (only reason there was a 3 in the nomenclature)
iPhone 3GS - third iPhone
iPhone 4 - fourth iPhone
iPhone 4S - fifth iPhone

Guess it makes perfect sense to call the sixth iPhone the iPhone 5 right???? :rolleyes:

and there is no "prefix" for iPhones, it's not called the 4S iPhone, it's called the iPhone 4S
 
Trying to get attention because of a purchase is really lame. But that's the result when tech is turned into fashion. People are price sensitive all up until the point where it becomes a fashion statement and then all logic and proportion go right out the window.
 
Trying to get attention because of a purchase is really lame. But that's the result when tech is turned into fashion. People are price sensitive all up until the point where it becomes a fashion statement and then all logic and proportion go right out the window.

I paid £400 for a Sony Ericsson C905 back in the day. £500 Iphone was my most expensive phone I've bought.
 
I don't really care. I bought it because I wanted an iPhone and it was the newest. I think the S models are here to stay. Apple I'm general doesn't do big redesigns every year. How long have the iMacs and PowerBooks been the same now? I can see two years with the same body with updated intervals in between being the routine.
 
Were people's panties this tight when the iPhone 3GS came out? I don't seem to remember the amount of whining, moaning, griping, complaining, and general bitching about that update when it came out.

Yes, people were pretty worked up about the 3GS.

"It's a minor upgrade" was the mantra of the day as 3G users defended their inability to upgrade. We all know how the 3G has fared since. It's missing features and it's still unusably slow.
 
Trying to get attention because of a purchase is really lame. But that's the result when tech is turned into fashion. People are price sensitive all up until the point where it becomes a fashion statement and then all logic and proportion go right out the window.

Thats not surprising to me. Some people (not me, mind you) take pride in their luxury items because its a status symbol. The same goes for things like jewelry, cars, purses and clothes. Notice that all those things are readily able to be put on display for others to see that you possess them. So what good is a status symbol that is unable to achieve this?

Again, it should come as no surprise that people want other people to the have the latest and greatest iPhone or iPad. For some people, that status symbols they are are just as, if not more important to them than the technical benefits they provide.
 
Yes and No. The 4S is my first smart phone. To prevent this stop gap, I do plan on getting the iPhone 5 next year by upgrading my parents non-smart phone then. I have them on a family plan and will be giving them my 4S. Therefore, every year, I can upgrade one iphone after another and have the ability to get the latest since they really don't care what phone they get as long as it works.
 
I feel quite great about my 4S. Seeing as I upgraded from a 3GS, and had initially been thinking about getting an iPhone 4, for awhile.
But I kept putting it off, and it turned out by the time I decided to take it seriously and look into buying, it was October, and the new iPhone was to be released. So I got whatever that was - iPhone 4S.

I wanted a front facing camera badly for skype video chats, especially with how much I travel, and my sister, who lives far far away, now having a baby...AND the internet!!! (FINALLY! :p )
My 3GS has 8GB, and that was becoming a pain in the rear, I kept having to prioritize and delete apps, go without music I wanted, couldn't update apps sometimes lol... Understand: I basically live out of my iPhone now, my laptop is at home abandoned and sad....except when I need iTunes.

Anyway there was a fair list of things like these, and it was time for an upgrade whatever it may be.
 
There's no stop gap. It depends how you look at it. I still have an old bootrom 3GS and don't plan to upgrade until iPhone 5 is out. I bought the 3GS because i had a 3G and it was slow. I tried iPhone 4 and it's a little faster than my 3GS but i can still live with it.
 
Although I was never opposed to the idea of a having a new design, the 4S to me is my favourite phone of all time made even better.

I appreciate the hardware improvements more than a visual change (game performance is awesome, camera is unbelievable and I actually use Siri more than I thought I would) and 3.5" is absolutely fine for me. I don't want a huge screen on my phone. I saw someone sat next to me on the bus yesterday with an HTC Sensation XL and I nearly threw up.

From my point of view, the 4S is the best phone ever made even better. I'm very happy with it.
 
Were people's panties this tight when the iPhone 3GS came out? I don't seem to remember the amount of whining, moaning, griping, complaining, and general bitching about that update when it came out.
You nailed it. I'd bet that the biggest reason for all that bitterness was simply due to the 4S not looking different than the 4. This made it tougher for them to show off that they have the newest iphone.
 
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