iPhone 4S Pre-Orders Start at 12:01 AM Pacific on Friday

[Tunster]

Wait, now you're saying the next iPhone will be iPhone 5 ? See how this doesn't make sense anymore ? Which of the 5 models we've had up to now doesn't count as a model so that the iPhone 4 is the 4th and the iPhone 5 will be the 5th ? Is the iPhone 4S only the 4.5th model ? Do we not count the 3GS ?

Doesn't. Make. Sense.

Sorry, I'm a logical person and I'm a bit ADHD about this stuff.

I can see what you mean. Marketing is never ever logical as far as I can tell. I see the original iPhone as their "pilot" so to speak and the pairing of an original model and a S model after the 3G/S as the starting point.

I think it'll be the iPhone 5 next unless iOS6 comes about much more quickly (this is unlikely though). Forget the version count! It'll keep you insane if you do .

As expected, the surprise was no iPhone 5. Although, I can see why the wild expectations of a 4S and 5 wouldn't of made sense. That's simply shoot yourself in the foot and know how to dent your sales by running a new "lesser" edition along side the super brand new one. They've got their markets well sorted with this line up.

3GS = New emerging markets / Pay As You Go
4 (8GB) = Not so worried about the newest phone but wants an Apple product on a cheaper contract
4S = (As always) Die hard Apple fans and techies / Got plenty of money to splash on an expensive iPhone contract

 

[SeaLawyer]

Same thing that I thought with my 3GS and iOS 4. With the difference between a 3GS and a 4 already being rather large, the difference from a 3GS to a 4S is even bigger.

I don't see why anybody who got a 3GS from the start and still has it would not want to upgrade to the 4S.

Because my 3GS runs flawlessly and I'm not crazy about the 4's form factor... If I had a 3G, I'd have to upgrade. I've played around with many 4's. They're not DRAMATICALLY better than the 3GS IMO. 3G, different story.

 

[iBug2]

You're forgetting iPad -> iPad 2

The 3G/3GS was understandable. From a marketing stand point, releasing the iPhone 3 after the iPhone 3G makes no sense. "Where's the G at ? I don't want no phone without no G".

They didn't have that issue with the iPhone 4 -> iPhone 5. The name 4S gives it a negative connotation, makes it sound like it was less of an upgrade than it actually was.

Anyway, this would all go away if they would simply say "iPhone". It is a "MacBook Air" after all, not a "MacBook Air 5", same for iPod Touch, iPod Nano.

Well, didn't think about iPad because we were talking about phones only. If we count all iOS devices, no iPod did receive any number so far.

About the negative connotation, you may be right. It doesn't effect me that way because 3GS had the biggest hardware based "wow" factor so I still associate S with blazing speed.

And indeed, it'd be best if they simply called it iPhone.

 

[SidewaysTakumi]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

Do you guys know if they will limit preorders per household? We have 3 lines elligible for an upgrade and want to get them at launch. Any ideas if this will be a problem via apple.com?

 

[iBug2]

The 3GS was a "speed bumped" 2.

Yeah but the 2 was named 3G. So it was a speed bumped 3G.

I think 3GS made exactly the same as 4S. Yes 3GS did get some extra hardware functionality compared to 3G, more than 4S is getting compared to 4, but that's a detail only. And that only means that 3GS did make less sense than 4S does.

 

[iJays]

Anyway, this would all go away if they would simply say "iPhone". It is a "MacBook Air" after all, not a "MacBook Air 5", same for iPod Touch, iPod Nano.

But they are still selling the 3GS and 4
It is just a name. Naming convention is important for fanboys but not to the normal consumers.

 

[iBug2]

But they are still selling the 3GS and 4

This is a good point though. Unlike macs or iPods, old gen iPhones are being sold, so giving them special names does actually make sense with iPhone.

But what about iPad then? Did they sell 1st gen iPad after they released iPad2?

 

[alex200156]

I'm wide awake and pretty psyched about the 4s. I would of like a larger screen but am happy keeping the same form factor as I feel the physical size is good. I know people keep playing down the specs but this phone is a greater jump than from 3gs to i4.

Let me ask you this..... if they had placed the same guts in a phone with a larger screen would it of still been a dissapointment?

No thats my point, if they had made a redesigned phone with a larger screen bit thinner and all the a5 internals etc the phone would have been alongside todays smartphones, but sticking all this into the ip4 is just lazy after 18 months. I own an ip4 btw and love it but am just dissapointed after an 18 month wait for this!

 

[KnightWRX]

This is a good point though. Unlike macs or iPods, old gen iPhones are being sold, so giving them special names does actually make sense with iPhone.

But what about iPad then? Did they sell 1st gen iPad after they released iPad2?

They could just use things like "iPhone Mini", "iPhone Last Year" or just go with storage since prior to this year's 3GS being kept around at the same 8 GB as the iPhone 4, there was no storage overlap.

 

[snarkies]

Bwahaha, I found this parody about iPhone 4S so funny by jacksfilms! D:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-PB8glrqds

 

[blackcrayon]

Yeah but the 2 was named 3G. So it was a speed bumped 3G.

I think 3GS made exactly the same as 4S. Yes 3GS did get some extra hardware functionality compared to 3G, more than 4S is getting compared to 4, but that's a detail only. And that only means that 3GS did make less sense than 4S does.

The 4S is a bigger overall performance increase over the 4 than the 3GS was over the 3. Also, I think the 4S will finally outperform the 3GS in graphics speed (the 4 is hampered by having the same GPU as the 3GS but needing to drive double the pixel density).

 

[KnightWRX]

Yeah but the 2 was named 3G. So it was a speed bumped 3G.

I know, but Chuppa Chuppa said it was a speed bumped 3. The missing G (a typo no doubt) shows all the confusion this is creating. Now people will be saying the iPhone 3G was the 3rd iPhone.

 

[iBug2]

No thats my point, if they had made a redesigned phone with a larger screen bit thinner and all the a5 internals etc the phone would have been alongside todays smartphones, but sticking all this into the ip4 is just lazy after 18 months. I own an ip4 btw and love it but am just dissapointed after an 18 month wait for this!

Redesign simply for the redesign sake is nonsense. iPhone 4 looks really nice. It looks better than every other smartphone I've seen. Why change the looks?

For all I care, they can keep the looks for 2 more generations.

Bigger screen without making the phone bigger and stealing from battery life is always welcome ofc, if it's possible.

 

[SpectatorHere]

Let's not kid ourselves about this being anything but a spec bump

So, I'll get dug down for this here, for some reason giving your honest opinion isn't always valued here. If you don't say the new Apple product is the greatest, it's some form of apostasy. Whatever, I like my iPhone 4 and would encourage others to stick with theirs--here's why:

The most significant feature of this phone is that Apple can manufacture one model for all carriers. That has no benefit for 99 percent of the people out there. Maybe it will result in better reception or speeds in some cases, but A)who knows yet, and B)that wasn't the purpose of the change.

Otherwise, the old version is actually a better deal in many ways.

1. The old iPhone 4 is slightly lighter.
2. The old iPhone 4 has 100 more hours of stand-by time.
3. The old iPhone 4 will almost certainly run cooler due to it's smaller die.
4. Devs will target the iPhone 4 (or older versions), so the new dual core stuff and new graphics won't have much utility for a couple years.
5. The old iPhone 4 will run the same operating system as the new phone.
6. The old iPhone 4 still has a great camera.
7. The old iPhone 4 will be physically indistinguishable as it has the same display and chassis.
8. The old iPhone 4 is a known quantity as far as reliability--defects are rather common in new products.

Siri is a gimmick. What's worse is that they've pulled it from the iPhone 4, despite it working fine there. *The real processing is all off-loaded, no tiny Arm-based cpu--dual or single core--can handle it. Apple can do what it what it wants to sell phones, but that's all Siri is...an add on they felt they needed to entice people into getting an iPhone 4s.

My 2 cents.

 

[iBug2]

I know, but Chuppa Chuppa said it was a speed bumped 3. The missing G (a typo no doubt) shows all the confusion this is creating. Now people will be saying the iPhone 3G was the 3rd iPhone.

Wait a minute, wasn't it?

 

[CompletelyApple]

So, can I pre-order and pick up in store? or will that not be available? I want to get the iPhone in person on launch day but don't wanna be in the longest "first come, first serve basis" line. Any ideas?

 

[iBug2]

So, I'll get dug down for this here, for some reason giving your honest opinion isn't always valued here. If you don't say the new Apple product is the greatest, it's some form of apostasy. Whatever, I like my iPhone 4 and would encourage others to stick with theirs--here's why:

The most significant feature of this phone is that Apple can manufacture one model for all carriers. That has no benefit for 99 percent of the people out there. Maybe it will result in better reception or speeds in some cases, but A)who knows yet, and B)that wasn't the purpose of the change.

Otherwise, the old version is actually a better deal in many ways.

1. The old iPhone 4 is slightly lighter.
2. The old iPhone 4 has 100 more hours of stand-by time.
3. The old iPhone 4 will almost certainly run cooler due to it's smaller die.
4. Devs will target the iPhone 4 (or older versions), so the new dual core stuff and new graphics won't have much utility for a couple years.
5. The old iPhone 4 will run the same operating system as the new phone.
6. The old iPhone 4 still has a great camera.
7. The old iPhone 4 will be physically indistinguishable as it has the same display and chassis.
8. The old iPhone 4 is a known quantity as far as reliability--defects are rather common in new products.

Siri is a gimmick. What's worse is that they've pulled it from the iPhone 4, despite it working fine there. *The real processing is all off-loaded, no tiny Arm-based cpu--dual or single core--can handle it. Apple can do what it what it wants to sell phones, but that's all Siri is...an add on they felt they needed to entice people into getting an iPhone 4s.

My 2 cents.

I surely wouldn't upgrade to 4S if I had 4.

But there's nothing wrong with that. Are we really supposed to upgrade our phones once a year? No way.

 

[D.T.]

I like that they just added the S suffix.

For me (and apparently a couple of pretty well known industry folks), calling this new product a 5, would have made me more cranky. I kind of like the number version being an indicator for the form factor and the S being a high[re] performance variant.

Hahaha, I know I probably run the car metaphors into the ground, but again, Apple totally reminds me of Porsche. 997 TT > 997 TT S

Externally, very much the same, internally however, a difference in performance, and the S is usually a delayed model that builds in the existing, successful execution.



I'm listening to JS (of Ars/5by5), and I agree, that the every-other-year pattern is kind of in sync with two year contracts, and it doesn't aesthetically deprecate your existing phone while it's in its contract period. Pretty smart business and marketing model.

 

[Zunjine]

No thats my point, if they had made a redesigned phone with a larger screen bit thinner and all the a5 internals etc the phone would have been alongside todays smartphones, but sticking all this into the ip4 is just lazy after 18 months. I own an ip4 btw and love it but am just dissapointed after an 18 month wait for this!

The iPhone 4 is already the thinnest smartphone on Earth. So the only thing you are genuinely saying makes the iPhone 4S not an equal to or better than any other handset out there is the screen size. And for me that's not a bigger=better situation. A larger size has both benefits and downsides. So that's an issue of preference.

So what you're left with is the argument that this iphone is a dissapointment because they chose to stick with a screen size you don't like. That isn't a failure. It's an issue of personal choice.

If they had stuck all the same tech behind a slightly larger screen you're saying that this would have gone from 'meh' to 'yay!'? Really? I just don't get that.

 

[barryl85]

You're forgetting iPad -> iPad 2

The 3G/3GS was understandable. From a marketing stand point, releasing the iPhone 3 after the iPhone 3G makes no sense. "Where's the G at ? I don't want no phone without no G".

Exactly hence the reason it was called a 3GS perfectly understandable. Hence the reason 4S makes sense too since it may well be the next model of iPhone but its not the next generation its an updated iPhone 4.

Apple just moved on to calling the iPhone 4 as it was the 4th gen iPhone - not to confuse anyone as it was just going from 3GS to 4 so it followed the previous model names nicely, there was no such thing as an iPhone 1 or 2 - it went straight from 2G to 3G (these connotations were representative of the phones network ability even the 3GS).

The iPhone 4 is the 4th generation of iphone - they can update within the same generation if they wish - just like an Xbox 360 Slim or Playstation 3 Slim - it didnt become Xbox 361 or Playstation 4.

They didn't have that issue with the iPhone 4 -> iPhone 5. The name 4S gives it a negative connotation, makes it sound like it was less of an upgrade than it actually was.

It is less of an upgrade than an iPhone 5 clearly (just like its less of an upgrade than the iPhone 10) but the iPhone 5 isn't out yet so seeing as its the best iPhone apple offer its going to sell. You make it sound like a bad thing that it is the best iPhone thus far.

Anyway, this would all go away if they would simply say "iPhone". It is a "MacBook Air" after all, not a "MacBook Air 5", same for iPod Touch, iPod Nano.

I'm not trying to be mean when I say this but you are just over complicating something that is very simple and everyone understands it including yourself its just obviously one of those things that annoys you but trying to prove your case against it isn't ever going to be in your favour.

iPod touch and iPod nano both have generation numbers.

 

[Zunjine]

Exactly hence the reason it was called a 3GS perfectly understandable. Hence the reason 4S makes sense too since it may well be the next model of iPhone but its not the next generation its an updated iPhone 4.

Apple just moved on to calling the iPhone 4 as it was the 4th gen iPhone - not to confuse anyone as it was just going from 3GS to 4 so it followed the previous model names nicely, there was no such thing as an iPhone 1 or 2 - it went straight from 2G to 3G (these connotations were representative of the phones network ability even the 3GS).

The iPhone 4 is the 4th generation of iphone - they can update within the same generation if they wish - just like an Xbox 360 Slim or Playstation 3 Slim - it didnt become Xbox 361 or Playstation 4.


It is less of an upgrade than an iPhone 5 clearly (just like its less of an upgrade than the iPhone 10) but the iPhone 5 isn't out yet so seeing as its the best iPhone apple offer its going to sell. You make it sound like a bad thing that it is the best iPhone thus far.


I'm not trying to be mean when I say this but you are just over complicating something that is very simple and everyone understands it including yourself its just obviously one of those things that annoys you but trying to prove your case against it isn't ever going to be in your favour.

iPod touch and iPod nano both have generation numbers.

If the iPhone 4 is the 4th generation iPhone then that means the 3GS was the third generation iPhone (iphone, iphone 3g, iphone 3GS, iphone 4). So why then is the iPhone 4S not the 5th generation iPhone?

I think the naming convention makes no sense at all. If the 4 was the 4 then logically the 3GS was the 3 by another name. Hence the 4S must be the 5 and the next one will have to be the 6. Otherwise the 3GS wasn't the 3 and then the 4 would have been the 3. So then the 4S is the 4. Then the 6 will be the 5 and the 7 the 6. See?

 

[KnightWRX]

iPod touch and iPod nano both have generation numbers.

Not used on the marketing material.

----------

I think the naming convention makes no sense at all. If the 4 was the 4 then logically the 3GS was the 3 by another name. Hence the 4S must be the 5 and the next one will have to be the 6. Otherwise the 3GS wasn't the 3 and then the 4 would have been the 3. So then the 4S is the 4. Then the 6 will be the 5 and the 7 the 6. See?

Obviously it all hinges on how they actually name the next one now. 4S will make sense if they name it 6 or 4GS or whatever else.

If they go for 5, they have just jumped the shark on iPhone naming.

 

[iBug2]

So why then is the iPhone 4S not the 5th generation iPhone?

I think the naming convention makes no sense at all.

The sentence is wrong. There is no naming convention.

Each name does make sense on its own.

And yes, 4S is the 5th generation iPhone. So they can't name the next one 5 unless 5 stands for something else, like it has 5 cameras, or 5 cores.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I wish it was 12:01am for the East Coast U.S. buyers. Not standing in long lines again so I'll set the alarm (using the old fashion way). I don't care what people say here, it will be crazy long lines and a possibility to wait for over 8 hours and go away empty handed on launch day.

 

[Zunjine]

Not used on the marketing material.

----------



Obviously it all hinges on how they actually name the next one now. 4S will make sense if they name it 6 or 4GS or whatever else.

If they go for 5, they have just jumped the shark on iPhone naming.

The only way this even slightly works is if they we're planning a name such as 4G for the next one to signify the 4G network. But then you have the 4 followed by the 4S followed by the 4G. Which sucks.

I genuinely hope that the next one is just called the V for 5. It'll be stupid as hell because it's the 6th generation iPhone but at least we'll break away from the numbers which will get dull pretty soon. Or maybe the aim is to make Siri so powerful that the next one will be sold as a PA rather than a phone. They could call it the iButler.