Apple launched its new iPhone 4S on Friday, October 14, and already the phone is a blockbuster.
The company announced on Monday, October 17, that customers bought over 4 million units during the handset's first weekend in stores.
"iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, according to a company press release.
The release also said that iOS 5, Apple's new operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, had been downloaded over 25 million times since it became available on October 12. Meanwhile, "20 million customers have signed up for iCloud," Apple's cloud-based storage and wireless synching system, per the press release.
According to the Washington Post, carriers were also feeling the love on the day the new iPhone launched. AT&T said it "activated a record number of iPhones" on Friday, and Sprint claimed "its best ever day of sales in retail, web and telesales for a device family in Sprint history," wrote the Post.
The iPhone 4S is currently on sale in only seven countries, including the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada. Apple plans to make the device available in ten times as many countries by the year's end.
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Virtual Assistant
Apple debuted the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/siri-apple-iphone-4s-voice-personal-assistant_n_994605.html?1317758678" target="_hplink">Siri virtual assistant</a>, a voice-controlled interface designed exclusively for the iPhone 4S. Siri lets the user schedule calendar events and reminders, set alarms, find information about local businesses--just by asking. The hands-free system even talks back to you. <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/nickbilton/status/121288597952405504" target="_hplink">The New York Times's Nick Bilton</a> notes that it sounds like "A female Hal who had too many vodka tonics at the bar."
<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/04/apple-reveals-siri-voice-interface-the-intelligent-assistant/" target="_hplink">According to TechCrunch</a>, "Siri will be a beta for the time being, as it only supports English, German, and French voice input, but there are more language add-ons and tweaks to come."
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
Faster Processor
The iPhone 4S is built around Apple's dual-core A5 processor, which also powers the iPad 2. <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/10/04Apple-Launches-iPhone-4S-iOS-5-iCloud.html" target="_hplink">Apple claims that this new chip</a> "delivers up to twice the processing power and up to seven times faster graphics than iPhone 4."
<em>Image courtesy of the AP.</em>
Better Download Speeds
Although the new iPhone isn't a 4G device, Apple claims that it can rival high-speed devices. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5846504/" target="_hplink">Writes Gizmodo</a>, "the new iPhone 4S runs on faster HSPA+ networks. That means that your telephone will download stuff faster from the Internet. Before it was up to 7.2 Megabits-per-second downloads."
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
New Operating System
Right out of the box, the new iPhone will run Apple's upgraded operating system, iOS 5. Apple says the new OS introduces over 200 new features, such as push notifications to all mobile devices, wireless upgrades, improved mobile browsing via Apple's Safari app, location-aware reminders, a webcam shortcut that's accessible from the lock screen, the ability to edit photos and many others.
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
More Carrier Choices
In addition to availability through AT&T and Verizon, the iPhone 4S will be offered by a new carrier: Sprint. "[T]he specs for Sprint's version perfectly match the Verizon model -- both have an EVDO radio for 3G within the US, and a GSM one for service outside the country," <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/04/sprint-iphone-officially-announced-on-sale-october-14/" target="_hplink">Engadget writes</a>.
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
'World Phone'
Apple's latest iPhone is a "world phone," which means users can use it to place calls and surf the web on different networks, an ideal feature for jet-setters and one that previous iPhones didn't offer. <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/10/04Apple-Launches-iPhone-4S-iOS-5-iCloud.html" target="_hplink">From Apple's official press release:</a>
<blockquote>Improving on the innovative stainless steel external, dual-antenna design of iPhone 4, iPhone 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to send and receive. iPhone 4S now supports twice the download speed with HSDPA of up to 14.4 Mbps and iPhone 4S is a world phone, so both CDMA and GSM customers can now roam internationally on GSM networks.</blockquote>
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
Pricing
In the United States, customers can pick up a 16GB iPhone 4S for $199, a 32GB model for $299 and a beefy 64GB model for $399.
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
Availability
<a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/10/04Apple-Launches-iPhone-4S-iOS-5-iCloud.html" target="_hplink">Pre-orders for the iPhone 4S begin on October 7</a>. The device will hit shelves in the U.S. on October 14. Consumers around the world will have to wait until December 2011, when the handset will make its way to Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/10/04Apple-Launches-iPhone-4S-iOS-5-iCloud.html" target="_hplink">according to Apple</a>.
<em>Image courtesy of the AP.</em>
Longer Battery Life
Apple promises that the faster A5 processor won't degrade battery life but will actually allow the iPhone 4S to use energy more efficiently than the iPhone 4. Indeed, the company promises up to 8 hours of battery life when placing calls via 3G. "If you set your phone to 2G, you will get 14 hours of talk time," <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5846504/" target="_hplink">writes Gizmodo</a>. "3G web browsing will give you six hours of battery life, while Wi-Fi access runs up to nine hours."
<em>Image courtesy of the AP.</em>
Stronger Camera
The new iPhone also comes with a camera upgrade. The device's rear-facing webcam has been bumped up from 5 megapixels up to 8 megapixels and will offer 1080p HD video recording. Images captured on the iPhone 4S will feature over 60 percent more pixels than on the previous handset, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/04/apple-roundup-apple-throws-the-press-for-a-loop-with-iphone-4s-but-no-iphone-5/" target="_hplink">that's a resolution of 3264 x 2448</a>.
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
Airplay Mirroring
A feature of iOS 5, <a href="http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/10/04/airplay-mirroring-comes-to-iphone-4s/" target="_hplink">Airplay Mirroring</a> allows the iPhone sync wirelessly to an Apple TV, letting the user watch videos or view photos from their phone on the big screen.
<em>Images courtesy of Getty.</em>
Familiar Dimensions
The new iPhone looks just like its predecessor, <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html" target="_hplink">measuring</a> 4.5 inches high, 2.31 wide and 0.37 inches thick, <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html" target="_hplink">according to Apple's measurements</a>. The 4S will weigh 4.9 ounces, just a hair heavier than its predecessor, which weighed 4.8 ounces.
<em>Image courtesy of Getty.</em>
Color Options
The new iPhone will be available in white as well as black.
<em>Image courtesy of the AP.</em>
Apple launched its new iPhone 4S on Friday, October 14, and already the phone is a blockbuster.
The company announced on Monday, October 17, that customers bought over 4 million units during the h...
Apple launched its new iPhone 4S on Friday, October 14, and already the phone is a blockbuster.
The company announced on Monday, October 17, that customers bought over 4 million units during the h...
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After years of being mostly an Android user, I just switched to the iPhone 4S. The main reason is Siri, Apple's revolutionary new voice-driven personal assistant that makes the iPhone useful, even while driving a car.
Big sales are from all the 99er's so that they can find out where the next demonstration is or when the next union organizer is coming with tofu and bean sprouts. But wait they don't like the mega corporations. This is very confusting.
hertamania: Big sales are from all the 99er's so that they
i wonder what the psychological diagnosis is behind all the whiners complaining about apple after a simple story stating sales figures. i mean, really, who cares what other people spend their money on?
could it just be hate? can't the haters just worry about their own personal phone purchases instead of paying attention or meddling in other people's business?
"In psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud defined hate as an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness.[2] More recently, the Penguin Dictionary of Psychology defines hate as a "deep, enduring, intense emotion expressing animosity, anger, and hostility towards a person, group, or object."[3] Because hatred is believed to be long-lasting, many psychologists consider it to be more of an attitude or disposition than a temporary emotional state."
666dorado: i wonder what the psychological diagnosis is behind all the
So Apple create a hype that they're releasing the Iphone 5 and then release the 4 (again) with minor additions and people still go ahead and buy a ton of those. Nothing surprising there. Our society does value superficiality over quality.
spartanladkenny: So Apple create a hype that they're releasing the Iphone
I'm not trying to be mean, but why do people go crazy doing things, like buying these Iphone 4s. They could of done it while he was alive. I just don't understand. I guess if I was some wiz on the iphone I would probably would buy one.
Barbara_Golden_Burke: I'm not trying to be mean, but why do people
Mac fanatics can spend their money or waste it any way they want. It's not my place to tell people how to spend their money. But it is my place to remind people that the only way to combat the excesses of corporate culture and it's destructive influence on social life is to reduce our rampant consumer spending. Instead of submitting without the least degree of self-will to every urge to spend we should strive a little to reject these unworthy impulses even at the sad thought of skipping an occassional upgrade of our favorite plastic made-in-China junk. Don't let Madison Avenue run your life.
SDLee: Mac fanatics can spend their money or waste it any
Well, there's capitalism and then there's laissez-faire capitalism. They might be ripping more on this. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire
Or it could be like tea-partiers ripping on gov'mint while demanding that "their" medicare be left intact.
pammiethekid: Well, there's capitalism and then there's laissez-faire capitalism. They might
Although, it's worth remembering that Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, paid himself a salary of only 1 dollar per year since taking the job until the day he died..... Greedy he was not.
Marcus_Miller: Although, it's worth remembering that Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, paid
Why do people make Steve Jobs to be some kind of messiah? Yes, it is truly remarkable the things that he created but that's about it. He wasn't exactly running a great philanthropy program supporting some charitable cause after being worth $8 billion.
Stop being Apple zombies.
spartanladkenny: Why do people make Steve Jobs to be some kind
Well, in that case, I am going to go right over to the nearest article about your android and protest that I like my iPhone better. Oh wait—where are those articles?
pammiethekid: Well, in that case, I am going to go right
Well if HP and AOL weren't so obviously serving the interest of Apple there probably wouldn't be a discussion. But where's the last Android geeky article that ever got headlines on this site? If they insist on making it front page news then it's natural for people to comment.
SDLee: Well if HP and AOL weren't so obviously serving the
Actually there are a lot of people who carry the Iphone just because of its look. And seriously speaking, Iphone doesn't offer as many features as many other phones in the market.
spartanladkenny: Actually there are a lot of people who carry the
Not one of those phones will be made in the U.S. as Apple continues to amass billions in profit. I'm not against profit, I am against corporations that say they need to be competitive by sacrificing American jobs to enhance shareholder returns and CEO bonuses. We can't all work at fast food joints folks for minimum wage.
MT59501: Not one of those phones will be made in the
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The Huffington Post Catharine Smith First Posted: 10/17/11 10:32 AM ET Updated: 12/17/11 05:12 AM ET