iPhone 4S

No iPhone 5, but meet Apple's faster, more powerful iPhone 4S

Smartphone will be available in Singapore by the end of the month
Updated 06:58 AM Oct 05, 2011
CUPERTINO (California) - Apple unveiled a faster, more powerful iPhone on Tuesday (Wednesday morning, Singapore time) in its first major product event in years without Steve Jobs presiding.

New CEO Tim Cook led the show after Mr Jobs, who has been battling health problems, resigned from the post in August.

Mr Cook said the latest iPhone, which came out in June last year, sold more quickly than previous models, but the iPhone still has just 5 per cent of the worldwide handset market.

Apple is hoping to grow that with a new model. The new iPhone 4S has an improved camera with a higher-resolution sensor. The processor is faster, which helps run smoother, more realistic action games. It's also a "world phone," which means that Verizon iPhones will be able to useable overseas, just as AT&T iPhones already are.

Apple is including a "personal assistant" application called Siri, which responds to spoken questions and commands such as "Do I need an umbrella today?" It's an advanced version of speech-recognition apps found on other phones.

The new iPhone also comes with new mobile software, iOS 5, that includes such features as the ability to sync content wirelessly, without having to plug the device to a Mac or Windows machine.

iOS 5 will also be available on Oct 12 for existing devices - the iPhone 4 and 3GS, both iPad models and later versions of the iPod Touch.

Apple said Oct 12 will also mark the launch of its new iCloud service, which will store content such as music, documents, apps and photos on Apple's servers and let people access them wirelessly on numerous devices.

Apple said the new phone will come in black or white. In the US, it will cost US$199 (S$261) for a 16 gigabyte-version, US$299 for 32 GB and US$399 for 64 GB - all with a two-year service contract requirement.

The iPhone 4S will be available in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Britain on Friday, Oct 14, before being rolled out to 22 more countries worldwide - including Singapore - before the end of this month. Pricing for the iPhone 4S in Singapore has not been announced, although the price for the previous versions of the phone will be slashed.

Apple also touted the popularity of its products and unveiled a new line of iPods, including a Nano model with a multi-touch display that promises to be easier to navigate. Apple made no mention of its Classic model, which many people had speculated the company might discontinue.

Apple's stock fell US$11.76, or 3.1 per cent, to US$362.84 in afternoon trading, as investors were expecting the bigger launch of what would have been the iPhone 5. AP

Source: www.todayonline.com