iPhone 5 a no-show at Apple's 'Let's talk iPhone' event Apple surprised nearly every pundit who was breathlessly following its "Let's talk iPhone" event – it didn't introduce an iPhone 5. The event, held on Apple's Cupertino campus in, spent over an hour and a half detailing iOS 5 and iCloud, which had both been described in great detail at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in …
"I expect that Siri could easily run on an iPhone 4, but damned if they'll let that happen."
It runs on an iPhone 4 right now. An earlier version of Siri has been available in the App Store for well over a year. I have it on my iPhone 4, and it works fine. I just gave it the same task Tim Cook used in his demo today, saying "Find me a Greek restaurant near here." It came up with a dozen, listing them in order of closeness, then mapped their locations and offered to call any one of them for me.
Siri is currently missing from the App Store, and when I launched my older copy today, it said "I've been replaced! The new Siri is even smarter and better looking than me, and waiting for you on the iPhone 4S. I'll be leaving for home Oct. 15th." I don't know what that last sentence means--this version will stop working? The new version will appear in the App Store? We'll have to wait and see.
Granted, it's *possible* that Apple will forbid the new Siri from running on older phones, but I'd be surprised if they did, since the old version has been doing just that for more than a year. In case it wasn't obvious, Siri's intelligence is all at the server end, not on your phone. Like Dragon Dictation for iOS, the Siri app just records your voice and passes it on; all the heavy lifting is done elsewhere. That means Siri doesn't need a lot of horsepower in the phone.
Because instead of telling me how much they love their iPhone the fanbois will now be able to have that conversation directly with the iPhone, thus leaving me out of the equation. This is by far the most excited I've been about a forthcoming iPhone feature for a long time!
The diversity antenna system is long overdue in an iPhone. But this is standard operating procedure for most handset designers... most smartphones have had this for, well, since there have been smartphones.
Apple's failure wasn't simply using a single antenna in a world where the performance of diversity antennas was long established for something held in a hand (and with the 4G folks moving to full MIMO), but the fact they chose form over function by making the antenna also the metal edge of the original iPhone 4. That was particularly stupid given that, with the glass backside of that device, they could have had any number of higher performance antennas under that glass with no attenuation.
Haha. Not so much a revolution, you'd hardly even call this an evolution. Apple are too ashamed themselves to call this the iphone5!
But who cares, just wait and see all the saps that queue up like sheep to dump their iphone4s for one with a faster chip and an S on the end.
Apple will be laughing all the way to the bank, I'll just be laughing :)
Firstly, historically, you had the 3G followed by the 3GS that looked the same but was somewhat souped up, so it's hardly surprising (cutting through the usual rumours and hype) that we have a 4S following the 4 that looks the same but soups up the specs.
Personally, I'm not a fan of phones getting even bigger - it doesn't make them better, just bulkier, so I'm fine with the size remaining the same.
As for last years looks? Funny how many handsets look remarkably similar. I don't mean that in a bad way - there's only so many ways you can peel an apple.
> Apple have produced what is probably going to be the fastest smartphone of the year
its a bit soon to start making prediction like that.
out in the competitive world where you have to try and find a way to win over customers, the remaining near 3 months left of 2011 is likely to see a whole new generation of models and speed improvements are most likely to be an area where there will be competition.
Still being the fastest model at the end of the day you were launched on ranks as a success, but its best not to set your sights unrealistically high.
Besides aren't all the predictions pointing to an iPhone5, surely that will be greater than the 4S.
Of course, why launch a 5 when you can persuade a sizeable chunk of your customer base to buy a 4S this week and then get them to buy 5 in a couple of months too. Gotta keep those green backs rolling in.
> its a bit soon to start making prediction like that.
In particular because there are already phones out with faster CPUs. The A5, despite the photo, contains dual ARM Cortex A9 cores. The iPad clocks them at 1GHz, possibly a bit lower. Now of course, Apple doesn't like to talk about these things, but in the past, the iPhone was downclocked a 100MHz or 2 from the iPad. So this may have wonderful battery life, but it's CPU-wise slower than any number of 1.3-1.5GHz phones, also based on the ARM Cortex A9 dual core, and already shipping.
CPU-wise, Apple's certainly ahead of the nVidia Tegra 2, but that's not a shock... the Tegra 2 itself is being replaced soon, and everything else coming out, from TI, Samsung, etc. is already faster than the Tegra 2. Apple's using a dual core PowerVR SGX 543... but of course, anyone can buy this core from Imagination Technologies, there's nothing "Apple" about it. And stack as deeply as MP16, if they like. The TI OMAP5430 and OMAP5432 (ok, the OMAP5 is also using the ARM Cortex A15.... maybe not the chip of choice for mobile, yet) use this GPU, for example... and the Sony Playstation Vita (2011 in Asia, 2012 here) sports the MP4 version (four core). And PowerVR is just one of the GPU makers.. the mobile GPU market is getting interesting.
Not everyone wants to carry around a huge slab of a phone. Not everyone is so geeky as to watch loads of videos in public when there are people around to talk to.
I can barely get my iPhone 4 into my trouser when I go out, not wanting to wear a coat in a nightclub I want to put it in my pocket with my keys and money. A bigger phone would just have to stay at home. I'm not going to wear a bum bag just for a phone.
The only company which insists on taking its website down to put in an update and when it finally does come back trying to go to http://www.apple.com/iphone/features results in:
Access Denied
You don't have permission to access "http://www.apple.com/iphone/features" on this server.
I commented that the "Let's talk iPhone" tag line meant voice integration was the main feature of the announcement but got shot down for such a suggestion.
Apple are playing catchup with the rest of market now rather than innovating. The 4S is a stop-gap 'cos the 4 has fallen behind and the no-show of the 5 I'd guess means there's some problems with the real world delivery of the device. The iPhone 4 now feels like a generation behind something like the Galaxy S2, maybe this is all behind the litigation delaying tactics of the patent disputes.
One of the worst PR years for Apple in a long time?
I didn't shoot you down - I don't remember actually seeing your comment!
I wouldn't be so sure that the lack of anything "wondrous" was a problem with real world delivery of the 5 as much as the real world problem of nobody with any sense (yes I know this usually excludes Apple shoppers) would want to go spend iPhone 5 kinds of money on a new phone right now!
If they can keep moving the smoke and mirrors about and convincing their loyal shoppers that the 4S is the one everyone has to beat and take their wedge of cash from them, then why not. The fact there have been better phones than the iPhone option for several years doesn't seem to matter when you're facing with the Apple PR machine.
Given there release cycles this isn't a suprise and makes sence.
What I was supprised to see was them absorbing android featues like the notification, voice and lattitude and lets not mention the IM. One can only presume they will then use these as examples of Samsung copying them further along with other andoid handsets.
Only real question I have from this is can it make phone calls unpar with disposable nokia handsets and if so good for them.
over Apple repeating with the 4 - 4s what they did in 2009 with the 3g - 3gs i.e. Faster processor, upgraded camera, voice control and increased storage; ok I suppose I should add the new antennae. They'll still buy it and make Steve & Tim happy and rich.
Paris:- Even she could spot that it's not the iPhone 5 fanbois expected that would crush all competition.
And what about the Iphone Mini eh? EH?! So many stories about "solid info" on those things.
I have to wonder if all those case/board leaks were all now fakes.
And i also wonder if all those case manufacturers have thrown out cases based on this in the hope of getting early adopter cash, and they are now only fit for a landfill.
Apple normally targets aspiration, and their products normally reflect this by looking different. In this case, it isn't. Is the Apple thing now to be seen talking to your phone?
Also why is Siri such a big deal? The Galaxy S2 has Vlingo on top of Android voice recognition. Am I missing something?
Of course, not impressed with speech recognition. My 2008 Symbian E71 can do it, even for free (app from ovi store).
What matters is, we have a location/context aware search engine that can respond to natural language queries. Don't let iphone/cool speech recognition divert you from this fact. Apple has just announced a way more complex and advanced search engine than Google. Don't forget the companies will line up to get into results, perhaps even paying for it.
Absolutely sure Google folks look at it very differently.
If I buy a phone (or get one in a contract), I just want to turn it on and use it. Am I right in thinking I MUST have iTunes to get any of the iPhones to work ?
It isn't software I use, I don't even want to install it, and as I happen to use some incarnations of Linux, am I stuffed because I don't have iTunes ?
Don't get me wrong, I have the odd friend using Apple kit, and know they are 'very keen' about the things 'just working' but I don't have the wish to buy either Apple or Windows kit just to get an iPhone to work for me.
(OK, I bet someone in CPW would do something to get it up and running, but transfer of MP3s to my Android phone (using a microSD card) and an MP3 player via USB are easy.)
This iPhone, in a shocking break with tradition, is going to be available in black and white from the start. So the fanboiz are going to have to buy two tomorrow instead of getting the black (or white) one now and then orgasming again when the white (or black) one comes out in six months' time.
As we see for one more time Apple just twist as the black hole twist the light beam.
We see only external effects of what is going inside and indeed nobody can be sure what is.
So no iPhone 5? What is this? Is a just mislead.
Good... maybe many will asks why?!
Answer is - cheap tricks!
As I plead to many of my friends - Apple is a market leader but never have been technological one (maybe just in his very early years) .
This movement actually allows to push the concurrency to make their moves. Also there are tricky moments with Samsung and with European Standards Commission.
I have many time having my concerns about many of Jobsian "magical" way the Apple devices works. I would say that in 80% this belong to bad and not completely cooked "magic". Many time this stay covered just because of lack of documentation & info. Also many ideas are stolen from small companies or patented ideas that just logically stay on the way computer industry goes.
This is turns Apple in a really bad and fat patent troll.
Look guys - I don't see reason someone to create patents on the usual way phones or icons looking these days! And this is one of main points in trial against Samsung.
Same will be that someone try to create patent how books looking ( made of paper and having letters printed on this paper grouped in words and sentences )
So let me know guys do we will have all this knowledge if this were succeed. Indeed church try to be an medieval "Apple" and we all know it's fail in this case. So it will comes to Apple too.
I hate to have connected to iTunes just to transfer few songs.
I don't want Someone to monitor what I do in every moment and aspect of my life. And on this point I can said that this is VERY serious malpractice!!!
I don't want to pay part of my money just because to publish app I do on apple store. Why I cant just put in my web site?
I don't need Steve to told me how to hang HIS??? phone which I BUY with MY MONEY!!!
I don't like to be lied and tricked that there no problem when INDEED EXIST.
And please remember the Apple very famous user support!!! It's one of his kind!!! You can even be sued if go too far when try to protect your user rights!
And if you want just to buy another iPhone - go ahead :-) suffer and pray.
Honestly I'm moving to Android ....
Bye Apple ... and thanks for the fishes!!! :-)
Absent: You meant the problem where you could bridge the electrical gap between the 2 antennae, causing a serious reduction in sensitivity? Because as far as I can see with the new design it still has 2 antennae and an electrical gap placed where it can be bridged to detune the antennae. And we're still dealing with antennae meant for different wavelengths so bridging the gap is likely to be a big nono still.
Ilgaz: Pick your android phone. Any android phone. Now instead of typing your request into the google bar that should be on your homepage, press the little microphone icon instead and issue your request in the same natural language you would have used for the iPhone.
Admittedly, it will not offer to call the nearest restaurant for you, but it will show you a list of Google search results including a link to the map so you can see where the nearest restaurant is. Apple has polished things a little and made some improvements to the functionality that the Google boys haven't yet but the big thing they're going on about with the natural language searching? Yeah. Google and Android were there first.
And by all accounts, in a week, we'll see the first of Android 4.0, and the Samsung-made Nexus (Droid?) Prime. Given that the iPhone 4S doesn't really compete with the already announced 2011 Android high-end (as opposed to most iPhone releases, which have had at least a few things to make everyone else play catch-up), this could be the hottest phone of 2011. Unless Google's "pulling an Apple" here and letting hype shoot incredibly far beyond reality.
The curious thing this time isn't just the hardware, though... Apple's playing catch-up across the board. While the HW is catching up to the state of Android of even a year ago, the software, too, is catching up to Android... even 2.2. This is the first iOS that doesn't need PC tethering to function. They're finally doing notifications right. Android's had the natural language since 2.0 at least, and the microphone input nearly everywhere was 2.2 I think.
I'm not about to let Android off the hook... it can stand to catch up to Apple's "slickness", if that makes sense. It's been ahead on features for awhile, but behind on "gestalt". This is also a pretty interesting opportunity for Google to push ahead of iOS on new OS features, as well as maybe smooth it all up a bit.
People write all this as if that's it - as if Apple will not release other phones in the (possibly) near future. The new iOS version and iCloud look promising.
Not sure why everyone is so surprised - there was a 3G then 3GS - so big surprise there was a 4 then a 4S - shock! If anything the 4S (from the 4) is a bigger step than the 3GS was from the 3G.
"This iPhone, in a shocking break with tradition, is going to be available in black and white from the start. So the fanboiz are going to have to buy two tomorrow instead of getting the black (or white) one now and then orgasming again when the white (or black) one comes out in six months' time."
Hardly - I bet very few people bought a black one then bought another 'white' one when it came out - more like people held off buying the white one until it was released.
It makes sense to release them at the same time as now people can just choose which they want.
The camera.
They upped it to 8Mpixel. But on most smartphones, 8Mpixel is likely to be worse than 5Mpixel.
Apple's at least done their homework here. Shrinking the typical 1/4" sensor's pixel sites for 8Mpixel, sticking the same typical f3.0-f2.8 lens, and you'll find your sensor sites are smaller than the airy disc (limit of sharpness due to diffraction) for that lens/sensor combination.
Apple boosted their chip size just a bit in the iPhone 4, to 1/3.2", and they've upped the lens just a hair, to f2.5. This, coupled with backside illumination, should make a reasonable 8Mpixel camera. Some companies are selling you 3-4 marketing megapixels hidden in that 8Mpixel total count.
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