The Apple Beat: Why the iPhone 4S is a Significant Update

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

I am completely tickled that the iPhone 4S looks exactly the same as its predecessor. This means all the accessories and cases (and I have too many of those) on our iPhone 4 will automatically fit nicely on the twice as fast, seven times better graphics iPhone 4S.

I know a lot of people may have wanted a whole new form factor, a larger screen for sure and maybe an even thinner body but too much change will eventually screw up the experience. Not only in terms of accessories and cases but also for many of the apps that have been written for the iPhone 4's screen size.

One of the biggest features for the iPhone 4S is the $399 for 64GB version price (of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model). That's a significant increase in capacity and drop in price and should help Apple's iPhone gain further ubiquity.

There are certain things that just need upgrades and improvements and not a complete top to bottom overhaul. We feel the design of the iPhone 4 is great, solid and by improving the key components (processor, camera, battery life) then the user experience, a known variable, gets an overall upgrade everyone will enjoy.

I am dying to try out the new camera on the iPhone 4S.  8megapixels with an improved sensor and most importantly a faster photo to photo performance might just make it the killer feature.

The iPhone 4Ss advantage isn;t just the incredible camera hardware but the staggering selection of photo and camera apps available that can truly enhance the picture taking and even editing experience.

This is something that few standalone point-and-shoot cameras can compete with.

Siri and voice recognition/assistant feature is something we need to test before we can say if it is good or bad. 

Voice recognition, like 3D, has been around forever and is one of those killer features that very often fails to impress. It is great that Apple's built this in, we can see many uses for it specially with regards to accessibility (and this is one of those features that competitors will have a hard time competing with). 

The iPhone 4S will run iOS 5 better and iOS 5 is the biggest feature upgrade, specially as  the iCloud and the iMessage initiatives begin to take shape.  October is shaping up to becoming a very interesting time for iOS and iPhone/iPod Touch related news.