The iPhone 4 was a device that stayed at the very top of the pile in terms of the best phones on offer for well over a year. In fact, between the launch of the iPhone 4 and the recent launch of the iPhone 4S there has only really been one mobile phone deal that has come close to challenging it in terms of popularity – the Samsung Galaxy S2.
So, will the iPhone 4S manage the same? Is it ‘future proofed’ as they call it in the industry, or will it fade into obscurity within a couple of months as the rate of technological development increases and Moore’s Law pushes us ever onwards towards the ‘singularity’?
In order to answer this question we will need to look at what features of the iPhone 4S are likely to have the longest shelf life. Sure, the dual core A5 chip and the 8 megapixel camera have already been superseded on other phones, but the new iPhone has a few features that will provide it with some amount of staying power.
The new iPhone operating system iOS 5 provides plenty of innovation, and enough new features that should allow it to adequately compete against Android for some months to come. There are over 200 new features in all, although some of them really stand out as being spectacular.
New messaging features like iMessage will completely change the way people message each other on their phones. This works a bit like BlackBerry Messenger, in that you can chat by text, as well as send images and videos to friends in real time. You can use emoticons and also see when the other person is typing. This is an over the internet service, and essentially a mobile equivalent of instant messaging clients like Windows Live and Google Talk. This is nothing new perhaps. What is innovative about iMessage however is that if no 3G or Wi-Fi connection is available the iPhone 4S will send your message as a standard SMS instead.
Other new social features include Twitter integration and Find my Friends. Find my Friends is a service that is perhaps more revolutionary than it would sound on paper – although a feature that could easily cause a lot of problems if you are not paying attention.
Find my Friends allows users to share their location with friends, which will then be displayed on the other persons phone on a map. This could be used for directing people to your new home or even just locating your chums in a busy public place such as a pop concert. However, it could potentially cause problems if you accidently share your location with someone when you are somewhere you do not want people knowing about, for whatever particular reason that may be.
Some of the other new additions to iOS 5 add in features that compensate for the edge that Android had for a long time. One thing that many people always preferred about Google Android was the notification system, neatly contained in a slide down menu. This was much more user friendly than the iPhone’s previous pop up messages. Of course there are many new features added into the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich too, although the recent iOS 5 updates should keep the competition healthy for some time.
The Siri voice control option could surely be the new way forward for phones and really make a difference with the way we interact with them. The fact this system can tell what you are saying, while also learn as it goes along is very impressive. Siri is really the feature that will provide the iPhone 4S with a long shelf life, as Google’s voice control software is nowhere near as sophisticated or well integrated.
These innovations, alongside the fact the iPhone 4S now has the hardware power to do all of this, are huge leaps for the device and will see iPhone 4S deals stay at the top of the pile until the next iPhone comes out, sometime next year.
This article was written by one of the many guest authors of TechPatio. Thanks to Simon for submitting this one!
If there isn’t anyone that re-invents or enhance the current Siri feature, I can see iPhone4s can stay for another 12 months. I had read a head to head review between Galaxy SII and iPhone 4S, both are equally fantastic and the editors are kind of favors iPhone 4S in the end. I used to think iPhone 4S is just another iPhone 4 in my previous comment…guess I was wrong >.<
Hi!
I feel that Iphone 4S is here to stay. The features it has got offer everything that a modern techno man needs. Thank you for providing detailed information on the features that it has got. I shall soon buy one soon.
I think it’s hard to say anything is really “future proofed” when it comes to cell phones lol…
Yes i Agree with Steve , i also think iphone 4 has very good features but i am student so i cant afford and still i dont buy iphone 4 .nice post keep it up thank you
I think the 4S will last awhile that is a long list of new features. The new iMessage is a really good feature that is the future of messaging.
Well personally, i think iPhone 4 will stay in the business as long as it keeps up with the technology. Siri is indeed the most eye catching feature in iPhone 4S however Android is also improving Iris. Iris works like Siri and currently it’s not as good as Siri but eventually in the future, it will be. Hopefully both companies, Samsung and Apple, will continue to provide amazing features to mobile phones. In this way, no company will monopolize the industry.
Apple always known for its unique products and features but later on it’s been copied by others. I’m not using iphone 4s as yet but after reading many reviews and knowing about it’s amazing features, I’m surely going to buy it. I’ve heard many positive reviews specially about Siri feature and really love the way it works.
But the truth is: Apple was never big at creating the most powerfulhardware device. The new Iphone is the best example. But with the icloud, the new ios, the talk-system (Siri) and the whole Appleappsenvironment its even getting better and better for Apple. Especially when I read, that Amazon had to cut their profits. So Apple has a software boost, and the hardware is fine, but nothing exclusive anymore.
Siri is great, the new camera in iPhone 4S is great so I think it’s safe until the iPhone 5 release.
I have read that the next iPhone will not be powerful as we have here today due to the lost of Jobs at Apple.
To tell the truth, I was kind of dissapointed with the 4S… I don’t see any real new advantage in it comparing the good old 4 or the new Galaxy S2… Hopefully the 5 will do its work.
Is worth to buy iphone 3S(second hand)?
I am quite sure the new and a better one comes out quite soon. It is business.
I have an iphone 4 and really like it, but I did buy it barely used, not full price. What do you think about the battery life problems that some people are having, and the app that is supposed to fix it? I know some friends that have run into this problem and are really ticked!
I was all ready to get an iphone 5 then it turned out to be a 4s. I know its got some great features like siri. I currently have a galaxy s and it…. Im torn should i get a 4s or new galaxy?
I am little bit confuse about the selection of iPhone due to many options. Which one is best?
With the recent account that people were able to hack suri on an android, while it can be defended against. I think they will be able to stay ahead for a little bit but not long. If it was that easy for them to hack it, then it should not be long before other companies catch up.
It will always sell like a hot cake, BUT; it is already outdated. Apple’s retina display is no longer the best with the HTC Rezound beating it firmly with a 1280 x 720 resolution on a 4.3-inch screen, 3G is not up to date unlike some LTE 4G phones currently on the market, the iPhone 4S is no where near the thinnest smartphone anymore, and the iPhone 4S also has a ton of faults; http://www.technologyblogged.com/apple/iphone/common-iphone-4s-faults-to-look-out-for.
Still, like I say it will sell.
I think iPhone 4s is a complete phone with all features. In your post, you are talking about those features whom i have no information before this. i have no iPhone byt i want to purchase iPhone 4s which have most attractive and useful features for me.
Thanks to share this marvelous post.