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IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

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Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#111

Post by gte910h »

clistctrl wrote: post #101
gte910h wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LTE is still ridiculously power hungry in every device that has it. I'd like to see them avoid it until it gets a bit more under control

If it's not a unique disadvantage, do you really think it will affect sales? To overcome it I suppose they would need to find a more power efficient processor. MIMO is kind of a power hungry application what with the calculating a new spatial correlation matrix every few milliseconds. It would seem like the limitation will be universal to all other phones unless a phone manufacture buys some chip manufacturer with a…

>will it effect sales?

Sure it will: People will use it if it's there. If they don't put it in, people won't use it and will continue to laud the iPhone's battery life.

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#112

Post by Greenisus »

masklinn wrote: post #77
gwright wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been having a hard time understanding all the clamor for a new form factor. The 3G to 3GS bump was all about performance and software. It makes sense for the 4 to 4S to also be about performance and software. The next form factor change will be the iPhone 5 in the same way that the iPhone 4 was a form-factor change. This seems like a reasonable allocation of R&D dollars to me. I don't think the form factor has t…

> This seems like a reasonable allocation of R&D dollars to me. I don't think the form factor has to change every year. Even more so because their audience cycles with 2-years contract (or so they believe, at any rate), so it makes sense to keep designs for 2 years.

you guys make a good point on the design not needing to change. the iPhone 4 chassis design is essentially perfect as far as I'm concerned. the letdown, i think, is in the excitement of something that looks new, just like the excitement of seeing the original iPhone and seeing the iPhone 4 for the first time.

however, aside from aesthetics, i think the case is in need of some new features. for one, the home button is overloaded in ways that multi-touch could fix. double tap on the lock screen to get the fast camera button, double tap when unlocked for fast app switching, etc.

fast app switching is awkward and not easily discoverable; it would be much nicer if i could swipe left or right on the bottom bezel to switch apps. also, with the new Notification Center, it would be nice if i could swipe from the top bezel instead of the screen, thus causing less interruption to third party apps.

as far as people wanting a bigger screen, i disagree. the Retina Display was brilliant in that it kept the exact same aspect ratio as the original iPhone. no app had to change to support it (aside from offering larger graphics assets).

anyway, that's my $0.02 :)

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#113

Post by zokier »

8 megapixels, but on how large sensor? Not surprisingly, all sample images are taken in bright sunlight. I doubt that the camera will perform anywhere near Nokias N8, or reasonably priced point'n'shoot. Well, I guess that people should be lucky that Apple didn't put in something silly like 16MP 1/2.3" sensor in it.

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#115

Post by antifuchs »

dsl wrote: post #103
antifuchs wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From footnote 4 in the tech specs at http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html ("CDMA available only if iPhone 4S is sold and activated for use on a CDMA network."), I'm guessing /hoping that if you get a CDMA phone in the US, it will come with an unlocked GSM radio.

What this means is that Apple is opting to disable the CDMA radio unless it is sold to a customer on a CDMA network. They avoid paying licensing fees to Qualcomm this way.

Yes, and I believe (and hope!) it also means that if you're going to tie yourself into a 2-year contract with a CDMA carrier, they won't lock down the GSM for you. Especially so since it's advertised as a "world phone", and CDMA carriers don't really distribute SIM cards (-:

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#116

Post by cpeterso »

illumin8 wrote: post #89
kenjackson wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apart from "faster", "better at connectivity", and "better at taking pictures", where does Apple have to go with this thing? A new chassis design? Why? And that's my fear. The first decade of the 2000s' Apple would answer this question with something you didn't think you needed. But it was a gamechanger. I could imagine Steve Jobs walking out on stage and saying: "We did the Retina Display. We changed displays foreve…

3d is a fad that will most likely never be a differentiating feature in a cell phone. How many people at the Sprint store are seriously going to pick up the HTC Evo 3D and say "screw the iPhone 4S, I'm buying this thing because it's 3D!"

Next year, people will be wondering why they bought an HTC Evo 3D when Apple announces the iPhone 5D. :)

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#117

Post by Steko »

jberryman wrote: post #32
kenjackson wrote: post #21

This is a pretty underwhelming release. At least for waiting 16 months since the last phone. I sincerely hope Apple isn't about to do a replay of the Mac. Great introduction with incredible technology. But a few years into it, begins to stagnate. HW wise this nothing like the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 was a far superior device over the Galaxy S phones. The Galaxy S II though is pretty close to this. In terms of the raw…

Sorry, what is mango?

Windows Phone 7 RC 1

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#119

Post by landhar »

tptacek wrote: post #61
kenjackson wrote: post #21

This is a pretty underwhelming release. At least for waiting 16 months since the last phone. I sincerely hope Apple isn't about to do a replay of the Mac. Great introduction with incredible technology. But a few years into it, begins to stagnate. HW wise this nothing like the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 was a far superior device over the Galaxy S phones. The Galaxy S II though is pretty close to this. In terms of the raw…

The iPhone 4 is (apparently) Apple's most successful product launch ever. It has been for me their most useful product ever. I am rarely without it. It's my phone, my music player, my camera, my alarm clock, my kitchen timer, my only game system, and often my web browser. It is also the most solid-feeling, elegant, understated thing Apple has ever sold me. Apart from "faster", "better at connectivity", and "better at…

My concern is that even Apple doesn't think this phone is innovating enough to be a real successor to the iPhone 4.

I've been waiting to buy an iPhone for half a year, because I assumed that getting the iPhone 5 would be worth the wait. Oh, well...

Re: IPhone 4S: A5 chip, 8MP camera, and Siri voice recognition

#120

Post by tptacek »

landhar wrote: post #119
tptacek wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The iPhone 4 is (apparently) Apple's most successful product launch ever. It has been for me their most useful product ever. I am rarely without it. It's my phone, my music player, my camera, my alarm clock, my kitchen timer, my only game system, and often my web browser. It is also the most solid-feeling, elegant, understated thing Apple has ever sold me. Apart from "faster", "better at connectivity", and "better at…

My concern is that even Apple doesn't think this phone is innovating enough to be a real successor to the iPhone 4. I've been waiting to buy an iPhone for half a year, because I assumed that getting the iPhone 5 would be worth the wait. Oh, well...

The big clue I got to this not being a successor to the iPhone 4 was when they continued to call it an iPhone 4.

Just buy the new i4S. The i4 is a great, great device.

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