iphone4s

The iPhone 4S is almost here

The final countdown is on for the launch of the iPhone 4S.

Starting at 8 a.m. local time tomorrow, the new phone will go on sale at Apple stores as well as retail locations for the three carriers offering the device: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint. Retailers including Best Buy, Target, Sam's Club, and Radio Shack will also be selling the newest iPhone.

Folks in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. will also be able to buy the new iPhone 4S starting at 8 a.m. local time.

The three major carriers and … Read more

AT&T: 200,000 iPhone 4S preorders in 12 hours

AT&T says that this morning's preorder session for Apple's iPhone 4S was its most successful iPhone launch yet, with the company grabbing more than 200,000 preorders in the first 12 hours the device was on sale.

"AT&T has seen extraordinary demand for iPhone 4S with more than 200,000 preorders in the first 12 hours alone, the most successful iPhone launch we've ever had," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The news comes despite a bumpy start for the carrier, which had trouble processing customer eligibility on its sales site, as well as through Apple's online store, shortly after preorders began after midnight Pacific time.

Last year's launch of the iPhone 4, the last iPhone to be released exclusively on AT&T in the U.S., saw 600,000 preorders on its first day, setting a record for Apple and its carrier partners. This year's version became available for preorder ahead of a simultaneous launch in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. planned for next Friday.

AT&T's data represents the first sign of how well Apple's upcoming device is selling. The topic has been of particular interest given that some people expressed disappointment following this week's iPhone event that the device did not get a complete overhaul. Apple has not released its own data indicating total preorder volume from all carrier partners.… Read more

Friday Poll: No iPhone 5; so now what?

Apple's much-anticipated "Let's Talk iPhone" event came and went this week without the appearance of an iPhone 5. Some consumers expressed no uncertain disappointment about this development ("The S in iPhone 4S stands for Same," one commenter said, echoing other observers' expressions of letdown at not seeing a complete revamp of the smartphone).

Others, such as CNET's Dan Ackerman, took the position that the iPhone 4S essentially is an iPhone 5. Yes, it may be wearing the same outfit as the iPhone 4, but with a dual-core processor, upgraded camera, voice-activated personal assistant, and improved battery life, Dan argues, it is, in fact, almost an entirely new device.

So, here's what we want to know, readers. Now that the mystery's over, you've familiarized yourself with the iPhone 4S' features, and you know we won't be seeing an iPhone 5 just yet, how (if at all) does this impact your phone plans for the near future? Vote in our poll, and be sure to elaborate in the comments section.

… Read more

Unlocked iPhone 4S coming in November

Amid this morning's iPhone 4S preorder meltdown on Apple's online store, the company quietly announced that an unlocked version of the device is coming next month.

Beneath the options to get the iPhone 4S on either AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, the company teased that users can also wait until November to get an unlocked and contract-free version of the device.

"The unlocked iPhone works only on supported GSM networks, such as AT&T in the U.S.," Apple says in its description. "When you travel internationally, you can also use a micro-SIM … Read more

Bluetooth 4.0: What is it, and does it matter?

One of the lesser-known facts to emerge about the iPhone 4S yesterday is that it is the first phone to launch with Bluetooth 4.0, the latest version of Bluetooth. Not many products are available with Bluetooth 4.0 just yet--in fact, two of the most recent products to ship with Bluetooth 4.0 are also from Apple: the MacBook Air and the Mac Mini. Bluetooth 4.0 is backward-compatible with all other versions of Bluetooth, so you can pair existing Bluetooth headsets with the new iPhone without a problem.

So what's so special about it? According to Mike Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group), the key new feature of Bluetooth 4.0 is its low-energy technology. This lets device manufacturers replace proprietary sensor technology with Bluetooth, which is a more widely adopted standard. An obvious example is in the health and fitness category. Most pedometers, heart rate straps, and blood glucose monitors are designed to only talk to a specific wristwatch or control unit. If these same devices had Bluetooth 4.0, they could speak to any Bluetooth 4.0 device, be it phone or computer, without requiring an intermediary.

"It's an extremely optimized version of Bluetooth," Foley said. "It enables an entirely new class of product into the Bluetooth world." … Read more

You should wait online, not in line, for the iPhone 4S

With any new Apple iPhone or iPad, a logistical question emerges that bears considering: how do you buy it without enduring a line or a long wait time? The iPhone 4S goes on sale next week on October 14, and it's crossed my mind that my travails with both the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 weren't pretty. Resellers have recently been largely responsible for making the already challenging Apple Store lines an unbearable ordeal with products being sold out well before most people even knew they were back in stock.

In fact, I preordered an iPad 2 back in the spring, then canceled when I decided that the two-week wait time could be bettered by a quick trip to the Apple Store. I bet wrong, and spent two weeks calling Best Buys and searching message boards for a place that would have the iPad I wanted in stock.

Embarrassing, yes, but this was a common occurrence for many people during the first month or so of both the iPhone 4 and iPad 2's existence.

Related stories • Apple's next iPhone makes its debut • ZDNet: iPhone 4S is swell, but pricing is the killer app • Do Apple Stores need a better product reservation system? • Does the iPhone 4S need a redesign? • Apple iPhone 4S unveiled (roundup)

I have one simple suggestion, and it's hardly a shocker: take advantage of preorder. … Read more

iPhone 4 fetches top dollar on eBay Instant Sale--today only

Every time I check my in-box, the wad of cash being offered for old iPhones seems to be growing. Right now it's up to as much as $357 for a used 32GB iPhone 4--provided it's in excellent condition.

That's the highest price being offered today--and apparently today only--from eBay Instant Sale, the electronics recycling arm of the auction site. The offer is separate from the normal auction, "make an offer," and "buy it now" listings on eBay. It's actually a partnership between eBay and a single electronics wholesaler, which makes instant buyback offers for old phones based on the model, its condition, and whether the charger is included.

Instant Sale was already offering some of the best prices around, but in the wake of the iPhone 4S reveal yesterday, they've upped their offer prices for today only by around 5 percent to 10 percent--that translates to an extra $20 or so in your pocket in the case of some used iPhones.… Read more

Report: Twitter users tilt negative on iPhone 4S

I got an e-mail this morning from Crimson Hexagon, which describes itself as "a leader in social media analytics" and says it studied the Twittersphere in "real time" to find out how consumers really feel about Apple's iPhone 4S announcement. Not surprisingly, the results of the analysis seem to echo the sentiments of CNET readers.

According to Crimson Hexagon, here are the highlights:

49 percent showed negativity toward the announcement, with 33 percent expressing disappointment that the iPhone 4s was released and not the iPhone 5. 16 percent shared their feelings that Tim Cook is … Read more

iPhone 4S: Apple rethinks the inside

The iPhone today got an internal overhaul--its remarkably unchanged exterior notwithstanding.

Apple is "completely rethinking the inside" of the iPhone, according to Greg Joawiak, vice president of iPhone product marketing, who spoke in a video now up on Apple's Web site.

The biggest change is the dual-core A5 processor packing improved graphics silicon. "With two processors handling the workload, it really makes a big difference," Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of hardware, said in the same video.

"In Safari, Web pages will load up to twice as fast. Apps will run and launch faster...graphics can [load] up to seven times quicker, making game playing a lot better," Mansfield said.

If the A5-equipped iPad 2 is any indication, that second-generation Apple tablet showed big jumps in benchmark scores compared to the original iPad.

The other big change is the camera. In fact, the balance of statements by Apple today about internal changes were about the camera and optics. "We've increased the size of the aperture to let in more light," Mansfield said. "And added a fifth lens [resulting in] sharper images, more detail, more accurate color...and 1080p video at 30 frames per second."

Apple has also included a backside illumination sensor for increased sensitivity and a shorter exposure time to achieve the same scene brightness. "Colors are less saturated, and you'll see more details," Apple states on its iPhone 4S camera Web page. The camera also adds face detection and reduced motion blur.

And the A5 chip helps out here too. "The A5 chip is designed with an image signal processor that's just as good as the ones found in dSLR cameras," Apple claims. The image processor allows you to tap to focus and control exposure. And the A5's image processor also enables immediate photo capture (aka "zero shutter lag") when taking pictures.

And the camera also uses better algorithms in iOS 5 for more color accuracy, better white balance, and greater dynamic range. … Read more