Is the iPhone 4S a bit Disappointing?
The rumoured iPhone 5 had been on the tip of everyone’s tongue for several months, and the release of the iPhone 4S has come as a bit of a disappointment to many who expected a completely new and better looking device. It may not be called the iPhone 5, but a lot of the iPhone 5's rumoured features still managed to make their way into the iPhone 4S. A lot of them didn't though. Let's take a look at some of the things that people were most disappointed about regarding the iPhone 4S.
Redesigned Body
Obviously the biggest thing that people were expecting with the iPhone 4S that failed to make an appearance was a redesigned body. The device didn’t get the new body we were expecting, whether it was a tear drop design, aluminium backed phone or a wider and larger screened iPhone. We’re just left with the exact same phone, with the same shape – something many people never envisaged and something that came as a huge shock.
This was partly to be expected though. Apple has really only designed two different phone bodies, and doesn’t exactly have a proven track record for releasing a completely new design each year. When you stop and think that the iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS all shared the same physical design, what made people think that the iPhone 4's design would only remain in use for a year? Especially when it is one of the best phone designs on the market!
Larger Screen
We were also under the understanding that the iPhone 5 would have a larger screen; however we still have the same size screen on the iPhone 4S which some people are not happy about. We expected a bigger Retina screen at least 3.7 inches in size, possibly even 4 inches, but in fact we got a 3.5 inch screen of the same size on the device. This leaves us with the same bezel on the body and a screen Androids would laugh at.
Again this comes back to Apple sticking with the same design as the iPhone 4. Redesigning the body and trying to incorporate a larger screen takes a lot of time and effort, while Apple have clearly focussed their attention on the software side of things. One of the reasons that Apple have always stuck to their guns regarding the 3.5 inch screen is to ensure that the iPhone is a pocketable device.
Larger screens may have their benefits for video and web browsing, but they also make many Android phones exist in a limbo state between smartphones and tablets. The iPhone 4S has no such identity crisis.
Weight
You would imagine that Apple could have reduced the weight of the components in the iPhone 4S to allow it to fall in line with the <a href="http://www.best-mobile-contracts.co.uk/phones/Samsung-Galaxy-S-II.aspx">Galaxy SII</a> and the other lighter devices on the market. The iPhone is smaller and so should be slighter in its weight; unfortunately this is not the case. The iPhone 4S is actually heavier than the iPhone 4, despite the lack of redesign.
The device is also thicker than many of the others on the market. Looking at the width of the iPad makes you wonder why Apple didn’t at least keep the same shape but make the device slimmer – another disappointment.
Having said this, the iPhone 4S does incorporate more hardware that adds to its weight, and which also makes it difficult to slim the phone down. Besides, do we really need a slimmer phone than the iPhone 4S? The amount of occasions where you would actually need to pop your phone into a brown paper envelope or slide it under a door are actually few and far between.
Siri Voice Control
Who really cares for Siri or will actually use it? This is being touted as the main new feature for the iPhone 4S and the thing that really differentiates it from the iPhone 4. Every iPhone has one big feature and for the 4S this is it. For 2010's iPhone 4 it was FaceTime video calling. FaceTime was lauded by Apple as a breakthrough in innovation and a feature that would change the way we interact with smartphones. A year later though, and it turns out that not many people have actually used FaceTime for more than 5 minutes after buying their iPhone 4.
This software has been done before and is rarely utilised when available as no one wants to talk to their device in public. Of course, there are those people who took to using Bluetooth headsets on all possible occasions, even when their hands are perfectly free to use their phone, and they will most likely adore Siri and all that it has to offer. The main problem with Siri is that it is not even completed yet. When iPhone 4S contracts go on sale on October 14th Siri will still be in beta. 'Beta' is a euphemism widely used in the technology industry that roughly translates as 'not working yet'. And this is the iPhone 4S’ central feature.
Win an iPhone 4S
Perhaps you may not feel the need to rush out and spend a load of money on the new iPhone 4S if you already own the iPhone 4. However, this doesn't stop you from winning an iPhone 4S – which costs you absolutely nothing! Fortunately, Best Mobile Contracts, the UK's top mobile phone comparison website, are offering a chance for UK readers to win their very own iPhone 4S absolutely free.
Entering couldn't be easier. All you have to do is <a href="http://www.best-mobile-contracts.co.uk/phones/Apple-iPhone-4S.aspx">visit the competition page here</a>, and then state how long you would be willing to make your Nan wait in line for a new iPhone 4S. Ten minutes, one day, five days? There is no right answer, as the winner will be selected completely at random when the competition closes on 15th November. Then the lucky winner will be able to tell us all just how effective Siri really is!
