Apple fanboys and girls the world round might be disappointed that the new device does not live up to the mystique of the mythical iPhone 5, but the iPhone 4S is a dramatic leap forward in technological innovation and sophistication that will surprise mobile users -- even current iPhone 4 owners.
Here are the four most significant reasons why some of us at Mashable think the iPhone 4S is worth the price of upgrading. But if none of these speak to your inner gadget nerd, perhaps a free iPhone 3GS will do the trick.
Siri: Ask And You Shall Receive
How does having your own personal assistant waiting for your every beck-and-call sound? How about a helping hand that can look up the weather, read you text messages, find you nearby restaurants, tell you the time in Paris, set your alarm clock, give you directions, check your calendar for conflicting meetings, dictate and transcribe your notes and text messages, and so on -- and all you have to do is ask?
Sounds neat, right? That's Siri and it's a personal assistant built in to the iPhone 4S.
You can speak as you normally would and tell Siri to do something like set a reminder, schedule a meeting or send a text message. You can also ask Siri for traffic conditions or weather conditions -- "Do I need an umbrella?" for instance -- and query your handy helper for any other right-here-right-now needs.
Siri understands what you say, the context and meaning around who and what you mention in your requests, and is capable of responding accordingly.
But Siri is exclusive to the iPhone 4S, meaning you won't get it with a simple iOS 5 upgrade.
A Camera That Competes With Point-and-Shoots
Apple has always spoken of the camera on the iPhone as a bona fide digital camera replacement. Device owners seem to agree -- the iPhone is the top camera on Flickr.
But, for the first time, the iPhone camera hype matches up with reality. The iPhone 4S sports a new camera with an an 8 megapixel sensor, a new fifth lens, an enlarged aperture, face detection and reduced motion blur, meaning it legitimately rivals the specs of point-and-shoot cameras. The camera also now allows for basic photo editing, so users can crop and rotate photos, auto-enhance photos and remove red-eye.
Specs aside, this is a camera that you'll actually want to take your photos with -- no sacrifices here. And for many, as Apple noted, the iPhone 4S will be the only camera they ever use.
Of course, Apple also upped the quality on the video camera as well; the iPhone 4S can shoot 1080p HD video.
Double the Power, Double the Speed
The iPhone 4S features Apple's custom A5 chip -- the same dual-core chip in the iPad 2.
This means the iPhone 4S's two processors will now split the duties of your iPhone's work load. Everything will be noticeably faster: Web pages will load twice as fast, applications will launch and run faster, data will download twice as fast (14.4 Mbps) and graphics will render faster.
And faster doesn't mean you'll have to compromise on battery life. The iPhone 4S battery can handle up to eight hours of talk time (or 14 hours of 2G talk time) and six hours of 3G browsing (or nine hours of WiFi browsing), Apple says.
An Anywhere You Go, World Phone
Are you a CDMA or GSM customer? Who knows, and who wants to worry about the network capability of their mobile device? Not me, and especially not those who travel abroad frequently. iPhone 4S customers won't have to bother with such details as the device supports both GSM and CDMA.
Why would this matter? First, there's the business class of folks -- an important market for Apple -- who need a device that works in whatever country they may be in this week.
If you recall, Apple kicked off its "Let's Talk iPhone" event by running off some impressive figures. Apple CEO Tim Cook made it a point to mention that 93% of Fortune 500 companies are testing and deploying iPhones in the workplace. With CDMA and GSM support, the iPhone 4S can roam on GSM networks in 200 countries, making it even more business-appropriate.
Plus, for Apple, a phone with CDMA and GSM support simplifies its product line and will enable it to deploy on new carriers -- like Sprint -- without a second thought.
And, of course, it's classic Apple to add in technology that strips out confusion for its customers. You can stop worrying about your carrier network and which iPhone model you need, and just buy and use the iPhone.
Will you be upgrading to the iPhone 4S? Let us know why, or why not, in the comments.
What Apple Announced Oct. 4:
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iPhone 4S: When, Where and How Much
Free iPhone: Apple Cuts 3GS Price to $0
Apple Unveils Siri, the iPhone 4S Voice Assistant
New iPod Nano Is Clock and Fitness Watch in One
iOS 5 Available for Download Oct. 12
Cards: Apple’s One-Stop-Shop for iPhone Greeting Cards