Analyst Says the Apple iPhone 4S Is Heading for Sprint, T-Mobile

 The next smartphone from Apple will be called the iPhone 4S, according to one industry analyst. This model will supposedly be offered by not just AT&T and Verizon, but also Sprint and T-Mobile.

 This information comes from Peter Misek, a telecommunications analyst from Jefferies & Company, who says he got it from "industry checks". Apple itself has not yet said anything about its next-generation handset, which up to now many have been calling the iPhone 5.

For many years, AT&T was the exclusive provider of Apple's smartphones. Earlier this year, though, Verizon was allowed to introduce the iPhone 4. So adding two more carriers to this list would be a departure from Apple's current strategy, but not a huge one.

According to Misek, some versions of the iPhone 4S will support HSPA+, a 4G wireless networking standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile. It won't, however, have LTE or WiMAX, the 4G standards used by Verizon and Sprint, respectively. AT&T is also building an LTE network, and Apple supposedly wanted to add LTE support but the necessary chips won't be ready in time.

The analyst from Jefferies went on to predict that this model will have better cameras, though he didn't specify what the new resolutions for the front- and rear-facing camera will be. Previous reports have said the rear-facing one is going to jump from 5 megapixels to 8 megapixels.

He also said that it is going run the Apple A5 1 GHz dual-core processor. This same processor is used in the Apple iPad 2, and there's a general consensus that this company's next-generation smartphone will be built around it too.

Misek's sources said the smartphone will include unspecified "minor cosmetic changes". However, they apparently made no mention of the next iPhone having a larger screen, a feature of many previous reports about this handset. According to those earlier sources, this bigger display will not increase the overall size of the device. A few images and renderings supposedly showing this new configuration have appeared on the Web.

Coming this Fall?

This analyst said nothing about when the iPhone 4S is going to be released, just that it's headed for all four of the top U.S. wireless carriers. However, there's growing evidence from other sources that it's not going to hit store shelves until months after many had previously expected.

For several years now, Apple has released a new smartphone near the beginning of each summer. This year many be different. There are reports from an array of sources such as analysts and even an AT&T employee that the fifth-generation iPhone isn't going to debut until late summer or early fall.  

Apple iPhone 4 Review

Editor's Note: With the release of the iPhone 4S the iPhone 4 is no longer Apple's flagship smartphone. Nevertheless, it's still a powerful device and one that's available at a very good price: $100 with a two-year servuce contract.

  It's also received a number of system software updates since this review was first written, and is now running iOS 5.0. This means it has most of the features of the iPhone 4S except the Siri voice-recognition system. 

Every year Apple hits us with a new, shiny iPhone. This year, we are finally getting features that we've wanted for a while now, such as a new design, front facing camera, a better quality camera with flash, and of course a much improved screen.

The iPhone 4 also packs some hidden treats on the inside, making this the best model so far. Is it worth the upgrade from the iPhone 3G? Did you just recently buy an iPhone 3GS and you aren't sure if you want to upgrade already? Or maybe you have never owned an iPhone yet and are thinking the iPhone 4 might be the time to switch. Keep reading to find out, and see if the iPhone 4 can live up to your expectations.

Note: Pay attention to all the pictures in this review, as they were taken strictly with the new iPhone 4 camera.

DESIGN & BUILD

Apple gave the iPhone 4 a design overhaul from the previous 3GS version. The new model is only 0.37 inches thin, compared to its predecessor which is 0.48 inches.

There is no plastic on the exterior of the iPhone 4, and the standard silver bezel that was the trim to all previous iPhones is now gone. The front and back now glass. Supposedly, the glass used is "30 times harder than plastic", and is "comparable to the strength of sapphire crystal", according to Apple's Jonathon Ives.

Between the two pieces of glass is an aluminum strip that wraps around the entire phone. The cool part about this is that the metal trim serves as an antenna for 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth, which helps signal significantly.

Display

When you first look at the display on the iPhone 4, it is simply gorgeous. This is without a doubt one of the best improvements on the new model. The new screen resolution is 960 x 640, up from 480 x 320 on all previous iPhones and iPod touches.

Since the screen didn't get any bigger, there is a lot more pixels per inch now -- 326 to be exact. Currently, there is no other smartphone on the market with a screen of this resolution. To the human eye, it is almost like a digital print. You really can't see any individual pixels anymore, and everything is more crisp.

 It will only be a matter of time before all the current applications are updated to support the resolution. The developers have to do little work to make this change.

Now if Apple increased the screen size of the iPhone, that would have been a completely different story, but I can't see that happening anytime soon.

Buttons and Controls

On the front of the Apple iPhone 4 you have the standard "Home" button, along with the proximity and ambient light sensor, and the biggest change, a VGA front-facing camera.

Around the outside of the device you can find the standby button, the new microSIM slot (which has some improved benefits over the standard SIM card), a speaker, a microphone, another microphone (that helps remove background noise), a headphone jack, a silent toggle, and two separate volume buttons.

Apple to Launch a 4-inch iPhone, Claims New Report

 A new report of a 4-inch iPhone 5 has surfaced, rekindling flames of past rumors pegging an upcoming Apple smartphone with a larger screen.

With Hitachi and Sony tipped to have already begun shipping 4-inch LCD panels for a new Apple iOS device, it appears a larger iPhone could be on the horizon, though the unconfirmed report did not specifically state that the 4-inch display is for that rumored iPhone 5.  

 This new finding contradicts an earlier report that claimed a 4-inch iPhone model was cancelled due to former CEO, Steve Jobs’, fear of fragmenting the iOS market. With apps currently able to support two resolutions – 960 x 260 for smartphones and 1024 x 768 for the iPad – Apple would be forced to include a third resolution, as a larger screen would mean a higher resolution. According to this report, Jobs pulled the device a few months before the launch.

Yet, with a new CEO, Apple could be working past these issues and may soon offer a 4-inch smartphone. Previous rumors claim the device will be about 8mm longer than the current iPhone and will sport a metal casing, though not the distinctive teardrop-shaped profile that had people talking months ago. The phone is also said to be LTE-enabled and will feature a 10MP camera, which would be an upgrade to the 8MP shooter currently on the iPhone 4S. With optimists believing the company will introduce the sixth generation iPhone in June 2012, we could be seeing more of this device sometime soon.

Apple App Store Now Offers More Than 500,000 Apps

 Today Apple announced that the App Store now has more than 500,000 apps, as customers continue to download more than 1 billion apps per month.

Apple revolutionized the app industry with the App Store, which now has more than 500,000 apps and where customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps and continue to download more than 1 billion apps per month, as stated in Apple's press release touting its announcement.

 The Cupertino company also announced that over 100 million apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store in less than one year.

With thousands of free and paid apps availble, the iPhone has become a best seller thanks to its content-rich features. So what are some of the best apps to have? We compiled a list of the 10 Must-Have Types of Apps this year for the iPhone, with social networking programs, such as Facebook and Twitter, topping the list. Be sure to check out the full list before you pay for an app that you could have downloaded for free!

Apple iPhone 4S Review: The Best Gets Better

The new iPhone is no doubt one of the most anticipated products of this year. Before the launch, it was shrouded by hearsay and speculation in just about every aspect, even it's name. A lot of us were expecting the iPhone 5, a re-designed, thinner phone with a larger screen running on a 4G network. A lot of questions were answered but a lot of people were disappointed when Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at WWDC 2011. Same design, same screen size, same resolution, looks identical to 2010's iPhone 4 and it still only runs on 3G networks.

But keep in mind, just about everything that matters on the INSIDE of the new iPhone has been newly refreshed with a faster dual core A5 processor, upgraded camera, new version of iOS loaded with 200 new features (which we will go over) and a digital assistant called "Siri" that exclusively runs on this new model. Apple has also expanded to a new U.S. provider this year by adding Sprint, who joined Verizon and AT&T.

The iPhone 4S sold over a million units on the weekend of its release and Sprint has announced that it is its best selling phone of all time. Now that the weekend fun is over and the excitement has somewhat died down, it's time to take a serious look at whether it was worth all the hype, how it holds up to the standards of 2011, and if it's worth the upgrade from the iPhone 4.

Build & Design

As mentioned earlier, the iPhone 4S looks glaringly identical to the iPhone 4 in both design and weight. This year-old design withstands the test of time and is still one of the most elegant looking phones on the market.

Like its predecessor, the iPhone 4S retains the industrial solid design with a thin and sturdy build. It's only 0.37 inches thick, 4.5 inches tall, and 2.31 inches wide (9.3mm x 115.2mm x 58.6mm); and the familiar form factor is not a bad thing at all. There is still the one concern: the glass back that is easy to shatter... but this is still a beautiful phone nonetheless.

Screen

No it's not a 4+-inch screen as rumored; it has retained the 3.5-inch screen size since the first iPhone of 2007. The iPhone 4S sports the year old 960 x 640 retina display on the 3.5-inch touchscreen and it still looks fantastic by today's standards, although some may argue that it's starting to look a little small compared to the larger AMOLED screens that its competitors are offering. It would be nice if the screen were upgraded to at least 3.75 inches, especially for those who are always on the road and are dependent on their PDAs for emails and work. Even movies and games on the phone would benefit more from having more screen real estate.

Touchscreen Keyboard

Because of how solid the iPhone 4S is built overall, typing on the virtual keyboard is very easy and accurate, especially for those who have small to medium-sized hands and the sensitivity is great. Pinch to zoom, swiping, and tap typing are executed with ease and haven't changed that much over the years. The problem still remains for those who have larger hands and might find it difficult to navigate at times so it will take a while to get used to. I have medium sized hands and I "fat-finger" once in awhile when I type on the screen so a larger form factor will definitely help alleviate that.

Other Buttons & Controls

The accessible buttons are simply laid out with the familiar Home button that we've seen on all iPod Touches and iPhones (sorry, no narrow-but-wide Home button as had been rumored): Volume Down and Up which you can now use to snap pictures, the Mute switch, and the sleep/power button up on top. Nowadays it's all about the touchscreen.

Apple iPhone 4S: Performance

PERFORMANCE

Now that I've over-emphasized the resemblance of the Apple iPhone 4S to the iPhone 4, it's time to take a look at what really matters... the actual performance. This is what separates the two devices. The new model is armed with an A5 chip (the same one found in the iPad 2), and boasts faster overall performance than its predecessor. Apple claims that it's twice the speed and 7X the graphics performance.

I've spent almost a week with the iPhone 4S and there is no real obvious difference in how the basic functions in the operating system works from the iPhone 4. They are actually both equally smooth when you navigate through iOS 5, use the phone, send and receive emails, and send text messages. However, if you are reading this review, it's more likely you will be doing a lot more than what's listed above.

Apple's latest smartphone really showcases its processing capabilities through just about every single app from Angry Birds through Zombie Crisis. They load up a lot faster, and graphic-intensive games such as Infinity Blade don't slow down. Now if you just use your phone for a few rounds of Angry Birds, Twitter, and Facebook, you'll appreciate the faster load time, but those apps will basically run the same as they did on the iPhone 4.

Communications

The basic phone functions have pretty much remained the same as all the other versions of the iPhone. It's very basic, straightforward, and easy to use. The negative side to that is that it's missing some features that are found on just about every other smartphone such as Smart Dialing, which I loved on the HTC Android phones I've used in the past.

If you're a huge fan of widgets, you'll be disappointed that the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 are still lacking in that department, although there is a sort of stock ticker widget on the Notifications Menu. I just wish they had something similar to the Jailbreak app called SBS Settings where you can immediately access a menu to turn off and on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

With the "improved" antenna and using the phone all day without a case, I've had no dropped calls thanks to the new configuration, and calls came out as clear as they can be on the AT&T network. There's also an improvement on data speeds since the iPhone 4S now supports HSDPA+, and quite a few people have reported online that they are able to get 8MB+ in download speeds. I'm based in the Los Angeles Metro area and I've been getting about 4MB-6MB on average on the iPhone 4S vs getting about 2MB-3.5MB on the iPhone 4.

Software

iOS 5 is Apple's new mobile operating system which launched officially a few days before the release of the iPhone 4S. Although not the greatest of leaps from iOS 4.3, there are definitely a lot of enhancements that are appreciated. There are 200 new features listed on iOS 5, but we are going to take a look at the biggest and obvious additions.

Notification System

Since the release of the first iPhone, people have longed for an improved Notification System. In iOS 5, Notification Center solves the problem of those obtrusive pop-ups that interrupt the game that you're playing or the movie that you're watching on your phone. Just like the Android, if someone sends you a text message or if you get tagged in Facebook, a notification will appear on the top of your screen and fade away without stopping whatever you're doing. You can pull up whatever you missed; see your missed calls and messages by pulling down the menu from the top of the screen. Sound familiar? Android has been doing it for years without a Jailbreak!

Wireless Syncing and iCloud

Steve Jobs called this a Post-PC World, so why do we need to plug anything in the computer anymore? iOS 5 cuts the cord where you never have to plug your iPhone into a PC or even own a computer. Updates are now done over the air and, better yet, you get delta updates meaning that you just download whatever that needs updating instead of downloading the entire firmware file like we did in the past.

Syncing music and apps with iTunes on your desktop are now done through Wi-Fi. I can drag and drop songs, edit my playlists and download apps from my iPhone or docked MacBook Pro without ever having to use a cable. It can be charging in the other room or downstairs and it will sync and be ready to go.

iCloud is a new feature in that syncs your contacts, calendar, and photos wirelessly onto a remote server when Wi-Fi access is available. The Photo Stream part of iCloud still needs a lot of work. It would be nice to be able to have some basic management functions such as DELETE instead of just leaving all your pictures on the cloud and having them pushed onto every single iDevice with your AppleID on it!

As for backup and restore via iCloud, I strongly recommend leaving a backup on your local computer. I actually did a restore from data I backed up from the iPhone 4 over to the 4S and it was not a good experience. It took almost an HOUR to sync back my contacts and apps even on my 100MB connection, which would only take about 15 minutes if I used a USB cable.

Twitter Integration

You'll now be able to tweet directly from your photos and other apps without having to open the Twitter app, making it convenient to share pictures, web links, etc. You will also be able to sync Twitter with your contacts list.

Reminders

I've been waiting for this feature since the first iPhone. In iOS 5, you will now be able to sync with your Outlook and Outlook Exchange Reminders to the phone without a third party app. This is a pretty welcome addition especially when I need to create a quick to-do list or need some reminders without having to flood the Calendar with my personal stuff. What makes this app stand out is that it has location based notifications meaning that instead of setting a time on when to remind you to do something, you can set it based on location. For example, if you arrive at your home, you can have it remind you to put your wedding ring back on so your spouse doesn't get suspicious...and so on.

iMessage

Apple's answer to RIM's Blackberry Messenger is now included in iOS 5. It is cleverly built directly into the text-messaging program so you can send texts, photos, and videos to anyone running iOS 5 around the world using data and will not count towards your SMS/MMS limit with your carrier if you aren't on an unlimited texting plan.

The limitation to iMessage as that the other side needs to have iOS 5 as well. If the other party is not running iOS 5 or is on a different platform such as an Android or Blackberry, then it will go off your SMS quota.

Siri

Currently exclusive only on the iPhone 4S, Siri is a digital voice assistant that is built into the OS. You can think of it as JARVIS from the Ironman movies -- it's quite not that advanced, but it is getting there. Those who have used Google Voice Search or Vlingo on the Android will find Siri similar to those apps. What separates Siri from its rivals is that you don't have to talk to it like a robot, but instead talk to it like a person and ask it questions or to do tasks for you. For example, you hold the Home button down to activate Siri, and then say, "Text Joe, 'hey man what's up?'" instead of saying "Send a text to Joe Schmoe, 'hey man what's up?'" If you want Siri to play a song... you can say "Play something from Green Day" and it will automatically do it.

The app itself is very intelligent. Just for my own personal ego boost, I have Siri call me "Master" from now on. All I had to do was say, "Call me Master" and Siri will remember it. You can also assign aliases on your contact list as Siri will remember who your brother is or if you have nicknames for your friends.

Since Siri is integrated into the OS, you can simply ask what the weather is like in Rome, what time it is in Hong Kong, etc and it will give you an answer. The OS integration reaches into the email program as well. You can simply tell Siri who you want the email sent to, what the subject line is, and then dictate your message. Once you're done, you can have it read out to you before sending, and make modifications if you have to (just like in iMessage).

You can also use Siri to set your appointments or even location-based reminders when using your voice. What's really cool about this is that Siri will tell you if you're going to be running into a schedule conflict and you can give it another time in a conversational manner instead of having to re-initiate the entire voice command.

To be honest, my first impressions of Siri when it was announced was that it was a gimmick used to give people the incentive to buy the iPhone 4S, but as I use it more and more, it has become a very useful tool, especially when I'm driving. Being able to send messages and play songs that I want on my iPhone while on the road using my voice is a very useful feature. It's also much safer than fumbling with the phone and or the head unit of the car while driving.

I can go on and on about this as there are a lot of possibilities. Siri is still in beta at the time of the iPhone 4S release and I'm excited about the upcoming and ongoing improvements in the near future.

Entertainment

When it comes down to the variety of mobile applications and games, the iOS platform is still the one to beat -- there are over 500,000 apps to choose from, If you are a fan of video games, you should be happy to know that Konami, Square Enix, Capcom, and Electronic Arts are among Apple's third-party lineup. And for the most part, Apps usually come out on iOS before they reach Android and Blackberry, such as Angry Birds and Spotify. The App Store itself is well organized and the issue of fragmentation is nearly nonexistent since only Apple makes the iPhone.

And of course, there's the built-in Music and Movie Player with AirPlay support, so if you have an Apple TV or AirPlay capable device, you can stream your audio and video collection to it. There's also a variety of Apps that support AirPlay as well. My favorites are Crunchyroll and Stream to Me which I use to stream my movies and anime onto my TV. If you don't have an Apple TV, you can buy an HDMI adapter and connect it directly to your TV as well.

Camera

If you're a point-and-shoot photographer/blogger, then you'll be happy with the 8MP camera on the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4 itself already took great pictures and video, and I've been using it daily to post photos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc... It has completely replaced my point-and-shoot camera which has been collecting dust over the past year.

Now comes the new camera on the 4S with higher megapixels, a CMOS sensor that improves photography in low-light situations, and faster camera performance thanks to the A5 processor. Photos are noticeably sharper and clearer and pictures at night come out a lot better.

With iOS 5, you can crop and auto-enhance your photos directly from the camera roll without a third-party app. One thing that could be improved about the photo edit feature is that you should be able save your edited image as a different file, instead of overwriting the original one. Here are some photos to compare between the 4 and the 4S.

Battery Life

Editor's Note: Several weeks after the debut of the iPhone 4S -- and after this review was published -- Apple released a system software update that significantly improved the battery life of of this smartphone. It is now capable of going several days with light to medium usage.

This is where the iPhone 4S falls short. The battery actually drains quicker than the iPhone 4, which had excellent battery life. In doing some intensive battery testing between the two devices, the iPhone 4 outlasts the 4S more than 2X longer. I spent a day with each phone doing similar tasks: texting, web surfing, scheduled talk times, etc. In fact, I had a much busier day when I was testing the iPhone 4 where I took it off the charger at 8:12AM with 100% battery life, and then didn't even plug it in overnight. The next day, about 24 hours later, it still had 16% battery life left!

On the iPhone 4S, I took it off the charger at 8:31AM at 100%, but at 8:45 pm that night, it was already down to 1% left!!!

CONCLUSION

To sum it all up, the Apple iPhone 4S is one of the best phones out in the market today, with a massive variety of apps and third-party developer support, a familiar industrial design that still works, and improved hardware to a year-old phone that was already great.

Now the big debate is if it is worth upgrading to if you are a current iPhone 4 owner. This is a tough question to answer because aside from Siri, there really isn't anything revolutionary about the iPhone 4S. And if you are an iPad 2 owner, you are already familiar with the capabilities of the A5 chip and the gaming experience is better on the tablet's larger screen.

In the practical sense, the overall speed increase and better camera is welcome but the iPhone 4 can handle iOS 5/Apps, as well as take good photos already. Unless you really need all these improvements and Siri, you can survive another year with the iPhone 4 instead of paying more for the early upgrade to the 4S.

Now if you are coming from a 3GS or below or are tired of Windows Mobile and Android, this is definitely the phone to get.

If you can afford it and want the latest and greatest, you won't be disappointed with what the iPhone 4S has to offer.

Pros:

Faster Processor

Better Camera

Siri Voice Control

500,000+ Apps Available

It's more or less a speed-bumped iPhone 4

64GB Storage Space Now Available

Cons:

No LTE/4G Support

iOS still lacks widgets and customization

It's more or less a speed-bumped iPhone 4