Apple iPhone 4S: Best Smartphone of 2011?

It seems that most people following the Apple media event had pretty much the same initial reaction as the stock market—first of all came disappointment that there was no iPhone 5, but then hopes were slowly revived by the fact that the iPhone 4S is actually a pretty innovative handset.

OK, so for the time being there's no cutting-edge new design, no lightweight build, no slimmed-down curvy edges etc. However, the iPhone 4S does bring beefed up processing power and graphics, a souped-up battery life, a new and improved camera, an updated OS and, of course, Siri the handy personal assistant.

Camera: A Key New Feature

The new camera could be a a real selling point for the iPhone 4S. And, for the first time, Apple has outlined in detail the construction of its 'genuine' camera lens, even if there's still no sign of an optical zoom (although that'll probably come one day).


You can see test shots taken with the iPhone 4S camera in our coverage of the iPhone 4S presentation, including crops blown up to 100% size. You can even download full-resolution versions of the shots for closer inspection—something that's well worthwhile.

It's interesting to note that since July this year, the iPhone 4 has become the most popular digital camera used to take photos on Flickr, amassing more photo uploads than heavyweight cameras like the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mark II!

Siri: Gimmick or Revolution?

Then there's Siri, a function that uses voiced-based technology to allow users to interact with their iPhone. Users of rival smartphones will no doubt be quick to let everyone know that they've been using a voice-recognition system for a while already, but Apple has really taken the concept one huge step further. In fact, Siri is a bit like one of those magical machines from the films of our youth that got us all dreaming about having our own pocket AI companion.

Apple's promotional video for the function is clearly designed to impress, but it does give a clearer idea of the potential uses this kind of function opens up. It also shows how users could interact with the smartphones of the future—starting with Apple's iPhone 4S, but possibly one day other brands of phone too. But will any other mobile maker really do better than Apple? Only time will tell. Take a look at Siri in action:


Will you be rushing out to buy an iPhone 4S? Are you disappointed that there was no iPhone 5? Do you think Siri looks useful or do you think it's a gimmick you'll soon forget about? Let us know what you think about Apple's latest handset in the DigitalVersus forum.




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