[Smithy]

-would post this in the tech forum, but we don't have one-

Apple this morning announced an invitation-only special event to be held at company headquarters in Cupertino on Oct. 4, a Tuesday. “Let’s Talk iPhone,” the invitation reads.
While the next-generation iPhone’s design has been heavily debated, supply-chain chatter has previously indicated that it will use the faster A5 processor on which the iPad 2 runs, a Qualcomm dual-mode GSM/CDMA baseband and will feature a higher-resolution eight-megapixel rear camera. We’ll find out for sure next Tuesday. The invite, below …

The iPhone 4S has been officially announced by Apple.

Marketing executive Phil Schiller unveiled the handset during the company's 'Let's Talk iPhone' event this evening.

The device will feature the A5 chip technology, enabling it to perform seven times faster than the iPhone 4. It will also include a dual core CPU, dual core graphics, and an eight mega pixel camera.

"CMOS backside illuminated sensor gets 73% more light than the iPhone 4 sensor, and one-third faster. On top of that, we place a high-end IR filter for greater accuracy and uniformity," said Schiller of the camera's new features.

HD video recording will be supported for the first time on the platform. Footage in the 1080p format will run with real-time video image stabilisation, and real-time temporal noise reduction.

The iPhone 4S will also carry voice control system called Siri. "For decades technologists have teased us with this dream that we can talk to our technology. But it's never come true. It's such a let-down. What we really want to do is just talk to our device," said Schiller.


© Apple


Siri will enable users to gain access to a range of information by uttering verbal questions into their handsets. Weather updates and restaurant location finding were demonstrated via a video display. Siri will also read messages aloud when verbally prompted, and allow users to compose them via dictation. Wikipedia and Wolfram Alpha integration are included.

Schiller also confirmed that battery power has been increased to enable up to eight hours of 3G talk time, 14 hours of 2G talk time, six hours of 3G browsing and nine hours of WiFi browsing. Data downloads will be twice as fast thanks to an improved antenna system.

The iPhone 4S will be available in either black or white at launch. The 16GB handset will cost $199 and 32GB $299. It will also be the first iPhone to feature a 64GB model, priced at $399.

Apple also confirmed that the iPhone 4 will now be available in both black and white at the reduced price of $99. The 8GB iPhone 3GS will be available for free on contract.

The iPhone 4 will be available to pre-order on October 7. It launches on October 14.

[Doogle]

I WANT AN iPOD 5 GEN, NOT THIS iPHONE **** GRR

[CharlieO]

I want an iPhone 5 but never going to get one . My 4 is still going strong.

But EXCITED. Even if I cant get iPhone 5 there is still IOS 5

[CharlieO]

Damn I will be in Swannage on a gay ass school trip without internet for a week :'(

[Smithy]

There's rumors that there's a voice navigation system, that'd just be AMAZING

[Glenn.]

Samsung's Galaxy S2 already has Voice Command.

Galaxy S2>> iPhone

[Doogle]

Galaxy is so ****. The keyboard is appalling and the phone is slow and unresponsive.

[Smithy]

Originally Posted by Glenn

Samsung's Galaxy S2 already has Voice Command.

Galaxy S2>> iPhone

Looks like a wannabe iPhone

Spoiler:

[Niall]

Meh. I doubt there'll be much new. Its just going to be a new iPhone hardware wise. They've already got iOS 5 coming out so I doubt there'll be anything revolutionary in the software department.

[Doogle]

I really need one now. My old Touch was too old for iOS 5 anyway. But I can't afford an iPhone.

I might enter that BB competition.

[Niall]

The iPhone 5 is gonna be at least Ł40 a month on an unsubsidised contract when its released. Thats actually silly imo. I could never afford that.

[Glenn.]

The Galaxy S2 kicks iPhone butt.

[Ryan.]

The IPhone 5 will have an AMAZING voice assistant.

From what we’ve heard, the Siri-based Assistant is described as the biggest game changer in this year’s iPhone. The system is the evolution of the Voice Control function that was introduced alongside the iPhone 3GS in 2009 and it is the fruit of Apple’s purchase of Siri last year.

How it works:

To activate, the user holds down the home button for a couple of seconds (loads much quicker than Voice Control because of the A5 chip/RAM) and then the microphone interface “slides up” from the bottom in a clever animation. The speech interface doesn’t cover your entire view, just about the bottom fourth of the display – like the multitasking/app-switcher function. The feature even works from the lock screen.

As a disclaimer, we must note that the software was not finalized when the details were provided, so some features may change in the shipping version.

Since there are so few direct commands with Voice Control, Apple slides the command options by on a waveform. Assistant is packed with seemingly endless possibilities, so Apple instead has a small “info” button which one can click to view some of the most commonly spoken commands. This command view not only shows command types, but actually provides some sample phrases; Apple obviously wants their implementation to be as intuitive as possible. In the middle of the Assistant interface – next to the small command samples button – is a silver microphone icon with an orbiting purple flare. The flare notes that your iPhone is ready to receive commands.

Assistant taps into many aspects of the iPhone, according to people familiar with the feature and SDK findings. For example, one can say make appointment with Mark Gurman for 7:30 PM and Assistant will create the appointment in the user’s calendar. On noting events, Assistant also allows users to set reminders for the iOS 5 Reminders application. For example, a user could say “remind me to buy milk when I arrive at the market.” Another example would be integration with the iOS Maps application. A user could ask: “how do I get to Staples Center?” and Assistant will use the user’s current location via GPS and provide directions.

Another interesting Assistant feature is the ability to create and send an SMS or iMessage with just your voice. For example, you can say “send a text to Mark saying I’ll be running late to lunch!” – and it will send. This is a super compelling feature for people who cannot physically or safely take the time to type out a text message. Users can also choose to have Assistant read back unsent text messages to ensure the system interpreted the speech correctly. If the text is written correctly, the user simply says “yes;” if not the user says “no” and Assistant will ask the user to speak again. Apple is also working to allow users to ask for a specific song to be played. Voice Control only allows albums, artists, and playlists to be chosen with your voice.

One of the key elements of Assistant is the conversation view. The system will actually speak back and forth with the user to gain the most information in order to provide the best results. The user essentially can hold a conversation with their iPhone like it is another human being. For example, if a user is making a meeting with me, they will say “setup meeting with Mark” and the first “bubble” of the conversation thread will say that. After that, the system will speak back: “which e-mail address should Mark be notified at, work or personal?” This question will both be spoken out loud by the iPhone Assistant and shown as a new “bubble” in the conversation thread. The user will then respond with the email address they want to notify me at, and the appointment will be made. The iPhone will even show a quick glance at a calendar view to confirm the appointment. If the Assistant was sending an SMS, as another example, a mini SMS view would appear so the user has a quick glance at the SMS thread.

Assistant is literally like a personal assistant, but in your phone. The speech interpretation is so accurate that users do not even have to speak very clearly or in a slow and robotic tone, according to a source familiar with the software. Users can simply talk how they would usually talk to another person, and the iPhone with Assistant will do its best to interpret the speech and provide accurate results.

Another compelling feature relating to Assistant is “Find my Friends.” Yes, Find my Friends is real and Apple may have been waiting on Assistant integration to release it into the wild. Basically, if a friend of mine wants to instantly know where I am, they could say “where’s Mark?” and Assistant will locate me and share my location information. Of course, there will be privacy settings for this as we previously revealed.

Perhaps the coolest aspect of Assistant is its integration with Wolfram Alpha. For those unfamiliar with Wolfram Alpha, it is an online computational knowledge system. With its integration into the new iPhone and Assistant, one could essentially ask their iPhone facts or questions of all types and get an instant response. For example, you can ask your iPhone a math problem or ask how many feet are there in 12.75 meters, and get an instant answer. The whole idea of having an infinite amount of information at the sound of your voice is unbelievably convenient and powerful.



In addition to Assistant, the new iPhone features Nuance speech-to-text integration, formally called “Dictation,” according to a mobile carrier source familiar with the feature’s extended testing. As expected, the user just taps the microphone icon, speaks, and the speech becomes text. This happens in less than a second in most cases and is unbelievably accurate. The interface for this is also said to be remarkably simple and blends into the design of the iOS 5 Messages application.

http://9to5mac.com/2011/09/26/the-new-iphone/

[Patrick]

More interested in the iPod.

[CharlieO]

The iPhone was revolutionary. It brought smart phones to the mass market far more than there was before. No other phone beats it. The hardware is great and perfect for what is needed, and even if other phones are faster like this galaxy ****, it doesn't have the app store which is definitely the best app market in the world and no other will be able to beat it any time soon as apple was first.

[Tom]

Lets hope they don't bother with the so called scratch resistant oleophobic coating. it gets covered in scratches and makes the iPhone look ****. worst thing about it, but everything else i love. can't wait for iPhone 5, my iPhone 4 contract ends in February so hopefully it'll be out by then

[CharlieO]

Originally Posted by Tom

Lets hope they don't bother with the so called scratch resistant oleophobic coating. it gets covered in scratches and makes the iPhone look ****. worst thing about it, but everything else i love. can't wait for iPhone 5, my iPhone 4 contract ends in February so hopefully it'll be out by then

It's coming out in November. And it would get a hell of a lot more scratches without that invisible coating so nothing to really care about it being there.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by CharlieO

It's coming out in November. And it would get a hell of a lot more scratches without that invisible coating so nothing to really care about it being there.

I had the original iPhone and iPhone 3 both without it and that was fine, plus you could polish them out anyway. i'm usually really careful with it as well but have to use screen protectors on it which kind of defeats the object of a "scratch resistant" screen

[CharlieO]

Originally Posted by Tom

I had the original iPhone and iPhone 3 both without it and that was fine, plus you could polish them out anyway. i'm usually really careful with it as well but have to use screen protectors on it which kind of defeats the object of a "scratch resistant" screen

Yea but they were not made entirely of glass. If it had a non scratch resistant screen and back then it would get scratches just by putting it in your pocket or sliding it off a table. My iPhone has no scratches and doesn't have a screen protector at all or case.

[Jack_]

I've been looking forward to and searching for info on this for months, I'm glad the announcement is soon!

My iPhone 3GS is probably the greatest piece of technology I've ever owned and by the sounds of things the iPhone 5 is going to be amazing. I read rumours that there may only be an update to the current iPhone 4 though, has to be said, if that's the case...I think a lot of people are going to be gutted. Surely not?

Sold my iPhone 4 last week in preparation for this. There is now Ł500 sat in my bank account waiting to hit the pre-order button on apple.com; can't waiiitttttt. Yes iam and iSheep haha. It bugs me when people hate on Apple.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by mathews220

Sold my iPhone 4 last week in preparation for this. There is now Ł500 sat in my bank account waiting to hit the pre-order button on apple.com; can't waiiitttttt. Yes iam and iSheep haha. It bugs me when people hate on Apple.

Not just get it on contract? Surely it would cost more in the long run if you just bought it outright esp with internet and apps etc?

Originally Posted by CharlieO

Yea but they were not made entirely of glass. If it had a non scratch resistant screen and back then it would get scratches just by putting it in your pocket or sliding it off a table. My iPhone has no scratches and doesn't have a screen protector at all or case.

you can polish them out of ones without the coating though, try it on these ones and you'll get a rainbow smudge. the back doesn't really bother me, I don't stare at the back but I've had a hairline scratch on my screen from about the first day I got it, and I was really careful then. I even had a cushion in my car door so it didn't slide about

[Smithy]

Originally Posted by CharlieO

It's coming out in November. And it would get a hell of a lot more scratches without that invisible coating so nothing to really care about it being there.

I think it comes out 10 days after the confrence

[CharlieO]

Originally Posted by Smithy

I think it comes out 10 days after the confrence

I meant November (the latest).

[Redway]

iPHONES are great. I honestly don't know why everyone's so obsessed with BlackBerries. Might get one soon.