No iPhone5, Apple Releases Revamped iPhone 4s
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The rumors were wrong, but Apple is betting you'll still want their new iPhone.
Most tech reporters and bloggers said it was a given: Apple would announce the iPhone 5 in an event on Tuesday. That didn't happen -- but the company did show off a new device and new features.
The iPhone 4S has a faster processor, '4G' speeds for downloads, longer talk time, an improved 8MP camera (with 1080p video and image stabilization), and Apple says the call quality is improved on this worldphone:
"The guts of it are really like the next generation iPhone, but the name and the look are not."
Brian Tong with CNET.com says the 4S includes a software feature, called Siri, that aims to serve as your personal assistant:
"You could ask the phone should I wear a raincoat today, and it would tell you it looks like it's going to rain. You can schedule appointments by saying I'd like to have dinner here after I get off work. Because it's integrated into the OS and knows what your calendar is, it will be able to make appointments for you."
Circle Oct. 14th for its release date.
If you just have to have an iPhone, perhaps the biggest news is a price cut for the current models: the 3GS is now free and the 4 is $99 -- both with contract.
The iPhone 4S starts at $199 for a 16GB model and goes for $399 for 64GB of storage. For the first time, Sprint customers can get in on the action, with pre-orders starting Oct. 7.
Apple also announced new features in iOS 5, which will be available for free download on Oct. 12. Notifications will be less invasive; there's a new messaging service (think BBM for iPhone and iPad) that will work between iOS devices; Twitter is now integrated into the OS; and a reminder feature serves as a location-based to-do list that pings you when you're near the site of an errand.
Reported by Ian Bush, KYW Newsradio
