[TheAvatar]

I just went to the Verizon store to try out the iPhone 4s. It's a fine device, but I don't feel that it's much of an upgrade over the iP4 unless CDMA+GSM and/or Siri are important to you.

After a hyped up Apple campaign, I brought the expectations to the shop and was a bit underwhelmed.

I like the way Siri is closely integrated to the system to write notes and more generally replace the keyboard, but it is far from being 100% from accepting my natural speech. I speak with no accent, not even a New York accent, so I expected a little better. But the idea of voice dictatation is something I've been yelling about for the past 2 years and at least Apple had to guts to implement it to this stage. I can dictate on my Android as well to type, but Android can't answer "Will it rain this afternoon?" Overall, it's a nice feature to have, especially for looking up information quickly, which is probably the reason I have a smartphone and not a basic phone.

The Verizon 3G network is adequate, but the iP4s' speeds are far inferior to the 4G phones. Latency and load times do not compare. Maybe the HSPA+ designation for GSM plays out better on AT&T, but with their service, you'll know when someone is talking on a smartphone (garble garble). In AT&T's case, they should offer a data-only plan for the iPhone since the voice part is so unreliable.

The screen is great ... for pictures. I have to zoom into a lot of the text for my eyes to read comfortably. This iP4 will have its users wearing big rimmed glasses. There is no text reflow for zoomed/enlarged text, and scrolling is inconvenient. The screen is also a bit small. Sometimes I have to think to myself.. it's for the most part, just a phone.

The camera is good, but I won't go far as to say amazing. The most amazing part is how fast you can take a picture from app launch to camera shutter. For those with BB and Androids, you are familiar with the lags from launching the camera app. I hope they fix that for newer devices.

[moiselles]

Funny, I find text (in the browser) on my BlackBerry to be extremely small and I get lag when I try to zoom in.

Interesting review. Did you actually purchase the device or was this just a store test? A true review should really be done after someone has had their device for at least a full 24 hours. I plan on posting a review on Sunday after I've had my 4S over the weekend. It can be misleading to do a review when you don't take the phone home to fully utilize it.

[iN8ter]

It's a fine device, but I don't feel that it's much of an upgrade over the iP4 unless CDMA+GSM and/or Siri are important to you.

Cause it looks the same?

You just described literally all Blackberries, minus the Siri part...

[lssanjose]

Store testing is a teaser experience,nothing more, in my opinion. I'll get a better feel for the iPhone when it arrives, next week

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

[Chrisy]

I'm not a fan of incremental upgrades either. I can't say if that is what the upgrade is from the I4 to I4s but it is a hugh upgrade from the 3g! My parents got theirs and the ip4s is really a great device!

[Accidental Post]

Well screw it I am going to pick one up tonight.......

[laurah2215]

Agree. Demos in the store won't give you a real indication. You need to put all your apps on, do the necessary updates and spend some time with the device to really get a good impression. But thanks for giving us a heads up. Hope you'll report back later if you purchase.

[Jake2826]

I wish Apple would stop thinking everyone has the same needs and drop this one-size fits all approach. I'm sorry, there is no way I am going to drop my hierarchy of needs simply because "The Great One" Mr. Jobs thought that his way was the ONLY WAY. Apple needs to give their customers OPTIONS. I am not a mindless drone and want CHOICES.

Start with the option of a real keyboard.
Push email support.
Better security.
Real Multi-tasking.
data compression.
More options for customizing the user experience
notification light
removable SD card slot
track pad for easy one-handed browsing
more durable hardware (less glass)
removable battery for battery swapping

[Chrisy]

I wish Apple would stop thinking everyone has the same needs and drop this one-size fits all approach. I'm sorry, there is no way I am going to drop my hierarchy of needs simply because "The Great One" Mr. Jobs thought that his way was the ONLY WAY. Apple needs to give their customers OPTIONS. I am not a mindless drone and want CHOICES.

Start with the option of a real keyboard.
Push email support.
Better security.
Real Multi-tasking.
data compression.
More options for customizing the user experience
notification light
removable SD card slot
track pad for easy one-handed browsing
more durable hardware (less glass)
removable battery for battery swapping

Why so angry? You do have choices: IPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Nokia, Windows...

No one is telling you to get an iPhone.

[moiselles]

Jake2826, no one (especially not Apple or Steve Jobs) is forcing you to buy an iPhone. That's why there are multiple phones out there for you to choose from. If you want to purchase from Apple, your options are the iPhones in their two color choices and GB sizes. That's how Apple runs their stuff and they've been incredibly successful at it and have proved you don't need 4 or 5 different phones to sell well.

Obviously they are doing something right for the majority of people who are buying iPhones or else they wouldn't sell 1 million units in 24hours or run out of stock on all U.S. carriers. RIM may offer more variety in their devices (Bold, Curve, Torch, Pearl, Style, etc.), but they won't (and aren't) see sales like Apple does, unfortunately.

[Jake2826]

Why so angry? You do have choices: IPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Nokia, Windows, Boost Mobile...

No one is telling you to get an iPhone.

But you see, I actually would like to use an Apple product that had these things. I love their software overall. Apple makes good stuff, no doubt. Just not enough options.

[Chrisy]

Well, maybe someday. Keep an eye on Apple. That's what I'm doing with BlackBerry. I'd like to get a BB again once a few more features are added.

[Jake2826]

Jake2826, no one (especially not Apple or Steve Jobs) is forcing you to buy an iPhone. That's why there are multiple phones out there for you to choose from. If you want to purchase from Apple, your options are the iPhones in their two color choices and GB sizes. That's how Apple runs their stuff and they've been incredibly successful at it and have proved you don't need 4 or 5 different phones to sell well.

Obviously they are doing something right for the majority of people who are buying iPhones or else they wouldn't sell 1 million units in 24hours or run out of stock on all U.S. carriers. RIM may offer more variety in their devices (Bold, Curve, Torch, Pearl, Style, etc.), but they won't (and aren't) see sales like Apple does, unfortunately.

Porsche is the most profitable car company in the world and they seem to have no problem giving options to their customers. I just bought a 911 three months ago and I got to choose from everything from the types of seats, to the powertrain, exhaust system, interior trim colors, suspension setup, etc...

I like Apple. I just think that if they consider themselves a premium brand, they should offer more options. End of rant.

[Chrisy]

What do you like about Apple, Jake2826 ?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[TheAvatar]

I did not write a review. I wrote an impression. I have no intention of getting an iPhone 4s. It is true that I need to spend more time on it to write a real review, but some of the issues I brought up are very valid. I have written nothing about the overall user experience, because that's not what I'm after and not something I can accomplish in my short encounter with the iPhone 4s. Anyway, for those getting the new Apple product, congratulations and I hope it serves you well.

[moiselles]

Porsche is the most profitable car company in the world and they seem to have no problem giving options to their customers. I just bought a 911 three months ago and I got to choose from everything from the types of seats, to the powertrain, exhaust system, interior trim colors, suspension setup, etc...

I like Apple. I just think that if they consider themselves a premium brand, they should offer more options. End of rant.

That's great for Porsche (and almost all car manufacturers, btw), but that's not how Apple does business at this time. I understand what you're saying, though.

[Chrisy]

Porsche is the most profitable car company in the world and they seem to have no problem giving options to their customers. I just bought a 911 three months ago and I got to choose from everything from the types of seats, to the powertrain, exhaust system, interior trim colors, suspension setup, etc...

I like Apple. I just think that if they consider themselves a premium brand, they should offer more options. End of rant.

Guess that's why if you want those kind of option you buy a Porsche. If you want to haul around kayaks, you get a Subaru.

And if you have enough $$$ to buy a Porsche, why not get a few different devices!

Probably you'll be with BlackBerry for a while, based on your needs.

[chuckh0308]

Honestly, probably 95% or more of iP4 owners would not be able to tell the difference between the 4 and the 4S other than Siri. And honestly, I will say that I think Siri look pretty cool. BUT, I think it's something that I would play with for a day or two and then I would just revert back to my old ways. I suspect that most others will do the same. So, from an iP4, the 4S probably isn't really worth it (IMO), but for those still using the 3G and 3GS, it will be quite an upgrade. The only reason I can see to upgrade is the world phone capability for the CDMA version, but I won't be traveling to Europe this year anyway, so I'll wait for the 5 that will probably be out in June on the regular iPhone schedule. But by then there may be something else I want...who knows?

[moiselles]

The camera was updated, so was the processor for speed. So it should be faster than the iPhone4 and take better pictures. Is it worth it for someone with a 4 to upgrade? Maybe not. But my husband has a 3G and I'm on a 9800 that I've been dying to get rid of for months now, so for us it makes sense. Not everyone is going to love the upgrade, of course.

[Accidental Post]

Yeo and we all know when you offer many phones how that turns out ask RIM

[AbuYazeedUK]

Most people love Blackberry's because of the physical keyboard (including me) i can't get used to typing on a touch screen but i just watched a few videos demonstrating Siri and i don't think there's even a need for a physical/virtual keyboard you can just talk to it, i think that's kinda cool

[dalton4L]

This phone is brilliant to be quite honest. I'm impressed with iOS5 so far, the camera is amazing -- I'll say it if you won't -- and it launches super quick and takes pictures seemingly quicker than the .5 second benchmark Apple claimed. As for Siri, I think I'm going to waste a lot of time messing around with her(?) than actually using her assistance, but I think it's a great feature and definitely has the potential to reshape technology as we know it. iCloud seems like it will be great but I only have a MacBook Pro and iPhone (no iPad) so it won't be of much use. All-in-all, this is a great progression for Apple, they did great, I'm content with this phone for a good while.

EDIT: I upgraded from a perfectly fine, almost brand new (replacement from Apple) iPhone 4. For the people who think the justification isn't there to make that jumpm it's all up to each individual but the upgraded camera, video, processor, and Siri are worth it for me.

[b360net]

This phone is brilliant to be quite honest. I'm impressed with iOS5 so far, the camera is amazing -- I'll say it if you won't -- and it launches super quick and takes pictures seemingly quicker than the .5 second benchmark Apple claimed. As for Siri, I think I'm going to waste a lot of time messing around with her(?) than actually using her assistance, but I think it's a great feature and definitely has the potential to reshape technology as we know it. iCloud seems like it will be great but I only have a MacBook Pro and iPhone (no iPad) so it won't be of much use. All-in-all, this is a great progression for Apple, they did great, I'm content with this phone for a good while.

EDIT: I upgraded from a perfectly fine, almost brand new (replacement from Apple) iPhone 4. For the people who think the justification isn't there to make that jumpm it's all up to each individual but the upgraded camera, video, processor, and Siri are worth it for me.

Thats great to know and will make my switch from bb BACK to the iphone 4s much easier!

[i7guy]

Yeo and we all know when you offer many phones how that turns out ask RIM

That's a ridiculous comment. My S2 is a perfectly fine phone and does everything I need it to. As a phone, the quality is better than the iphone (I have 3 in the family + ipad 2), so I have some basis for comparison.

I'm an email hound and BES is far and away, IMHO, better than the native email client on ios. It's true about once a month I have to do a battery pull, but on the ipad 2 I have to reset the thing more than occasionally because the wifi is hosed.

But I like the iphone, I just like my BB much more.

[oglethorpe]

"And if you have enough $$$ to buy a Porsche, why not get a few different devices! "

Chrisy, you are too funny. I was thinking the exact same thing. But you actually said it.

I have never used an iphone and have been a BB user for several years. But I'm going to get the iphone 4S in a couple weeks. If I don't like it, I'll just use my old BB or cough up $600 bucks for a new BB. I haven't bought a new gadget in a while so I'm kinda looking forward to it.