iPhone 4S Singapore Release On 28 Oct 2011

Hi Folks,

It’s official … there will not be an iPhone 5 in 2011. The new iPhone to replace iPhone 4 is called iPhone 4S.

That’s the bad news but the good news is iPhone 4S Singapore Release is on 28 Oct 2011.

Yap … that’s right, if everything goes well (i.e. Apple get the stocks to Singapore on time and Singtel, StarHub and M1 get their launch ready on time), we should be queuing up to grab iPhone 4S on 28 Oct 2011.

So what’s new and hot in iPhone 4S?

Well … it’s about an all-new 8 Megapixel Camera and Optics, the Dual-core A5 processor (from iPad 2), iOS 5 and iCloud (plus a couple of others … really).

Dual-core A5 processor (from iPad 2)

Getting the Dual-core A5 processor in the iPhone 4S is nothing of a surprise … it will be a surprise if it doesn’t get it!!

The big question is … how does the A5 help the iPhone 4S?

Apple states that their dual-core A5 chip delivers

Up to twice the processing power and up to seven times faster graphics than iPhone 4, all while maintaining incredible battery life—now up to 8 hours of 3G talk time

The iPhone 4S definitely needs the two times more processing power to run the new iOS 5 with it’s new Siri voice assistant and notification centre.

The faster graphics of the A5 will help in graphic intensive mobile games and more importantly, in the new camera functionality (still photos and video) as it is said to deliver better auto white balance, video stabilization and record video in full 1080p HD resolution!!

The last bit is probably the best … it delivers all the power while maintaining the good battery life (for a smart phone with all these functionality, it’s damn good already … don’t compare to your old Nokia, ok).

All-new 8 Megapixel Camera and Optics

If I have to name ONE sole reason to upgrade my iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S … it’s this … the all-new 8 Megapixel Camera and Optics.

While other smart phone makers just simply bump up their pixel count or add dual LED flash (which sucks actually as it white wash the entire picture) … Apple gives the entire package.

First of all, it has vastly improve the shooting speed of the camera phone … the iPhone 4S takes 1.1 second from launching the camera app to taking the first photo and 0.5 second from shot to shot.

It’s still tortoise pace compared to DSLR’s but it’s the hare among the camera equipped smartphones – thanks to the Apple-designed image signal processor in the A5 dual-core chip and coupled with the features built into iOS 5.

Of course, we now know that he iPhone 4S backlit sensor has 8 megapixel (3264 x 2448 pixel) which is great but more interesting is the design of the camera lens … 5 elements in 2 groups with a f/2.4 aperture (now we are talking serious photography with this compound lens … Only Sony Xperia Arc S comes close but we don’t know the design about their lens which usually means it’s simpler in design … probably a simple lens – i.e. only a single lens element is involved).

A compound lens allows for more optical aberrations to be corrected than is possible with a single element and hence you get a sharper and optically accurate image.

A large f/2.4 aperture allows more light to fall on the sensor thus helping you capture that all important image in low-light situations … don’t you always find all important images always happen in low-light situations?

And if you have to ask … no, it won’t make you a better photographer … it simply gives you the tool to take better picture

And of course, there is the new Full HD video recording with video image stabilization to help you capture that all important video in Full HD glory (just remember to get the 64GB version of the iPhone if you plan to do a lot of video capturing).

There are also new features in the Camera and Photos apps give you instant access to the camera right from the lock screen, and you can also use the volume-up button to quickly snap a photo.

There is also the optional grid lines help line up your shot and a simple tap locks focus and exposure on one subject.

The new Photos app also lets you crop, rotate, enhance and remove red-eye, and organize your photos into albums right on your device to share them on the go.

iPhone 4S Gets HSDPA 14,4Mbps

Finally iPhone 4S gets double the download speed of iPhone 4. Now it has the internet access speed to match it’s rivals 14.4Mbps downlink!! Do I need to say more?

iOS 5

Of course, every time Apples unveils a new iPhone … it always comes with a new iOS … this year, it’s iOS 5.

New iOS 5 features include built-in Twitter integration and iMessage, so you can instantly share your photos via Twitter directly from the Photos app and send photos via iMessage to individuals or groups.

Oh … just in case you are wondering, sending messages via iMessage between iOS 5 devices is free

All those are good but the most interesting thing on the iOS 5 is Siri.

The intelligent assistant that helps you get things done. All you have to do is ask.

I’m not going to explain what Siri is … this video below explains better, just watch it!

Are you drooling already?

If you are, don’t be embarrass cos I’m drooling too

iCloud

iCloud is a kind of online backup and sync service integrated into iOS 5 … this is how Apple describes it

iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, contacts, calendars, documents and more, keeping them up to date across all your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.

iCloud will be available on October 12 as a free download to iPhone, iPad or iPod touch users running iOS 5 or a Mac running OS X Lion with a valid Apple ID.

iCloud includes 5GB of free cloud storage for Mail, Document Storage and Backup. Purchased music, TV shows, apps, books and Photo Stream do not count against the storage limit.

Additional iCloud storage upgrades are available to purchase starting at US$20 a year for 10GB, US$40 a year for 20GB and US$100 a year for 50GB.

Shipping & Release Date In Singapore

In the Apple press release for iPhone 4S, it’s stated that

iPhone 4S will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries by the end of October including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland

But as you can see on the slides presented during the Apple event, it simply states 28 Oct.

My guess is that all 3 Telco’s will start it’s pre-order or collecting reservation as early as this week for the iPhone 4S … so if you are interested in getting one, watch out for it!!

Are You Ready For the New iPhone 4?

Cheers,
James

Credit : Images from Engadget.com and Apple.com.sg