Should you get the iPhone 4S?
The latest iteration of Apple’s iconic iPhone is set to launch in South Africa tomorrow (16 December 2011), and Apple fans and technophiles have “pre-registered” for their chance to be among the first in the country with the device.
If last year’s iPhone 4 launch is anything to go by, people will be queuing outside stores launching the device at midnight, ready to sign two year contracts to get their hands on the iPhone 4S.
I won’t be among them.
Not because of concerns over battery life or possible issues causing the device to randomly disconnect from the network or lose connectivity with the SIM, but because the iPhone 4S offers limited benefits over its predecessor.
Among the more significant improvements available on the iPhone 4S are the 8 megapixel camera (compared to the 5MP camera of the iPhone 4), a faster processor, 14.4Mbps HSPA+ support (as opposed to the 7.2 Mbps support of the iPhone 4), and Siri.
Siri is the voice-driven natural language processing application Apple made exclusive to the iPhone 4S and is probably the single biggest draw-card of the device.
However, Siri’s local search feature that answers questions such as “Where’s the nearest restaurant?” doesn’t work outside the United States for the moment. Apple promised that this would change during 2012, but it isn’t confirmed when, or even if, these features will come to South Africa.
Given the commitment Apple has shown to the South African market with iTunes (none), I wouldn’t expect much love for us anytime soon, however.
That said, Siri’s other functions still work and among other things it will allow you to listen to and send messages, as well as set reminders with certain conditions.
For some this method of interaction with your phone is something they’ve long dreamed of, and for them this upgrade may be well worth it.
For me it all comes down to the difference in price between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on contract.
The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S all run the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS5. To maximise their reach, iPhone developers would have to ensure that their apps run on the older hardware.
When the iPhone 4S launched elsewhere in the world it came with price reductions on previous generation iPhones, as well as the introduction of models with smaller storage.
MTN, for instance, already has an 8GB iPhone 4 available on an AnyTime 100 package with 150MB data included per month for R269.
If, like me, you consider Siri an optional extra, I would wait to see what deals become available for the iPhone 4 before signing anything.
That is unless you already have an iPhone 4, in which case just hold onto it. Do you really need to be able to talk to your phone?
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