The iPhone 4S: Is it Worth Purchasing?

This article was written by Parts2PCs Owner Fred Varano and originally appeared in the Wakefield Daily Item on October 19th, 2011.

Two questions that I have received numerous times over the past two weeks have been, “What do you think of the new iPhone?” and “If I have a previous model, do you think it’s worth buying the new one?” 

By now, most of you reading this probably know that the newest iPhone, the 4S, was released on October 14^th.  Looking at the 4S in comparison to the previous iPhone 4, there are very little physical differences, making them almost indistinguishable.  However, the most major differences are “under the hood”.  The new iPhone features a dual core processor, or engine, that makes it perform two to seven times faster when displaying video or handling apps, which means under normal use you will see a significant speed increase.  Another major change pertains to the camera included in this phone.  The 4S has an 8 Megapixel camera that also records video in 1080p, which is currently the best resolution of high definition available.  With these camera specs, this phone is a great alternative to a basic point and shoot camera.  To coincide with the release of the 4S, Apple also released a new version of its software that runs the iPhone, called iOS 5 which has a couple new features worth noting from the 200+ updates included in it.  iCloud is a feature that allows iPhone owners the ability to sync and backup their music, pictures, documents and settings wirelessly to Apple’s servers without using a computer to do so.  iCloud will also let you access those files that are backed up if you have another Apple device that you would like to use the files on.  Another software feature and possibly the most popular is called Siri.  Siri acts as a personal assistant that understands verbal commands.  For example, you can ask Siri if you will need an umbrella today and it will tell you yes or no, with the forecast for the day.  You can also have it type and send text messages and place calls for you.  Updates will continue to be released for Siri as the 4S matures. 

For those of you still using an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, there is good news.  The new iOS 5 software that runs the 4S can be installed for free on the previous two models.  Most features of iOS 5 are available for the previous models including iCloud, however Siri is not due to the lack of hardware needed for it to function. 

If you’re a person that must have the latest tech items, or are new to the iPhone world, then the 4S is a good buy.  If you have an iPhone 3GS or an iPhone 4, then it might be worth upgrading the software to take advantage of many new features, and wait until the iPhone 5 comes out for possible major changes. 

The iPhone 4S is priced at $199, $299 and $399 for the 16, 32 and 64 gigabyte versions respectively.  The 4S is available on AT&T, Verizon, and for the first time on Sprint. 

Visit www.Parts2PCs.com/TTlinks for more details about the iPhone 4S.