iPhone 4S Announced by Apple

If you were expecting Apple to announce the iPhone 5, you'll be sorely disappointed. The company has decided instead to launch the iPhone 4S, which is an upgrade over the previous phone.

More than just a simple upgrade, the iPhone 4S comes equipped with a new dual-core A5 CPU to offer a huge boost to processing power. It'll enable the phone to run games like the upcoming Infinity Blade 2 without the slightest hitch.

The phone offers the same 3.5-inch Retina display as the previous units, with some design modifications to the unit's antennae that previously caused connection difficulties. Furthermore, the new iOS 5, which is set to launch on October 14, offers the phone Android-like notifications and other multitasking functionality. The new antennae will allow the phone to support both HSPA+ and EVDO.

Also new to the phone is a new high resolution camera. At 8 megapixels and a backside illuminated CMOS sensor for low-light performance, you'll be able to expect high resolution images of Scarlett Johansson should ever more pictures of the celebrity leak out onto the web. I jest, but the camera is anything but a joke, as its 5-element assembly offers a hybrid IR filter and apertures as low as f/2.4, making it quite possibly one of the best cameras on a smartphone. Additionally, the 4S can record video up to 1080p and offers a new image signal processor for image stabilization, facial recognition and high quality point-and-shoot photography. No longer will images taken on the camera look like the shots of an amateur with a cheap phone.

Apple's iPhone 4S also boasts the addition of the Siri (which is just Iris spelled backwards) personal assistant. You'll be able to speak your commands to the computer  like in some Star Trek movie. It won't be long before saying things like "Computer, make me a sandwich" becomes a reality.

In terms of battery life, the iPhone 4S offers 8 full hours of battery life for 3G talk, 14 hours of 2G, and 6 hours of web surfing time. You'll be able to watch 10 hours of video, or listen to 40 hours of music. Not a bad upgrade for a series of phones that once required a recharge every few hours.

The iPhone 4S is available in both black and white and will go on sale at $199 for the 16gb, $299 for the 32GB, and $399 for 64GB, and is available for pre-order starting October 7th. The units will ship out on October 14 in the United States, Canada, Australia, UK, France, Germany and Japan. American users will be able to pick up the phone from Sprint.