Apple has done it again with the unveiling of the iPhone 4S, the newest generation of the iPhone.

The iPhone 4S presold more than one million preorders during the first 24 hours of availability on Friday and could become Apple’s quickest selling product, according to an Oct. 10 New York Daily News article. Customers who preordered the phone are expected to receive them Friday.

Though some are annoyed at Apple for not releasing the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S is still an improved version of the iPhone 4.

‘I noticed a number of people expressing disappointment it wasn’t the iPhone 5, but it is the fifth iPhone, put simply,’ said James Powell, an instructional technology analyst at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, in an email.

Though the physical appearance of the phone has not changed, the technology has improved.

‘There wasn’t a need to upgrade the look and the feel of the iPhone; there was a need to innovate the software and refine internal hardware components. Apple did both of these well,’ Powell said.

The difference between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S is that the new generation phone has added components like Siri, which is comparable to having a robotic secretary at your beck and call, including a hands-free option. The iPhone 4S comes with other technological advances such as a faster processor, better graphic performance and an improved camera, according to Apple’s website.

The iPhone 4S also includes the iCloud, which allows users to store content on multiple Apple devices, in addition to the iOS 5, an upgrade of the iPhone’s operating system, according to the website.

‘Siri could take voice command functionally to a new level, and I’m looking forward to using the iOS5/iCloud, but I’m going to use my iPad for the latter,’ said Peter Weinhold, director of technology at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. ‘I already have my entire music collection in both the Amazon and Google music clouds, so I will be very interested to see how it compares.’

Though the iPhone 4S has some impressive capabilities, Weinhold does not own one.

‘I’m still on the soon-to-be-extinct T-Mobile, so if I were on another carrier, I might think about switching to an iPhone,’ Weinhold said.

John Burke, a senior information management major who blogs for the iSchool’s website, said he doesn’t think the new phone is cutting edge.

‘I’m not sure if I’d call the iPhone 4S revolutionary by itself. … It builds off a lot of great features of the iPhone 4 and definitely adds something to it, but those additions are rather minor,’ said Burke, who owns an iPhone 4.

In terms of pricing, the iPhone 4S — depending on the carrier and plan — may not be worth the upgrade, he said.

‘The problem is that most people who upgraded to the iPhone 4 are not eligible for another upgrade on their account,’ Burke said. ‘That means that the $199 iPhone 4S is now going to cost upward of $400. However, for those people still on the iPhone 3GS, now is an excellent time to upgrade.’

Although the iOS might not run as smoothly on older generation iPhones, Burke said he is still considering purchasing the iPhone 4S.

‘Some crazy people, like myself, will still get it, and the way I’m justifying the added cost is by selling my iPhone 4 on eBay or through a reseller website,’ Burke said. ‘Apple is even offering a trade-in through a third party, and you’ll get about $200 for an iPhone 4 in good condition.’

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Published on October 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm