subject: Iphone4s From Apple [print this page] iPhone4S from Apple iPhone4S from Apple
In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, which instantly became one of the most talked-about consumer products ever. Thousands of customers lined up to be the first to buy the phones, which featured computing and Wi-Fi capabilities, along with a crisp, computer-like display on an innovative touch screen. Rivals rushed phones with similar features onto the market.
In October 2011, as Apple unveiled the iPhone4S, the competitive landscape had changed significantly. During its first weekend of sales, Applesaidit sold more than four million units of the iPhone 4S.
In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, which instantly became one of the most talked-about consumer products ever. Thousands of customers lined up to be the first to buy the phones, which featured computing and Wi-Fi capabilities, along with a crisp, computer-like display on an innovative touch screen. Rivals rushed phones with similar features onto the market.
In October 2011, as Apple unveiled the iPhone4S, the competitive landscape had changed significantly. During its first weekend of sales, Applesaidit sold more than four million units of the iPhone 4S.
However, millions more may be considering anAndroidphone. According to research firms that track smartphone sales,twice as manyAndroid devicesare being activated each day asAppledevices. Analysts have said that one of the main reasons people opt for Googles Android over Apples iOS is the price of the phone.
This is a striking change from 2010, when Apple and Android were roughly even, and a reflection of how Android phones have improved and become more broadly available.
Yet Apple, by many measures, still remains the smartphone player to beat, with better profits from the business, huge influence among mobile app makers and innovations that rivals scramble to copy.
The iPhone 4S comes with a virtual assistant, Siri, that recognizes voice commands by users to schedule appointments, dictate text messages and conduct Web searches.
Although the new phone is virtually indistinguishable on the outside from its predecessor, the iPhone 4, it is packed with better technical innards, including a more advanced camera. The phone also includes a more powerful chip known as the A5, the same microprocessor that acts as the brains inside theiPad.
The iPhone4s runs on two kinds of cellphone networks, GSM and CDMA, allowing its operation worldwide. Prices start at $199 for a model with 16 gigabytes of storage.
Apple will continue to sell its older iPhone 4 through its wireless carrier partners, which will drop the price to $99 from $199 when customers commit to a two-year contract. An older model of the device, the iPhone 3GS, is free, instead of $99, with a two-year contract.
The new phone is available on the AT&&T, Verizon and Sprint networks.
Legal Dispute
Soon after the iPhone 4S was introduced, Samsung Electronics said thatit would seek to block its sale in France and Italy, asserting that the phone violated its patents. In seeking a court order against its rival in the two large European markets, Samsung indicated a more aggressive stance in its expanding patent battle with Apple.
Samsung said that it planned to file for preliminary injunctions in other countries after further review. The two companies are locked in about 20 legal disputes over patents in nine countries, including Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States.
The fight began when Apple sued Samsung in April 2011 in the United States, asserting that the Samsung Galaxy lineup of smartphones and tablet devices slavishly copied the design, user interface and packaging of the iPhone and iPad. Samsung responded with its own lawsuits accusing Apple of violating its intellectual property.
An Issue of Control
Apple likes to maintain tight control over what programs can appear on the iPhone a task that became a little bit harder in July 2010, when the Library of Congress, which has the power to define exceptions to an important copyright law, said that it was legal to bypass a phones controls on what software it will run to get lawfully obtained programs to work.
The issue has been a topic of debate between Apple, which says it has the right to control the software on its devices, and technically adept users who want to customize their phones as they see fit.
Apple has also said that altering the phones encouraged the pirating of applications, exposed iPhones to security risks and taxed the companys customer support staff. But iPhone hobbyists say they simply want to have free range to use certain features and programs on their phones that Apple has limited or failed to offer.
Can Apple win in an intensely competitive market against rivals that are openly licensing their software to scores of companies? It faces that challenge not only in phones, but also in the market for tablet computers, where theiPadis about to take on a similar set of rivals.
The stakes are huge, as the mobile computing market could prove to be larger than the PC market ever was.
That leaves little room for error at Apple. The company must continue to create hit products, as a single misstep could give Android and other rivals an opportunity to make inroads and steal market share.
