APPLE DROPS IPHONE 4S,
IOS 5 AND ICLOUD
Without the usual dramatics of Steve Jobs, who stepped down from his CEO post in August, Cook introduced the latest iPhone iteration, the 4S, including a chip “for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics, an all-new camera with advanced optics, and full 1080p HD video recording."
Available Oct. 14, wireless subscribers will be able to buy a 64 gig version of the iPhone 4S for $399, a 32 GB model for $299, and 16 GB for $199. The price for the 8 GB iPhone4 has been cut to $99 while the 3GS is free.
Apple also introduced iOS 5, “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features,” as well as iCloud, “a breakthrough set of free cloud services that work with the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store content and push it to all your devices.
“iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever,” said Apple SVP Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller.
iCloud is a set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with Apple devices. When content changes on one device, all other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.
The company is also touting a new feature called Siri, which will answer verbal inquiries about the weather, stock prices and restaurant reviews — and handle tasks such as making appointments in your calendar.
Investors were apparently disappointed that the much-ballyhooed iPhone 5 didn’t materialize, with its space-age hologram projection and virtual keyboard apps: The value of Apple shares declined during the presentation and are down about 4.7% an hour before the end of the trading day.
