Apple unveils new iPhone 4S
Posted October 4, 2011 1:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Apple Inc. has unveiled a new iPhone during a media event hosted by new CEO Tim Cook at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
The iPhone 4S has a faster processor, longer battery life, a dual-band GSM/CDMA chip, an eight-megapixel camera and a personal assistant called Siri, which takes dictations and lets users set up appointments by voice commands, the company said.
It’ll be available in the United States, Canada and five other nations Oct. 14, and in 22 additional countries on Oct. 28, the company said.
In the U.S., the iPhone 4S with a two-year carrier agreement will sell for $199 US (16 gigabyte (GB)), $299 (32 GB) and $399 (64 GB). In Canada, the device starts at $649 Cdn, according to Apple’s Canadian website.
Apple’s stock price was up $2.40 US to $377 at 1 p.m. on the Nasdaq before the announcement, and slid as much as $11.94 after the news. It closed down $2.10 to $372.50.
It was Cook’s first product launch as CEO, after he replaced Steve Jobs who has been plagued with health problems and resigned in August. Jobs, who wasn’t present at the launch, remains as the company’s chairman.
Cook opened the event, saying “it was a privilege of a lifetime.”
During the media event, Scott Forstall, senior vice-president of iPhone software, unveiled Apple’s iOS 5 operating system and ran through its features, including the ability to sync content wirelessly, without having to plug the device to a Mac or Windows machine. The latest OS will also let users have access to the Card app, which lets users make their own greeting cards, and iMessage, which is similar to RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger. It will be available Oct. 12.
Eddy Cue, senior vice-president of Internet software and services, told the audience that iCloud, a free service that stores users’ content and pushes it to all their devices, will be available Oct. 12.
Apple also touted the popularity of its products (250 million iPhones, iPods and iPads have been sold) and unveiled a new line of iPods, including a Nano model with a multi-touch display that promises to be easier to navigate.
With files from The Associated Press
