Android is typically out front in share, and once foreign skin tone like dual-core processors and big screens are nearly table stakes. Apparently safe outside design, then, Apple is counting not just on speed but on camera quality and a potentially radical voice command system to take back its former place.
look of the iPhone 4S that has haggard the most censure. Many were at first dissatisfied just because it looks like its forebear, even if there's a lot of change on the inside.In the hand, it still has a good grasp and manage. The power, mute, and volume buttons are easy to hit.
iOS 5, as expected, brought some much needed improvements, such as the Android-like notification bar and lock screen, iCloud syncing, and independence from computers. iMessage was a serious advantage for BlackBerry converts. However, the lack of live information on the home screen was becoming an increasingly glaring issue relative to Android or Windows Phone. The OS is relatively static.
iCloud, while it worked well in the limited available testing, also raised concerns about Photo Stream. The 1,000-photo cap seemed arbitrary, Topolsky said, and you lose control of deleting individual photos once they reach the cloud service.
Apple's choice of a 3.5-inch screen size has usually been fine with critics.
In all cases, reviewers liked it uniformly and said the real issue was for iPhone 4 owners. While a clearly better device, it wasn't convincing enough for recent buyers to trade up, even if they wanted a feature like Siri. It was one of Apple's "less dramatic updates," Mossberg said. It was still a "darn cool" phone for Baig and a "damn cool" phone for Topolsky, however, and the consensus was that those upgrading from older iPhones or switching from another platform would find much to like.