512 Pixels

Prayers for the Jobs family this evening.

Speaking of podcasts, I go to join the boys on The Bro Show this week to talk about the iPhone 4S. Go check it out.

Long live the tiny, spinning hard drive.

Jason Gilbert, for the Huffington Post:

It’s not that the new iPhone won’t be great. It will be one of, if not the, best smartphone available to consumers when it is released on October 14. After all, it is identical to the fantastic iPhone 4, except its antenna will be much-improved, the Internet and the apps will load and run faster and the camera and battery will put its predecessor’s to shame.

And that – exactly that! – is the reason why everyone is so disappointed. It is exactly identical to the iPhone 4, except it got some nerd-friendly upgrades on its insides. Faster processors. Improved antennas. Increased camera pixels. Okay, okay, fine: But where is the improvement that I can see? And where is the improvement that my friends and co-workers and ex-lovers will be able to see and drool over and associate with me when I whip this shiny new Apple thing out?

AOL really has some great writers, don’t you think?

Want to know about three-wheeled cars like the Reliant Robin? Well, episode two of Myke and I’s new podcast is perfect for you!

And that voice sounds like a female robot.

Joking aside, Siri looks incredible. It seems way more futuristic than FaceTime did a year ago.

The iPod touch got a splash of white paint a new price point, but not much else.

Nowhere on Apple’s tech specs page for the iPod touch does it mention what CPU the device has inside. My guess — based on Apple not touting an A5 — that the “new” iPod touch isn’t all that new after all, and still has an A4 under the hood.

This is surprising to me. Maybe Apple couldn’t source enough parts or get the price right.¹ Maybe the iPod touch is too thin to stuff a big enough battery in its chassis.

Whatever the reason, the A5 seems to smoke the A4 when it comes to gaming performance.

The very thing Apple pimps as the iPod touch’s reason for being.

Furthermore, the iPod touch didn’t get 1080P video recording. Or an IPS display. Or better battery life.

The iPod touch feels less like an “iPhone without the phone” and more like “an old iPhone without the phone.”

Holy moly, that’s a lot of data to move.

CNET’s David Carnoy needs to buy some big-boy pants.

Well, it’s here. And it’s got a familiar face.

With all new insides, the iPhone 4S keep the same glass/steel ice cream sandwich design we’ve all become very familiar with since last summer.

In fact, the 4S is exactly the same, except for two minor changes:

• It weighs 3 grams more than the iPhone 4.
• It now has four symmetric notches in the steel band, like the CDMA iPhone 4 and a micro-SIM slot on the side, like the GSM version.

Side by side, no normal, non-nerd human would notice.

So why would Apple do this?

The “Apple Screwed Up” Theory

Some people have been tweeting something along these lines:

Apple couldn’t get the iPhone 5 right, so they had to ship the new phone in the old case.

I’ve got a few responses to this.

1. Even if Apple did have issues with an “all-new” iPhone design, it isn’t late or delayed until Apple makes a deadline public and misses the ship date.
2. Even if Apple did have issues with an “all-new” iPhone design, do you think any of us would ever know about it?
3. Let’s say that Apple did have issues with a new design. It’s not as easy to just slap new guts in an old case and ship a device. Apple’s hardware group spent serious time and energy on this device. Before you think that’s why this announcement didn’t happen in the summer, visit points 1 and 2 in this list.

If it Ain’t Broke…

The iPhone 4 is an amazing looking device. Its clean lines, neat edges and solid feel are a very hard combination to beat. Consumers seem to love it.

I think it isn’t unreasonable at this point to assume that moving forward, Apple will be on a two-year cycle with the iPhone. Most US customers are stuck on two-year contracts, so why release a brand-new iPhone every year?

Apple iterates its products. Revolution, then evolution. The iPhone 4S, like the iPhone 3GS before it, is an evolution of an already good design. Nothing more.

Apple has unveiled AppleCare+ for iPhone. It’s $99, must be purchased with a new iPhone and includes a new feature:

AppleCare+ for iPhone extends repair coverage and technical support to two years from the original purchase date of your iPhone and adds coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage due to handling, each subject to a $49 service fee.

(Emphasis mine.)

Apple’s new iPhone looks like the iPhone 4, but packs a A5, a better camera and battery and Siri-powered voice control. Oh, and gone are the CDMA and GSM variants — Apple is shipping one world phone. Here in the US, it means AT&T, Verizon and Sprint owners can all join the fun.

Starting at $199 on October 14.