C-Spire is ready to release the iPhone 4S on November 11, 2011 via its online store. The network carrier will offer the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions of the iPhone 4S, as well as an 8GB version of iPhone 4. Pricing starts at $99 on-contract for the 8GB iPhone 4, and going up to $399 for the 64GB iPhone 4S.
[CP]

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The New iPhone 4S has been out for 2-weeks today, which means both MTS and SaskTel have the glory of bringing this iOS 5 device to their customers. It’s now available on both regional carriers, so residents of both provinces can get hooked on Siri. As expected, same prices as everyone else: 16GB is $159.99 on a 3-year and $649.99 outright; 32GB version is $269.99 on a 3-year and $749.99 outright.
[MS]

The iPhone specialists iSuppli have estimated that the much mooted Apple iPhone 4S costs just £130 to make, meaning that Apple makes a recession-busting £369 per handset sold

A new report published by iPhone specialists iSuppli has claimed that the 16GB version of the Apple iPhone 4S costs just £130 to manufacture, scoring Apple a profit of £369 per handset.

The report, which looked at the materials and manufacturing costs associated with the device, found that the components inside the handset cost just £120 in total, with the extra £10 allocated to manufacturing expenses.

The news might come as an unwelcome surprise to the hoards of Apple fans who queued up for hours – some even for days – to be among the first to get their hands on the much-mooted handset.

Apple’s critics often highlight the rocketing prices of the handsets and when the first ever iPhone was released in 2007, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer dismissed it as the “most expensive phone in the world.”

It’s perhaps for this reason why Android-touting blowers and tablets have been growing significantly across the world.

The Samsung Galaxy S 2, which touts the Android OS and has a considerably larger screen than the iPhone, is £99 cheaper. And the upcoming Motorola Razr will also tout a similar price tag when it’s released at the beginning of November.

Andrew Rassweiler of iSuppli said: “On the outside, the iPhone 4S may have disappointed some with its perceived lack of new features. But on the inside, the latest member of the iPhone line includes a wealth of innovation.”

When the iPhone 3GS was released back in 2009, a teardown by iSuppli estimated the total cost of the device to be around £112, and the iPhone 4, a 2010 report claimed, cost just £118 to make.
[t3]

So there was no iPhone 5 announced by Tim Cook, but rather, the iPhone 4S made a debut recently, being the fastest selling iPhone to date already. Steve Jobs might no longer be with us, but that does not mean his thumbprint isn’t going to be on future products – after all, there are rumors that he has a hand in up to four years’ worth of products in Apple’s pipeline, not to mention his involvement in the iPhone 5 “from concept to final design” – at least that is what Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar claims.

Do you think that a prototype of the iPhone 5 is lying around somewhere in Cupertino, safe from the hands of engineers who love to visit bars after their work? I would think that 2012 will signal the next generation iPhone, where the technological leap made there would far surpass the transition from the iPhone 4 to the 4S.

Kumra claims that a totally new design is in store, boasting a larger display (about time, too!) alongside a slimmer body that will be no larger compared to the iPhone 4S. I wonder what kind of first weekend sales records the iPhone 5 would make – will it break the 4 million mark set by the iPhone 4S?
[UG]

Apple has just announced that it has managed to sell more than 4 million iPhone 4S units in the first three days of its availability. The iPhone 4S went on sale on Friday, October 14, in seven countries (the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK).

As a comparison, the iPhone 4 managed just 1.7 million sales in its first weekend, but there’s a caveat to take into account when comparing numbers. The iPhone 4 was initially available in just five countries (the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan). On top of those, the iPhone 4S was also sold in Australia and Canada, and that may influence the numbers a bit.

But anyway, this is probably Apple’s biggest ever product launch, and it’s pretty clear that the iPhone 4S has sold more than the iPhone 4 in its first weekend. Exactly by how much is hard to tell at the moment considering the territorial availability issues described above.

This is a great start for Apple’s newest iPhone, and it goes to show that people have been anxiously awaiting something new from Apple. Perhaps delaying the launch by a few months was just a strategy to get even more people to go for an iPhone 4S. We’ll never know.

Apple has also let us know that 25 million people are already using iOS 5, the company’s newest mobile operating system version which was also launched last week. In rough numbers, that means that about 21 million people have already updated to this version of the OS. Apple also boasts that 20 million people have signed up for iCloud, its new services offering.
[UWV]

If you’re among the teeming masses holding a brand new iPhone 4S in your hands, you may be surprised (as we were) to find there’s something conspicuously absent from the Network Settings menu on your new device: specifically the ability to manually shut off 3G data. After receiving word, and a screenshot, from a helpful tipster, rocking a 4S on Vodafone’s network, we found the same option missing from our own AT&T iteration. Of course this isn’t the sort of thing that’s likely to have an impact on most users, but if you’re the type that likes to squeeze every last bit of juice out of that Apple, the omission could cause some frustration. We gave Apple support a call to see what they had to say, and were told AppleCare has no official response on the matter. If you’re lamenting the loss of the 3G flip-switch sound off in the comments below.
[EG]

The rumour is that the new iPhone 4S received its name, the “S” portion, to remember the late Steve Jobs. Others believe it’s simply continues the tradition of a previous iPhone and symbolizes “Speed” due to the A5 dual core processor. In addition, it’s also heavily rumoured that this was the last iPhone that Jobs had a part in creating, making millions of customers flock to purchase it simply to remember him… but according some analysts it’s the next iPhone that will feature the Jobs golden touch.

The “iPhone 5″ is expected to be a be announced during their WWDC next Summer and will be a “complete redesign”, most likely with the bigger display, thinner and be LTE-capable. CNET is reporting their source says the “iPhone 5 was the “very large project that Steve dedicated all of his time to. He was not that involved in the 4S because his time was limited”. Finally, analyst Ashok Kumar from Rodman & Renshaw echos similar thoughts with a note to his clients that the iPhone 5 will be a “cult classic” because it “was the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design. For that reason…this product will establish the high water mark for iPhone volumes”.

As for the new iPhone 4S, Apple should be coming out tomorrow with opening weekend sales results. Some are expecting the numbers to hit 4 million.
[MS]

You know how incredibly popular a certain device is when accessories for it are being introduced in the market before the very device is yet to be made available to the public. This seems to be the case for the upcoming Apple iPhone 4S. While the iPhone 4S is yet to reach consumer’s hands, there are already accessories like this Slider Bluetooth Keyboard being made available and ready for those future iPhone 4S owners.

The Slider Bluetooth Keyboard from Concord Keystone is designed to give the iPhone 4S a phone case that comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for those who wish and yearn for the more traditional way of typing on their device. It can be paired with the iPhone 4S wirelessly via Bluetooth. The keyboard also comes with its own rechargeable battery so that it won’t be sharing power use with the smart phone. The Slider Bluetooth Keyboard is available at Concord Keystone for US$50.
[GG]

You didn’t think the latest iPhone would be saved from Colorware’s paint-dipped hands, did you?
Lo and behold, the company’s swatches are currently ready for application on the 4S. Similar to its iPhone 4 treatments, you’ll be able to spice up your device — and its earbuds — with a mixture of glossy, metallic and soft-touch coatings (excluding mainly the front face, which remains stock black or white). Colorware’ll gladly sell you a fresh 16 or 64GB model for a whopping $1,500 or $1,700, respectively, or you can mail yours in to get a Benetton-esque makeover for just $250.
[EG]

As we mentioned in our earlier coverage, Siri was initially developed outside Apple at the SRI, and the original Siri app worked just fine on an iPhone 4, although it was never integrated the way it is in iOS 5. It is fair to say that the lack of Siri support on iPhone 4 is probably a way for Apple to differentiate the iPhone 4S from the iPhone 4.

Steven Troughton-Smith has been able to backport Siri from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone 4, and it means that iPhone 4 owners may be able to get Siri, at least for those who are willing to jailbreak (bypass Apple’s app install authorization) their phones.

So, does it work? It apparently does according to that movie and story from 9to5Mac, and the author even says that if it appears sluggish, it’s because there is a missing driver. Until then, we won’t know for sure how fast Siri really is on the iPhone 4. Obviously, the iPhone 4S has more muscles, there’s no question about it, but it would have been really nice if iPhone 4 users had access to Siri. Now, will Apple block it at the server level? Let’s wait and see!
[UG]