iPhone 4S adds A5 processor, up to 7x graphics, arriving Oct. 14
As much as we were already aware that Apple planned on announcing an all new iPhone today, the California-based computer and mobile giant managed to keep information on the forthcoming hardware update relatively quiet (for once). And then, just minutes before the company's big iPhone presser was about to start, one of Apple's Japanese retailer sites accidentally pushed the info early, and now here we are: the iPhone 4S will arrive at Japanese retail in just under two weeks, on October 14, with an expected US and EU launch the following Friday.
The mention has since been pulled, naturally, but not before our cohorts at Engadget snapped an image of the accidental announce. As the unveiling was premature, however, we've yet to see any official information on the new phone's specs. Reports on the hardware as recently as this morning pegged it as having the iPad 2's A5 chip set, 1GB of RAM, and a much improved 8 megapixel camera, though we won't find out for sure until, well, any minute now.
No, really, the liveblog is already going. We're talking any minute.
Update: And, as promised, the iPhone 4S is official, and here's what it's packing: an Apple-designer dual core A5 chip, which is up to 2 times faster, and "dual core graphics, which mean the graphics can be up to 7 times faster than in the previous iPhone." Apple's Phil Schiller added, "We see it scream on games." To show off said screaming, they debuted Infinity Blade 2 which we guess probably screamed.
Apple promises a healthy battery life, an improved antenna design, and both GSM and CDMA radios in the device, making the 4S a true world phone. The iPhone 4S also features a new 8 megapixel camera, that's "also a lot faster."
Update 2: Apple is finally finished showing off the iPhone 4S and here's what you can expect to pay for it: $199 for the 16GB variant; $299 for the 32GB variant; and $399 for the massive 64GB variant. The phone will be available on October 14, on Verizon, AT&T, and ... Sprint. Yup, Sprint's got itself the iPhone, finally.
