How do I find the software version on my iPhone

If you want to know which version of iOS you have installed the software on your iPhone, now teach you how.

The first thing you have to do is go to settings and connect your iPhone to your computer and use iTunes.

If you choose the first option in the iPhone select Settings, then General, then the information. You will see the contents of your device, including the version of the option that tells you what to update you on your iPhone.

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Ferrari and Apple Bringing Siri, iPads to Italian Supercars

Digsby

IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application!

http://digsby.com

Not only did Ferrari unveil the LaFerrari (above), a hybrid supercar, this week, it also announced that Apple will offer Siri integration and iPad minis in the Ferrari FF. And while the $1.3 million LaFerrari is incredibly exciting, it’s the company’s partnership with Apple that is most intriguing to us. 

According to Ferrari, the relationship, which was established when Apple executive Eddy Cue joined the automaker’s board of directors last year, will allow for Ferrari to offer Apple’s Siri Eyes Free mode in the four-seater, meaning drivers will be able to take control of their vehicle’s infotainment system using Apple’s Web-connected voice assistant. 

Digsby

IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application!

http://digsby.com

Beyond that, the FF will also come with two brand-spanking-new iPad minis for rear seat passengers, for when sitting in an Italian supercar becomes so blasé that you’d rather play “Words with Friends” than enjoy the ride.

Although seeing Apple and Ferrari team up is interesting, it certainly isn’t the first time an automaker has used Siri Eyes Free mode in one of its vehicles. In fact, Chevy unveiled its Siri-enabled Spark EV, a decidedly less exciting car than the FF, at CES 2013.

What is impressive is the way Apple has managed to make Siri Eyes Free mode a worthwhile investment for automakers at both ends of the automotive spectrum, which means there’s no doubt we’ll see many more vehicles sporting Apple’s handiwork in the near future.

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Apple iWatch Is For Real; To Be Made Available Later This Year: Reports

We had (in fact our German co publication) back in December 2012 first reported about the news regarding the possibility of Apple coming up with a wearable watch type gadget. Most likely to be christened the iWatch, we now have reports coming in from various sources claiming that Apple has started testing designs for this wearable gadget. The device according to a BloomBerg report will resemble a small scale iPhone and like most iDevices of today would run iOS.

The report also adds that in the current stage of its development Apple is working on tweaking the battery life of the device – which they hope to be around four or five days from the current reported figure of just two odd days. It is also being reported that Apple is in talks with its old time partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Company to manufacture this new device.

Also to be noted is that back in 2011, Apple has reportedly filed for a patent application that talked about a “Bi-stable spring with flexible display”. If that went over your head, let me simplify it for you (sort of). That patent talked about a contraption that constituted a bi-stable spring that would be made out of thin steel and would come wrapped in a fabric covering. This in turn would be heat-sealed. The device would also have a display that would be located at one side of the bracelet (akin to a watch) with a logic board and battery stuck on to the other side.  The patent application also indicated that this device would come with a bunch of sensors onboard it and would also support wireless charging.

Anyway, do you think you would be lining up outside your nearest Apple Store to buy this one once this thing is out?

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Seidio Shatterproofs Your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S III

The Gorilla Glass protecting the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5 may stand up admirably to everyday use and in-pocket key scratches, but it’s still susceptible to cracking if something lands on the phone’s screen—or if you drop your device on the ground. If you’re prone to butter fingers rather than sure hands, you might want to check out Seidio’s new Vitreo screen protector for those very phones, which claim to offer “unbeatable, shatterproof protection.”

The secret sauce lies in the Vitreo’s tempered glass design, which is rated for sturdy 9H hardness. That makes them more similar to an actual Gorilla Glass sheet than the flimsy plastic protectors that are so common today. The Vitreo protectors still stick to the surface of phones with a silicon adhesive, eliminating gaps between the protector and the phone’s actual display while adding just 0.55mm (or 0.02-inch) of thickness to the phone’s profile.


Seidio offers Vitreo screen protectors for the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III for $39.95 a pop, while a Vitreo protector for the second- through fourth-generation iPad will set you back $69.95. That’s a whole lot more than a standard plastic screen protector, but a whole lot less than the cost of replacing a shattered screen.

It’ll be interesting to see how Seidio’s shatterproof claims hold up in the wild—Gorilla Glass is also said to have a 9H hardness rating and it doesn’t exactly take a direct blow like a champ—especially if you drop a phone on its corner edge. Of course, if your screen protector cracks from a withering blow but your phone’s display remains intact, that’s a win in our book.

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Apple Sells Two Million iPhones Over The Weekend In China!

When the iPhone went on sale in the worlds largest smartphone market late last week, everyone had reported about the overall lack of enthusiasm from consumers there. Unlike the iPhone 4S, which was greeted with serpentine queues in front of Apple Stores across China, the iPhone 5 witnessed a comparatively muted launch. In fact, there were reports claiming that there was just one Apple fan outside the Apple Store at Shanghai waiting for his treasured next generation iPhone.

Three days later, we’re hearing an entirely different story. The Wall Street Journal – with confirmationfrom Apple officials say that the iPhone 5 broke the “first weekend sales” record set by its predecessor – the iPhone 4S in China. The iPhone 5 in three days has managed to sell over 2 million units in the country - closely matching the 2.1 million sales that the iPhone 4S saw the last time.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement confirmed the news and asserted that China is amongst Apple’s most important markets  and that “customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products”.

(Yeah right. That explains the two month delay in bringing your products there!  )

All said, if the sales figures are true, this is indeed good news for Apple which according to many has been under pressure from its competitors. Samsung for example has time and again managed to flood the market with capable iPhone alternatives and have the sales numbers to back up their claim that the iPhone no longer occupies the coveted pedestal it once used to. Apple’s recent iOS 6 Maps fiasco didn’t help its cause any bit either.

Anyway, what has left us wondering is the fact that where did all these two million iPhone fly off the shelves from if there weren’t any people buying them off shelves? Pre-orders, maybe?

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Apple’s share price collapse after chilly iPhone 5 reception in China

Apple’s share price collapse after chilly iPhone 5 reception in China

December 14, 2012 | By Surur

Apple’s share price opened 3% down this morning on news that the iPhone 5 has had a pretty muted reception in China, where the device went on sale today.

Unlike the release of the iPhone 4s, no long lines of customers were seen queuing outside Apple’s seven retail stores in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Sina.com notes although the iPhone 5 could still become a popular product, Chinese consumers’ fever for the latest model has cooled as it offers few exciting upgrades from the earlier model.

"The iPhone 5 boosts no big innovations and is not very different from the iPhone 4s," said a woman surnamed Lou at an Apple store in Beijing’s Xidan shopping street. "I might wait for the next model."

Another woman surnamed Ye told Xinhua that she hopes Apple can come up with new models with major upgrades.

"The iPhone 5 is undeniably a good product. However, among the high-end smartphone category, it has a smaller screen and few bright spots, but has a high price," said Wang Yanhui, secretary general of the China Mobile Phone Alliance.

Multiple factors have worked against the iPhone 5 in China, including multiple competitors with bigger screens, faster network access and deals with China Mobile, the largest carrier in the world.

Apple’s share price recently took a knock after Nokia was able to make a deal with China Mobile for the Nokia Lumia 920T, while Apple was unable to for the iPhone 5. Currently Apple has lost nearly $200 billion in share holder value since their summer high, and appears to be handing back all the meteoric increases in their share price they gained this year so far.

Apple’s stock price will not get an effective boost unless it shows signs of unveiling products with major innovations, said Wang.

Money seems to be flowing from Apple to Nokia’s who’s shares are up 2.66% this morning and nearly 140% from their summer low of $1.63.

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Apple found to violate 3 Nokia and Sony patents

Apple found to violate 3 Nokia and Sony patents

December 13, 2012 | By Surur

Jurors in Wilmington, Delaware today found Apple was in violation of 3 patents held by MobileMedia, a consortium created by Nokia, Sony and the MPEG-LA to enforce their collective patents.

The firm sued Apple in 2010 claiming that it infringed 14 patents in total. Only 3 patents eventually went to court, and Apple was found to be infringing all three. Patents included the camera’s phone and "call handling and call rejection."

MobileMedia Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn said after the decision: "We’re very pleased. We think it’s justified."

MobileMedia is managing 300 patents and currently has on-going cases against RIM (regarding 12 patents) and HTC (regarding 11 patents).

No settlement was announced yet, but the victory will likely result in license payments which will eventually percolate to the three respective companies.

Apple has already been forced to settle with Nokia regarding 3G patents in 2011, paying $608 million to Nokia and also on-going license fees.

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Will.i.am Unveils “i.am+ foto.shosho” Camera Accessory for iPhone

When is an iPhone not an iPhone? When it’s transformed into a 14-megapixel “genius-phone” capable of taking better photos than Apple’s stock shooter can provide. Musician Will.i.am launched his new i.am+ foto.sosho accessory for the iPhone in London today, which he says can “turn your iPhone into a fashionable camera.”

There are actually four separate versions of the iam+ foto.sosho available, each sporting a completely different look, differing capabilities and price tags starting at £199, which is roughly $320 USD by today’s exchange rate. (The “V.4″ model shown above costs £299.)

Your iPhone slips into the accessory, which sports its own slide-out physical keyboard, Britain’s Daily Telegraph reports. The i.am+ foto.sosho also comes with four interchangeable lenses: standard, fish-eye, wide, and a zoom lens. The dock brings custom software to the table, including Instagram-esque filters, photo editing capabilities, and the ability to share photos online, presumably to Will.i.am’s new i.am website.

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iPhone 5 and Kim Kardashian top Bing's 2012 search lists

Yes, we know that 2012 is still over a month away from being over, but that's not stopping Microsoft from releasing its annual list of the news stories, people and products that were searched for the most on its Bing search engine. Microsoft released its 2011 list about this same time last year.

In today's press release, Microsoft said reality show star Kim Kardashian was back on top as the most searched person on Bing this year. Kardashian was number one on Bing in 2010 but lost the top spot in 2011 to pop singer Justin Bieber, who went down to number two on Bing's people search list this year.

For 2012, the iPhone 5 topped the search list in the news category on Bing, followed by the 2012 elections and the 2012 Olympics. Hurricane Sandy coverage and reality show "star" Honey Boo Boo rounded out the top five most searched news items.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was the most searched athlete on Bing in 2012 and Justin Bieber was, not surprisingly, the most search music artist this year. "Beyoncé’s baby" was the most searched celebrity item on Bing in 2012 and American Idol was the most searched TV show on Bing in the past. More search categories and details for 2012 can be checked out at the official Bing blog.

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Apple to finally start selling new iMacs Friday

In late October, Apple held a press event where it announced a ton of new products, including the fourth-generation iPad and the new iPad mini tablet. It also announced a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display. All of those products have since gone on sale.

However, yet another new product that was announced at the same press event was a new version of the all-in-one iMac. Apple went silent on when that PC would go on sale, which lead to speculation that the new iMac would not ship until sometime in early 2013.

Today, Apple officially announced that the new 21.5-inch iMac would go on sale online and via Apple Stores on Friday, November 30. The larger 27-inch iMac will also go on sale on that date online but won't actually start shipping until sometime in December.

Both versions of the iMac feature a new design with a case that is just 5 mm thick, along with a new display that Apple claims cuts down on reflections by as much as 75 percent. Both versions will have 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB hard drive,  There's also the option of adding a 128 GB SSD with a standard hard drive that the iMac sees as one single "Fusion Drive" for increased performance.

The new 21.5-inch iMac has a starting price of $1,299 and features a 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics card, with upgrades available for higher prices. The new 27-inch iMac will be sold with a starting price of $1,799 with a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5 chip and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M graphics chip, again with upgrades available for higher prices.

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Apple’s Siri is Heading to Chevy’s 2013 Spark and Sonic

Apple’s Siri is moving beyond the confines of the iPhone and iPad and is taking its show on the road, literally. Chevy announced today at the L.A. Auto Show that its 2013 Spark and Sonic LTZ and RS models are getting full Siri integration, allowing users to control the voice-activated digital assistant directly from their cars.

The feature is being rolled into Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system and will be accessible via the Spark and Sonic’s steering wheel-mounted voice activation button. Once a driver syncs their iPhone or iPad with MyLink via Bluetooth, Siri will become fully operational using the vehicles’ Eyes Free mode. 

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Top 5 Lightning Accessories for Your iPhone 5 or New iPad

The new Lightning connector for the Apple iPhone 5, fourth-gen iPad and iPad mini has caused some controversy, but it has plenty of advantages. It’s 80 percent smaller than the previous 30-pin dock connector (enabling thinner designs). And, because it’s reversible, there’s no wrong way to plug the connector into your iGadget. After a slow start, vendors are finally rolling out Lightning-compatible gear. Belkin, iLuv and Scosche are among the first to debut accessories, such as car and wall chargers and speaker docks. Here are our top Lightning accessory picks so far.

Whether you like to download songs from iTunes or stream from Spotify or Pandora, you're going to want a speaker dock to rock out with your iPhone 5. JBL's OnBeat Micro does just that, with its two full-range transducers that JBL says will fill a room with sound. The speaker dock charges your phone, and USB and line-in ports let other devices join in on the fun. Four AAA batteries supply up to 5 hours of listening time when you're away from an outlet.

JBL OnBeat Micro ($99.95)

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Will.i.am Wants to Turn your iPhone into a 14-megapixel “Genius Phone”

Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am brought music to the cold Martian surface, and now, he’s turning his attention to yet another star: The iPhone. The musician plans to launch a new camera accessory for Apple’s crown jewel next week, which he claims will transform the iDevice from a just another smartphone with an 8-megapixel camera into a photography prodigy with a 14-megapixel shooter.

“We have our own sensor and a better flash,” Will.i.am told Britain’s Daily Telegraph. “You dock you phone into our device and it turns your smartphone into a genius-phone. We take over the camera.”

Created for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5, Will.i.am claims the camera accessory will be the first of several “i.am+” branded products. Expect to hear more details and pricing information when the camera accessory is officially announced in London next week.

Other phones have out-performed Apple on the camera front and offer features the iPhone lacks, such as Burst Mode and the stability enhancements and low-light chops in Nokia’s PureView-equipped phones. Nevertheless, the iPhone 5′s 8-megapixel shooter is one of the better all-around performers out there, delivering bold colors, impressive video and a nifty panoramic mode. Considering that, Will.i.am’s gadget will likely have to deliver to a mix of strong performance, competitive pricing and a lightweight design to convince iPhone owners to splurge on a third-party camera accessory.

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Apple iPad Mini vs. Google Nexus 7 Benchmarks

The Apple iPad Mini is the new kid on the block looking to distinguish itself from all the other 7 inch tablets in town. Apple set itself up for future comparisons between its iPad Mini and the Google Nexus 7 by comparing the two side by side the day the Mini was released. In case you’re wondering which tablet wins the benchmark battle, we did a few tests for you.

We ran both tablets through several Benchmark tests including Geekbench, Sunspider, Browsermark from Rightware and GL Benchmark. There are some who believe that benchmark results are the end all be all of a tablet’s existence, but in the end there’s no benchmark test that can measure how the device feels in your hand or how well you feel it responds to your needs. If you’re looking for a more detailed review of the iPad Mini, 

I won’t spoil the video by telling you what happens in this battle royal, but if you’re really impatient fir the results, here’s a handy t table:

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Microsoft Surface Tablet to Rival Apple iPad

The Microsoft Surface is the new kid on the block, with all the bells and whistles it can be a formidable contender to Apple iPad, Samsung Tabs and Google Nexus. It is evident that the Redmond IT Giant with its super user-friendly and fully functional tablets, is all set to destroy Apple’s and Google’s market share and rule the tablet market just like PC market.

Let’s have a closer look at the Surface – at a glance it looks more like an iPad with keyboard cover, but a glimpse inside would reveal it has PC like functionality. It’s has a svelte design and quite an attractive piece of gadget. With a dimension of 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 inches weighs just about 1.5 pounds. It has 8 hours of battery life with pen support. It is priced at $499 and with keyboard cover at $599. This puts the tablet right in the league of the iPad.

The Surface is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 processor (Pro version – Intel Core i5 third-generation, “Ivy Bridge” with Intel HD graphics 4000) and sports Windows RT (a subset of Windows 8 family; Pro version – Windows 8 Pro, 64-bit), 2 GB (Pro version – 4 GB) of RAM, 10.6 inch ClearType display running at 1366 x 768 with 5 point multi-touch (Pro version – 1920 x 1080 with 10 point multi-touch), 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, has two front-and rear-facing 720p HD cameras, USB 2.0, microSDXC card slot, headset jack, HD video out port (proprietary), sensors, cover and comes bundled with Office RT

The key differentiating features between Surface and iPad are iPad’s seductive Retina Display (2048 x1536 with 264 pixels per inch) – a clear win for Apple, Windows RT 32 Bit (Pro – Windows 8 64 Bit) vs IOS 6.0 – Microsoft can be a tough contender in terms of functionality with familiar Windows Metro UI.

In spite of packing quite a punch, the Surface with Windows RT fails to deliver full tablet experience just like iPad, although the Pro version of Surface is a step closer but still not there yet.

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Will the Kindle Fire HD Outsell the Apple iPad Mini?

Amazon’s upgraded Kindle Fire HD tablet as you might be aware has went on sale – a few days earlier than its scheduled launch date of November 20. The 8.9 inch, Wi-Fi – only version of Amazon’s much popular Kindle tablet will start at $299 and according to a new report, is expected to beat the sales of the iPad Mini. The 4G enabled version will go on sale in the next few days as well. The first generation Kindle Fire was a popular product and was able to dent the sales of the iPad – although not by a significant margin.

As for the report which says that the new Kindle Fire HD would outsell the iPad, let me warn you that it comes from folks over at CouponCodes4u.com who assert that the Kindle Fire HD would outsell the iPad Mini by a ratio of 2 to 1! And how did they arrive at this conclusion? Well data collected by them from the number of searches conducted on their website makes its clear that people are searching more for the Kindle Fire HD rather than the iPad Mini. In fact, there are twice as many searches for the Kindle Fire HD than for the iPad Mini.

Is this a conclusive enough indication that the Kindle Fire HD would outsell the iPad Mini? Surely not – but there is no denying the fact that the Kindle Fire HD does prove to be an attractive, lower priced and feature packed alternative to the iPad Mini – which costs an astronomical $329 for the base version.

According to CouponCodes4u Chairman Mark Pearson, “It’s no surprise that although some families would probably love to purchase an iPad mini device for every member of their family, they simply cannot afford the higher cost and would rather purchase a Kindle device instead”.

So, how many of you think that the Kindle FireHD would actually outsell the iPad Mini?

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Samsung, Apple to Continue Court Battle; Samsung In No Mood to Give Up

I am sure there were a group of peace loving tech enthusiasts out there who thought the ongoing legal tussle between Samsung and Apple would end in a peaceful manner. The reason being HTC and Apple’s recent decision to sort all differences and strike a licensing deal for the next ten years.

Well, if we are to believe Samsung’s Shin Jong-kyun, who heads the Korean giant’s Mobile and IT division, the company is in no mood to wave the white flag. In a report published by Korea’s YonhapNews, the high ranking official made it clear that there is no way that Samsung would go the HTC way and settle all issues out of court. Instead, it would be going full steam against Apple and would ensure that Cupertino doesn’t breathe easy. “It may be true that HTC may have agreed to pay 300 billion won (US$276 million) to Apple, but we don’t intend to [negotiate] at all,” Jong-kyun was quoted.

It was just a few days ago that HTC and Apple both decided to stop fighting in courts across the globe and focus on “innovation” – instead of litigation  The companies settled various patent related suits that dated back to 2010. To ensure that they don’t start squabbling all over again, they also signed a patent deal for the next ten years ensuring that both companies would cross license their respective technologies (for the overall good of mankind).

Apple and Samsung’s battle however is visibly much more vicious and neither parties seem to be in a mood to loosen their grip. Earlier in 2012, Apple did manage to score a win over Samsung by managing to win a ruling that directed Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion in damages. That however is just one of the many court cases these two tech giants are fighting out in courts across all continents.

How long do you think would it take for Apple and Samsung to settle ALL their differences? Do you foresee such a thing happening anytime in the near future?

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Apple iPhone 5 (16 Go)

Plus léger, plus fin, plus rapide, plus beau le nouvel iPhone redéfinit ce qu'est un smartphone haut de gamme. Il est plus fin que ses prédécesseurs avec 7,6 mm d'épaisseur, contre 9,4 mm pour les iPhone 4 et 4S. En revanche, il est également plus allongé dans la mesure où il embarque un écran Retina Display de 4 pouces, pour une résolution de 1136 x 640 pixels (326 ppp) et un ratio de 16:9.

Côté fabrication, le nouveau smartphone est entièrement composé d'aluminium et de verre. Le dos est pour sa part en Liquidmetal, un matériau qui assure à l'iPhone 5 une plus grande solidité que les dos en verre des prédécesseurs. Après le plastique des 3G et 3GS, puis le verre pour les 4 et 4S, Apple revient donc au métal, comme pour le tout premier iPhone. Quant à son poids, il a considérablement diminué avec 112 grammes seulement sur la balance, contre 140 grammes précédemment.

L'iPhone 5 est animé par une puce A6. Plus puissante, mais pas plus gourmande. Les performances graphiques et celles du processeur sont jusqu'à deux fois plus rapides que sur la puce A5 de l'iPhone 4S. Le nouveau smartphone d'Apple propose un capteur de 8 mégapixels avec les mêmes caractéristiques que celles du 4S. Outre la résolution, on retrouvera la lentille composée de cinq éléments, avec une ouverture f2.4. Mais Apple promet qu'un nouveau processeur d'images présent dans le chipset A6 permettra d'améliorer de 40% la rapidité de prise de vue, ainsi que la gestion des conditions de basse luminosité. Une fonction « panorama » fait également son apparition directement dans l'interface de la fonction photo.

A noter la présence d'un nouveau connecteur appelé Lightening, qui est plus petit et nettement plus fin. Mais il ne sera pas compatible avec le micro-USB. Apple commercialise des adaptateurs pour rendre compatible les anciens accessoires avec le connecteur. Enfin, la batterie est annoncée comme étant supérieure à celle de l'iPhone 4S avec 8h d'appel en 3G et 10h de navigation en Wi-Fi.

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iPhone 4S

À peine sorti, et l'iPhone 4S atomise déjà tous les scores de vente. Pourtant, contrairement à l'iPhone 4 qui tranchait radicalement avec ses prédécesseurs, le 4S semble plus conservateur, en dépit d'une fiche technique chatoyante. Voyons ensemble si les apparences sont trompeuses.

Difficile pour l'iPhone 4S de passer inaperçu. Il faut dire que la sortie de chaque nouvel iPhone est désormais un évènement planétaire. Les smartphones d'Apple sont épiés de longs mois avant leur annonce, puis scrutés au microscope dès qu'ils sont sur le marché. L'iPhone 4S a bien évidemment subi le même traitement. Les rumeurs les plus folles sur un iPhone 5 ont couru avant son lancement. Elles faisaient état d'un écran plus grand, d'un smartphone plus fin, etc. Aussi, lorsque l'iPhone 4S a enfin été annoncé au tout début du mois d'octobre, la déception a été grande. Dans les médias du moins. Car les utilisateurs se sont rués sur le produit, que ce soit en précommande avec un million d'unités écoulées en 12 heures, ou lorsqu'il est sorti en magasin avec quatre millions d'iPhone 4S qui ont trouvé preneur le premier week-end. Bref, un vrai raz de marée commercial !

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