Only iPhone 4S, no iPhone 5 as many had expected

Its the news that many of you been waiting for but unfortunately the news came short with the launch of only an iPhone 4S. The new iPhone will go on sale on Oct 14 and with only minor improvements, I dont expect overnight campers to stay up all night to get their hands on a brand new iPhone 4S.

On a brighter note, the new iPhone 4S still pack a punch. It will  boast a dual core A5 processor that will allow for 7X faster graphics, an 8 MP camera that will work in conjunction with the new iOS 5 features to capture pictures faster, and enhanced battery life.

The device will also support GSM and CDMA networks, making it a true world phone for the first time ever allowing many of you who are on on CDMA network to keep your existing numbers and upgrade to a new iPhone.

In addition to these features the unit also has a voice assistant that will allow users to enter commands into the phone simply by talking. The “Siri” assistant was developed by a company acquired by Apply earlier this year, and will enable more intuitive control over all aspects of your device.

What was interesting was the announcement with the continuation of the iPhone 3GS, which is now available for free on contract with many carriers, and which now represents Apple’s low-cost strategy for emerging markets and smartphone laggards. Rather than making a new lower-functionality, lower cost device for such markets, Apple simply continues to sell a more than two-year old device which was market-leading at the time it launched.

For a company which prides itself on the quality of its products, this strategy has always made more sense than producing a new, sub-standard device for such markets. The strategy should also keep iPhone shipment numbers growing as ever more first-time iPhone users join the back of the ranks while more savvy and trendy users will always be chasing for the latest models.

What CEO Tim Cook and others showed the press during the 95-minute presentation this morning is very symbolic of what Apple is trying to do to keep standing out ie, pay very close attention to the little things, which help make a product great. Dont be deceived by the same physical look as many had expected a whole new new look and feel to the new iPhone. The iPhone 4 is a great phone and people are still buying by the truck loads even though the iphone is more than a year old so it’s not like Apple had to go back to the drawing board or do a major overhaul. Dont forget, its not how it looks but how it performs!