iPhone 4S sets off on the right foot

When the iPhone 4S was first unveiled at the beginning of the month, the reaction was somewhat lukewarm.

Many were expecting more than a tweaked iPhone 4, which is essentially what the 4S is. It has a faster processor and better camera, along with an improved antenna on the hardware front – and Siri, the voice command assistant, on the software front.

Any underwhelming feelings tech critics may have had didn’t translate over to punters, however, as the iPhone 4S steamed to a record 1 million pre-orders in its first 24 hours on pre-sale (where the iPhone 4 managed 600,000).

And the usual queues around the block were present across the globe last Friday, upon the phone’s launch.

It seems that many see the 4S almost as a tribute to Steve Jobs, and his passing has increased the number of Apple fans who wanted to get their hands on the latest smartphone.

Early impressions of how the phone performs have also been positive. Siri, the voice command assistant, has proved a pretty slick addition to the iPhone mix.

And that faster processor when coupled with iOS 5 has ensured the iPhone 4S is quicker than many had bargained for. Apple’s tightly knit hardware and software have proved an advantage here, with Anandtech’s benchmarks showing that the handset is far faster than Android rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Although the imminent release of Ice Cream Sandwich, the next incarnation of Android, will close that yawning gap.

Stock levels for the 4S don’t appear to be a problem, either, as they were with the iPhone 4. Apple’s online UK store is still showing a one to two week wait for the iPhone 4S, mind, but that was the delivery estimation shown pre-launch, so stock levels appear to be holding out.

First weekend sales of the device are estimated by analysts to have hit 2 to 3 million, with some even pushing that figure out to 4 million.

However, not every bit of press has been positive about Apple’s new smartphone. Some of the early reviews have been somewhat mixed, if generally leaning towards the positives.

The Guardian did point out the mysterious fact that the battery life of the 4S had dropped in terms of standby time, from the 300 hours that the iPhone 4 offers to 200 hours. Apple hasn’t offered an explanation of why this is.

And C-Net noted that in the UK, Siri doesn’t do the look up of local services as in the States, because a deal hasn’t been signed for a provider of localised information in this country (get your finger out Yell.com or someone).

On the whole, however, it seems Apple has another raging success of a smartphone on its hands already.