Apple disappoints fans, unveils iPhone 4S instead of iPhone 5

October 5, 2011 - 10:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Apple unveiled an updated iPhone complete with a built-in "personal assistant" in a move that failed to dazzle investors but promised to keep the smartphones ahead of the pack.

Apple shares slipped on Wall Street after the California gadget maker showed off a slick, improved version of the iPhone but not the revamped next-generation iPhone 5 smartphone many had hoped for.

Apple's new chief executive Tim Cook, who replaced ailing founder Steve Jobs in August, presided over the launch of the iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.

The iPhone 4S features a speedier processor, a "personal assistant" that responds to voice commands and a more powerful camera.

Apple's stock price slid more than four percent at one point as it became clear the company was not going to wow the world with its latest product but recovered ground to end the trading day down 0.56 percent at $372.50.

The iPhone 4S will be available in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Britain on October 14 with pre-orders commencing Friday, October 7.

The iPhone 4S will be rolled out by the end of October in 22 additional countries including Austria, Italy, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland.

In the United States, iPhone 4S prices will start at $199 for a 16 gigabyte model and top out at $399 for a model with 64GB of memory.

The iPhone 4S predecessor will be available for $99 while earlier generation iPhone 3GS models will be free with telecom carrier contracts, an Apple first.

A slick new version of the iOS mobile operating system was shown off at the press event in an intimate theater at Apple's Silicon Valley campus.

Apple also announced the October 12 launch of long-promised iCloud, which lets people store music, pictures, videos and other digital files online and access the content across Apple computers and mobile devices, AFP reported.