UPDATE: Apple Introduces iPhone 4S, Souped-Up Features Focus On Ease Of Use

UPDATE: Apple just wrapped up its press conference announcing the upgraded iPhone. Better hardware, new operating system, and available on Sprint as well as AT&T and Verizon — but not the revolutionary iPhone 5that some predicted. Available Oct. 14, wireless subscribers will be able to score a 64 gig version of the iPhone 4Sfor $399,a 32 GB model for$299, and 16 GB for$199. Butthe price for the 8 GB iPhone4has been cut to $99 while the 3GS is free. The 4S will look a lot like previous iPhones but will have a dual core processor that handles graphics about seven times faster — good news for gamers. It will be a world phone, capable of handling wireless calls transmitted via GSM or CDMA technologies. The camera has been upgraded: 8 megapixels with more sensitive light processing andface detection. The company also talked up the speed; just a half second lag between shots. It will handle 1080p high definition video with image stabilization. Apple’s also excited about a new feature called Siri: It will answer verbal inquiries about, say, the weather, stock prices, and restaurant reviews — and handle tasks such as making appointments in your calendar. As expected, the company said that it will launch its iCloud service on Oct. 12. No talk about Facebook integration. Investors apparently expected more: The value of Apple shares declined during the presentation and are down about 4.7% about an hour before the end of the trading day. PREVIOUS 2:10 AM: Super-secretive Applee-mailed “Let’s Talk iPhone” invitations to a 10 AM PT media event at its headquarters in Cupertino this morning. But it’s the first major product unveiling that won’t be introduced by Steve Jobs. Instead,his successor Tim Cook is expected to present what may be the iPhone 5 and/or the iPhone 4S and/orApple’s latest iOS mobile software –iOS 5.According to The AP,the latest iPhonewill includewireless device setup and content syncing, a better 8-megapixel camera, as well as email and Web-browsing apps. Butthe new smartphone isn’t expected to lookmuch different from the iPhone 4, though it could be thinner and have a bigger screen. Deadline’s sibling site BGR.com says some industry watchers had hoped fora brand new teardrop-shaped iPhone 5 with larger display, insanely thin design, and more. Now its looking like Apple might be set to introduce an upgraded iPhone 4 instead. Bummer, right?Not ifApples iPhone 4S isa pretty substantial bump as opposed to just an incremental update, as many are speculating. Some even thinkAppleis set to unveil about a dozen various iPhone models this week, ranging from a modest update on the cheap to a teardrop-shaped overhaul that will feature a 4-inch display and a unibody aluminum design. Many industry watchers are predictinga more powerful chip: Apple’s dual-core A5 processor, which is the sameused in its current iPad for improved multitasking, opening apps, and gaming. A new service called iMessage will allow iOS 5 users to send text messages to each other over Wi-Fi or wireless carriers’ data networks. A folder called Newsstand will corral newspaper and magazine app subscriptions in one place to make it easier to find them.The newiPhone is also expected to include Apple’s forthcoming iCloud service, which will store content such as music, documents, apps and photos on Apple’s servers and let you access them wirelessly on numerous devices. AP saysanalysts believeApple couldtrot out new iPods and updates toiTunes music software, which it usually does in the fall anyway.In any case, the new software willbe available for Apple’s iPad, iPhone 4 and 3GS and the two most recent generations of the iPod Touch. Janney Capital Markets analyst Bill Choi believes Apples success with the iPhone will continue to sky rocket. Choi estimated recently that Apple will ship 87 million iPhone units this year and 107 million during 2012, a 27% increase year-over-year. Apples growing number of carrier partners will be the primary catalyst for the growth, Choi said, noting that 228 wireless carriers offered the iPhone in a total of 105 countries during the third quarter of this year. There are still a handful of major carriers worldwide that have yet to carry the iPhone. Potential deals with Sprint (52.1M subscribers), T-Mobile (33.6M subscribers), China Mobile (628M subscribers) and other large international carriers pose a catalyst to fuel iPhone sales, Choi wrote in a research note. Meanwhile,the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint has anagreement with Apple to purchase over $20 billion worth of iPhones over the next four years, oraround 30 million iPhones.

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