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| Modified from Source: http://www.iPhone-release.com |
tl;dr - The iPhone 4S is, for all intents and purposes, the iPhone 5. Apple appears to be following a strategy in their product naming nomenclature that, much to the chagrin of the analysts and pundits, makes sense.
A Rose By Any Other Name...
The iPhone 4S is a sweet piece of kit, as TC's editor Erick describes. I'm puzzled by the new 64GB addition to the lineup, since iCloud will make it nearly unnecessary, but that's not the purpose of this post. Some will still buy it. The iPhone 4S is indeed the 5th iteration of Apple's iconic smartphone. But why not call it the iPhone 5? That would have sated the analysts, but possibly also enraged other analysts, pundits, and other Aeron-armchair quarterbacks. But it was the right move.
History Repeat(S) Itself
We've already seen Apple make this seemingly strange addition to their iPhone - adding an "S" to a new iPhone to signify improved internal hardware of an otherwise identical form factor from the previous iPhone ("S" is for "speed", if you really need to make me say it). That evolution in nomenclature exactly what they did here. The 5th generation iPhone, what should have been the "iPhone 5," is a souped up version of the iPhone 4. The form factor of the hardware is unchanged. Apple appears to have a strategy of only renaming the device when the form factor changes. Hence the evolution of the 2nd generation iPhone (iPhone 3G) to the 3rd generation (iPhone 3GS). The iPhone 4 was a totally redesigned device, and thus such an evolution in form factor warranted the slide down the number line. It received the "4" for being the 4th generation device.
There Will NEVER Be an "iPhone 5"
Why? The "iPhone 5" already exists in the iPhone 4S. It is the 5th generation device. Apple went with the name "iPhone 4S" because, even though this is the 5th generation iPhone, it was not a dramatic evolution in form factor. They save the major name changes for bottom-up redesigns.
Next year, unless they detour from their naming conventions used to date, Apple will release the "iPhone 6." So the name "iPhone 5" will be lost to history, leaving in its wake the iPhone 4S. Still, a "revolutionary and magical" device. But not the iPhone 5 as most were hoping to see. The real question, is when will they break from this naming convention? Will we have an iPhone 9? 16? 23? What about iPhone Pi? Or iPhone Theta? (shudder)
So there you have it. Sorry folks, the iPhone 5 will never be. Because it already is. Or something like that.
