????首先讓我們挑明了說一句：如果你期望iPhone 4S的設(shè)計能改頭換面，達(dá)到讓人驚艷的地步，那么你可能要失望了。iPhone 4S的工藝設(shè)計在方方面面都與iPhone 4沒什么區(qū)別，正反面使用的都是相同的康寧大猩猩玻璃，還是那塊相同的3.5英寸視網(wǎng)膜顯示屏，天線也是與iPhone 4貌似沒什么區(qū)別的“大包圍”金屬天線。

????這也就是為什么有些人——比如《霍芬頓郵報》（The Huffington Post），會認(rèn)為iPhone 4S的發(fā)布“令人深感失望。”之前傳言的4英寸大屏和淚珠式設(shè)計哪兒去了？傳說中的iPhone 5哪兒去了？我們許多人都被各種謠言忽悠了，或是一廂情愿地認(rèn)為新款iPhone就應(yīng)該搭載一些我們期望的功能，或是被網(wǎng)上山寨的假模型糊弄了。要不就是糾結(jié)于iPhone 4S這個名字，而忽略了iPhone 4S究竟是怎樣一款手機(jī)。

????造成這種局面，也有一部分是蘋果公司（Apple）自己的原因。蘋果近年來正處在飛黃騰達(dá)的時期。iPad引爆了一個之前幾乎根本不存在的平板電腦市場，它上市僅僅一年，便賣出了1,470萬臺。同時蘋果預(yù)計還將公布Mac筆記本的銷量。蘋果對iPad和Mac都積極進(jìn)行升級，首先是推出了iPad 2，然后又推出了新款的11英寸和13英寸的MacBook Air筆記本。在平板和筆記本領(lǐng)域，蘋果的創(chuàng)新程度都遠(yuǎn)超競爭對手。正是因為這個原因，人們對最新款iPhone的期待才會空前高漲。

????其實iPhone 4S的外觀并不差勁——只是缺乏新意。如果你恰好對它的外觀很滿意，那么你也不是什么少數(shù)派。據(jù)蘋果公司公布的數(shù)據(jù)，iPhone 4S發(fā)布后短短三天，這款智能手機(jī)的銷量就超過了400萬臺，是去年iPhone 4剛剛發(fā)布時的135%。部分分析人士曾經(jīng)預(yù)測，很多用戶可能不會出手購買iPhone 4S，而會等待明年蘋果推出的新款iPhone，但iPhone 4S預(yù)訂火爆的事實卻毫無客氣地給了他們以迎面痛擊。討厭iPhone 4S的設(shè)計的人可能會說，iPhone 4S的設(shè)計了無新意。但事實上，即便是現(xiàn)在，也很少有哪款智能手機(jī)的視覺吸引力能達(dá)到iPhone 4和iPhone 4S的程度。

????iPhone 4S的硬件性能

????正如先前的評測所顯示的那樣，iPhone 4S與iPhone 4的不同之處在于，它搭載了一款雙核A5處理器，一個800萬像素攝像頭，能夠拍攝1080P高清視頻。（白色版64GB iPhone 4S的價格為399美元。）為了便于評測，我們會主要關(guān)注iPhone 4S的獨特之處。雖說iPhone 4S搭載的iOS5操作系統(tǒng)對通知系統(tǒng)進(jìn)行了升級，而且支持iCloud云服務(wù)，標(biāo)志著一次重大的軟件升級，但是某些老款的iPhone機(jī)型也可以升級到iOS5系統(tǒng)，所以操作系統(tǒng)并不是我們這次評測的重點。

????iPhone 4S搭載的雙核處理器與iPad 2相同，有了這款雙核處理器，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)iPhone 4S的速度比iPhone 4有了明顯的提升，對之前使用iPhone 3GS等老機(jī)型的用戶來說尤其如此。這兩款機(jī)型的運行速度有著天壤之別。不過和iPhone 4對比的話，差距則不算太明顯。應(yīng)用在iPhone 4S上打開得更快，運行得更流暢，尤其是它在處理圖形應(yīng)用上顯得特別出色。比如在使用地圖應(yīng)用時，只要把攝像頭對準(zhǔn)街邊的建筑，程序就會瞬間做出反應(yīng)?！驹谖磥淼膸讉€月里，升級后的《無盡之劍2》（Infinity Blade 2）等游戲會更加突顯出iPhone 4S硬件強悍的圖形處理能力】此外無論是用3G還是用WiFi上網(wǎng)，iPhone 4S的網(wǎng)頁載入速度都快于老款iPhone，而且在使用虛擬鍵盤打字時，幾乎沒有任何遲滯。

????大家也非常關(guān)注iPhone 4S的800萬像素攝像頭，據(jù)稱它可以捕捉更多的光線，拍攝的照片效果更加清晰。甚至還有人說，它可以取代許多專業(yè)的傻瓜相機(jī)。當(dāng)然，我們并不是說有了iPhone 4S就可以把自己的傻瓜相機(jī)拿到eBay上一賣了之，但是iPhone 4S在日光下照出的照片的確要比以往任何一款iPhone都更加明亮、清晰。它在夜間拍攝的照片的清晰度也更高，而且總的來說顆粒感也更輕了，這一點在下方的樣片對比中就能看出來。另外iPhone 4S的快門速度變得更短，再加上高清動態(tài)范圍（HDR）功能，拍照變得異常輕松。美中不足的是iPhone 4S仍然延襲了iPhone 4那款模糊的、低解析度的前置攝像頭。

????Let's get this out-of-the-way first: If you were expecting a mind-blowing revamp with the iPhone 4S, you may be disappointed. Everything about its industrial design will be familiar -- it sports the same gorilla glass front and back, the same 3.5-inch-sized Retina display and a similar-looking metal band surrounding it.

????That's why some, like The Huffington Post, found the announcement "hugely disappointing." Where was the larger screen? What about the oft-rumored teardrop design? Where was the iPhone 5? Many of us became so preoccupied with rumors, wishlist features, unfounded mockups and the number attached to the name that they ignored what the 4S was and harped on what it wasn't.

????Part of that may be due to Apple (AAPL) itself. If you haven't noticed lately, it's been on a roll. The iPad exploded the virtually nonexistent tablet market, selling 14.7 million units during its first year on the market. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to report record Mac sales. On both fronts, the company has rather aggressively updated, first with the iPad 2 and then with the new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs. In both areas, the company has innovated far enough ahead that its competition is still trying to catch up. Given all that activity, expectations for the newest iPhone were at an all-time high.

????The 4S's look isn't a bad thing -- it's just very familiar. And if you're happy with it, you won't be alone. The company reported sales of more than 4 million units during the smartphone's first three days, 135% more than the launch of the iPhone 4 last year. That already flies in the faces of some analysts who predicted users might skip this upgrade and wait until next year. Haters will say the 4S design is more of the same, but let's face it: there are few smartphones that make a visual statement quite like the iPhone 4's -- and now the iPhone 4S' -- even now.

????What's inside

????As earlier reviews suggested, the real changes reside within the 4S's familiar chassis including a dual-core A5 processor, 8-megapixel camera and 1080p (a.k.a. HD) video recording capability. (Apple loaned us the $399 64 GB iPhone 4S in white.) For our reviewing purposes, we'll focus on what's unique to the 4S, and while iOS5 with its updated notifications system and iCloud support mark a major software upgrade, its availability on some older iPhone models means it'll be less of the focus here.

????With that dual core processor -- similar to the one in the iPad 2 -- you'll obviously notice a speed increase, more so if you're upgrading from an older phone like, say, the 3GS. The difference between the two should be night and day. If you're an iPhone 4 owner, it's less a jolt and more of a speed bump. Apps generally launch faster and zip along, and more graphics-focused programs like Maps respond instantly as you zoom further in on street blocks. (Games like Infinity Blade 2 will better show off the 4S' new graphics power in the coming months as they are updated to take advantage of the hardware.) Web pages, overall, load more quickly whether over 3G or WiFi, and there's little-to-no lag as you tap away on the virtual keyboard.

????There's been a lot of talk about the new 8-megapixel camera, which reportedly captures more light and provides sharper images. It's even been suggested that it could replace many dedicated point-and-shoot cameras. We wouldn't go so far as to tell you to put that $250 camera on eBay, but the 4S consistently took brighter, clearer photos in sunlight than any previous iPhone before. Images taken in the evening also turned out better, with sharper definition of objects and overall less graininess, as you can see below. A faster shutter speed with the high dynamic range (HDR) option off makes shooting a breeze. Unfortunately, the front-facing camera doesn't fare as well: it's still the same fuzzy, low VGA resolution.