iPhone 4S真的让人失望吗？

    首先让我们挑明了说一句：如果你期望iPhone 4S的设计能改头换面，达到让人惊艳的地步，那么你可能要失望了。iPhone 4S的工艺设计在方方面面都与iPhone 4没什么区别，正反面使用的都是相同的康宁大猩猩玻璃，还是那块相同的3.5英寸视网膜显示屏，天线也是与iPhone 4貌似没什么区别的“大包围”金属天线。

    这也就是为什么有些人——比如《霍芬顿邮报》（The Huffington Post），会认为iPhone 4S的发布“令人深感失望。”之前传言的4英寸大屏和泪珠式设计哪儿去了？传说中的iPhone 5哪儿去了？我们许多人都被各种谣言忽悠了，或是一厢情愿地认为新款iPhone就应该搭载一些我们期望的功能，或是被网上山寨的假模型糊弄了。要不就是纠结于iPhone 4S这个名字，而忽略了iPhone 4S究竟是怎样一款手机。

    造成这种局面，也有一部分是苹果公司（Apple）自己的原因。苹果近年来正处在飞黄腾达的时期。iPad引爆了一个之前几乎根本不存在的平板电脑市场，它上市仅仅一年，便卖出了1,470万台。同时苹果预计还将公布Mac笔记本的销量。苹果对iPad和Mac都积极进行升级，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笔记本。在平板和笔记本领域，苹果的创新程度都远超竞争对手。正是因为这个原因，人们对最新款iPhone的期待才会空前高涨。

    其实iPhone 4S的外观并不差劲——只是缺乏新意。如果你恰好对它的外观很满意，那么你也不是什么少数派。据苹果公司公布的数据，iPhone 4S发布后短短三天，这款智能手机的销量就超过了400万台，是去年iPhone 4刚刚发布时的135%。部分分析人士曾经预测，很多用户可能不会出手购买iPhone 4S，而会等待明年苹果推出的新款iPhone，但iPhone 4S预订火爆的事实却毫无客气地给了他们以迎面痛击。讨厌iPhone 4S的设计的人可能会说，iPhone 4S的设计了无新意。但事实上，即便是现在，也很少有哪款智能手机的视觉吸引力能达到iPhone 4和iPhone 4S的程度。

    iPhone 4S的硬件性能

    正如先前的评测所显示的那样，iPhone 4S与iPhone 4的不同之处在于，它搭载了一款双核A5处理器，一个800万像素摄像头，能够拍摄1080P高清视频。（白色版64GB iPhone 4S的价格为399美元。）为了便于评测，我们会主要关注iPhone 4S的独特之处。虽说iPhone 4S搭载的iOS5操作系统对通知系统进行了升级，而且支持iCloud云服务，标志着一次重大的软件升级，但是某些老款的iPhone机型也可以升级到iOS5系统，所以操作系统并不是我们这次评测的重点。

    iPhone 4S搭载的双核处理器与iPad 2相同，有了这款双核处理器，你会发现iPhone 4S的速度比iPhone 4有了明显的提升，对之前使用iPhone 3GS等老机型的用户来说尤其如此。这两款机型的运行速度有着天壤之别。不过和iPhone 4对比的话，差距则不算太明显。应用在iPhone 4S上打开得更快，运行得更流畅，尤其是它在处理图形应用上显得特别出色。比如在使用地图应用时，只要把摄像头对准街边的建筑，程序就会瞬间做出反应。【在未来的几个月里，升级后的《无尽之剑2》（Infinity Blade 2）等游戏会更加突显出iPhone 4S硬件强悍的图形处理能力】此外无论是用3G还是用WiFi上网，iPhone 4S的网页载入速度都快于老款iPhone，而且在使用虚拟键盘打字时，几乎没有任何迟滞。

    大家也非常关注iPhone 4S的800万像素摄像头，据称它可以捕捉更多的光线，拍摄的照片效果更加清晰。甚至还有人说，它可以取代许多专业的傻瓜相机。当然，我们并不是说有了iPhone 4S就可以把自己的傻瓜相机拿到eBay上一卖了之，但是iPhone 4S在日光下照出的照片的确要比以往任何一款iPhone都更加明亮、清晰。它在夜间拍摄的照片的清晰度也更高，而且总的来说颗粒感也更轻了，这一点在下方的样片对比中就能看出来。另外iPhone 4S的快门速度变得更短，再加上高清动态范围（HDR）功能，拍照变得异常轻松。美中不足的是iPhone 4S仍然延袭了iPhone 4那款模糊的、低解析度的前置摄像头。

    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.