iPhone

In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, which instantly became one of the most

talked-about consumer products ever. Thousands of customers lined up to be the first to buy the phones, which featured computing and Wi-Fi capabilities, along with a crisp, computer-like display on an innovative touch screen. Rivals rushed phones with similar features onto the market.

In October 2011, as Apple unveiled the iPhone4S, the competitive landscape had changed significantly. Millions of people were expected to start plotting how to be among the first to buy it. But millions more may be considering an Android phone. Android’s share of new smartphone sales is now more than double Apple’s share, a striking change from 2010, when the two were roughly even, and a reflection of how Android phones have improved and become more broadly available.

Yet Apple, by many measures, still remains the smartphone player to beat, with better profits from the business, huge influence among mobile app makers and innovations that rivals scramble to copy.

The new version, the iPhone 4S, comes with a “virtual assistant,” Siri, that recognizes voice commands by users to schedule appointments, dictate text messages and conduct Web searches.

Although the new phone is virtually indistinguishable on the outside from its predecessor, the iPhone 4, the company says it is packed with better technical innards, including a more advanced camera. The phone also includes a more powerful chip known as the A5, the same microprocessor that acts as the brains inside the iPad.

The company also said the new phone would run on two kinds of cellphone networks, GSM and CDMA, allowing its operation worldwide. Prices were to start at $199 for a model with 16 gigabytes of storage.

Apple will continue to sell its older iPhone 4 through its wireless carrier partners, which will drop the price to $99 from $199 when customers commit to a two-year contract. An even older model of the device, the iPhone 3GS, will be free, instead of $99, with a two-year contract.

The new phone will be available on the AT&T, Verizon and Sprint networks. Read More...

Legal Dispute

Soon after the iPhone 4S was introduced, Samsung Electronics said that it would seek to block its sale in France and Italy, asserting that the phone violated its patents. In