It Looks Like A 4, And Acts Like A 4, But It’s An iPhone 4S

“All this has happened before. All this will happen again.”

And that’s exactly what did happen. After months (and months) of iPhone 5 rumors, Apple finally unveiled the newest addition to the iPhone family. But it’s not a 5. It’s a 4S. It may look the same but under the hood is a whole other story. The same story you’ve heard when the 3G got upgraded with its own S added to its name. Is that enough for you?

Bells and whistles are great. The iPhone 4S is faster (a given), has longer battery life (it better), has an awesome camera (expected), and comes with your own private assistant (Siri).

But the phone looks the same. Are these features enough to take the plunge? To sign your life away for a few more years with your cell phone provider and empty your wallet? With iOS5, your current iPhone 4 will be just as cool, just not as cool.

If you and your friend Mark put your phones down on a table—his an iPhone 4 and yours a brand new iPhone 4S–no one will know you are actually better than Mark. There’s no visual cue to alert your new found status symbol to the world. You’ll have to actually shout out “mine’s a 4S!” to be sure your friends notice.

If there hadn’t been those months (and months) of iPhone 5 rumors, would you be as let down? If you hadn’t heard every day about larger screens, thinner designs and wider home buttons (if one at all), the 4S sounds pretty cool! It’s an upgrade, not everything can be a redesign.

Is that enough for you? Technology advances so quickly that if it doesn’t do so in leaps and bounds, it doesn’t meet our expectations. Maybe Siri will?