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What’s missing from the iPhone 4S? Turns out plenty

Molly McHugh
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missingBefore we can ogle the latest iThing, we need to run down the list of what’s missing. The nature of this particular iPhone event and the frenzied will-they-or-won’t-they anticipation regarding the launch has made it difficult to pin down what hoped-for features are destined for which next-gen handset. Now that the announcements have been made and Apple’s cards are on the table, we break down what’s missing.

iphone-5-concept-teardropThe iPhone 5

After listening to what was a fairly thorough lecture about the business side of things in Cupertino, we finally got to the iPhone announcement. And the biggest one is that there is no iPhone 5 just yet. Instead, we’re welcoming the iPhone 4S to the lineup, with a design that’s identical to the iPhone 4. Although there are interior updates (and disappointments) to go over, which we’ll get to. So when will you see an iPhone 5?

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A new design

Apple didn’t let us get too excited about any cosmetic changes, right away showing off that very familiar iPhone 4 shape. The iPhone 4S will sport the same Retina display and glass backing as its predecessor. There’s no teardrop shape or 4-inch screen as speculation would have had us thought, but perhaps those features are destined for the iPhone 5. It will, however, be available in white right off the bat.

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An LTE/WiMax iPhone

One more rumor than didn’t pan out was the LTE iPhone. Instead, Apple made a show of boasting some much-improved download speeds thanks to HSPA+ support, which should put it on the same level as other so-called “4G” devices, including the Atrix, the Thrill, and the Inspire. But all are a far cry from the speeds available on Verizon LTE 4G. The good news: iPhone 4S will be a “world phone,” meaning it supports both GSM and CDMA networks. Apple also says the iPhone 4S will intelligently determine which antenna to use, which should quell antenna-gate worries.

NFC

There was no mention of NFC technology being embedded in the iPhone 4S, which is something of a surprise as Google Wallet gears up. Again, there’s a distinct possibility that all of these missing features are destined for the iPhone 5.

facebook-app-ios-iphone-ipadFacebook integration

There was no mention of Facebook integration, a rumor that took hold more recently. Speculators said that CEO Mark Zuckerberg would possibly even take the stage to show off the long-anticipated Facebook iPad app and talk about the site’s HTML 5 Web-based app store, as well as reveal plans to work with Apple on deep, Twitter-like integration. Turns out that’s either a no-go or something destined for a future announcement.

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Molly McHugh
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
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