I don't believe the death of Steve Jobs has any influence on the iPhone 4S order figures, as "romantic" as that notion might appeal to some. (Although I have heard that the "4S" really means "Four Steve" rather than the "S" meaning Speed.)
The primary reason for those million or so pre-orders is the addition of Sprint customers (#1), reason #2 and reason #3 .
Plus, from all accounts, the iPhone 4S is a solid piece of work and the antenna redesign coupled with the upgraded internal hardware makes for a very compact and powerful device.
Really, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this phone design other than it isn't as big as a house or that it lacks 4G battery draining capability.
If you had any doubt that the new “underwhelming” iPhone wouldn’t sell, consider it shattered.
Apple this morning announced that pre-orders of its newly-announced iPhone 4S have topped one million in a single day. The previous single-day record for the device was 600,000, held by its predecessor, the iPhone 4.
Why the bump? A few potential reasons:
- Apple added more customers to its portfolio since the previous model was announced;
- The nearly three-month “delay” off its traditional announcement schedule meant more customers were eligible for upgrades;
- The Siri intelligent assistant is an attractive feature;
- The death of co-founder Steve Jobs pushed the company to the forefront of the world’s collective consciousness.
- The addition of Sprint to the carrier mix.
- We’re finally into holiday territory.
My money is on a combination of Nos. 2 and 4.
See also: iPhone 4S: Bluetooth 4.0, the quiet innovation | How Apple’s iPhone 4S preorders stack up historically | Unlocked iPhone 4S available in November | Why I ordered an iPhone 4S | Can Apple win its iPhone 4S bet that 4G isn’t ready for masses?
The new iPhone 4S looks identical to its predecessor but carries an upgraded dual-core A5 chip, a new camera and of course Siri.
The real telltale sign will be when Apple opens all 245 of its U.S. brick-and-mortar doors to sell the $199-and-up device next Friday, Oct. 14. Will word-of-mouth play a part in increased sales, or will its resemblance to the previous model stunt buzz? Regardless, Apple is doing its part to keep a steady stream of devices flowing from its warehouse shelves by selling the device in 22 more countries by the end of October.
