Apple introduces iPhone 4S

So, all of us geekoids were glued to our live gdgt feeds today (apparently it was the only one that didn’t crash) to watch the saga of Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” announcement unfold. Now in the several years I’ve been writing this blog I have followed pretty much every excitable Cupertino announcement, but I have never written about any. I figured tech geeks are so all over it there’s no point in coming here. So why now?

1. I’m not really going to do much of the covering myself. I’ve been inspired by meeting a few other queer tech bloggers so I’m totally going to link to them. Woohoo!
2. The new CEO of Apple is a big ol’ power gay, Tim Cook. This was his first keynote as CEO. @ouroboring and I even had a conversation on Twitter during the event commenting on those fancy Swatch-esque watch functions for the iPod Nano wherein she said: “@qpdx yeah! now officially endorsed by Tim Cook, Powergay.” So yeah, perfect opportunity to highlight powerful ‘mos, talk fashion, and promote my Twitter feed all at once.
3. I figured it’s time for this blog to have more tech news. Cuz gay people like tech stuff, and why not see it explicitly through Elton John colored glasses. Are Engadget readers really going to have interest in answering your question about how the new iPhone HDR in 1080p will affect Grindr? We have important gay sexting questions here! (Ok, so gdgt did make a hilarious joke about Tim Cook being a Cook-tease, so I’ll give them that)
4. I’m feeling ambitious and over-achievey because I’ve been inspired by new contributors, and more posts from partial and/or guest contributors, writing a damn lot for the film fest and other things, new projects such as DJ of the Week and the new 2 Girls, 1 Podcast, and watching way too many vodcasts/shows on Autostraddle and AfterEllen this weekend.

Ok, so now that I’ve spent the bulk of this post on a ridiculous tangent, let me get to actually telling you about what we learned in our iPhone 4S introduction today. The biggest thing is the frighteningly HAL-like new vocal interface Siri (if they had given it a more American sounding name it might have been too creepy, but they did give it a name that feels vaguely anthropomorphic). From the keynote:

Compose and dictate email right to Siri. Set timers. Look up contacts, create notes, search the web, search Wikipedia. It’s absolutely blow-away. Well, who is Siri? Just ask!” Siri: “I am a humble personal assistant.”

I just hope when the machines rise they’ll realize I was a benevolent master who only asked them directions to any halfway decent Chinese restaurant in Portland and then bought them dinner, and even flowers, when they brought me there.

It will also include a screamin’ fast Dual Core A5 chip, the same one as the iPad, an 8 megapixel camera, download speeds that are “…just as fast…as what our competitors call 4G.” Whatever that means. It will also run iOS5 and iCloud, which is probably the most exciting part to me, even if the new software had already been announced. Tecca writer Taylor Hatmaker (aka @ouroboring mentioned before) says:

Apple also announced the October 12 release date for the next version of its mobile software system, iOS 5. The company revealed most details about iOS 5 earlier this year at its Worldwide Developers Conference, rather than combining hardware and software announcements as it has done in some prior years. While the next version of the software for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod will integrate new features like the Notification Center (which will do away with annoying iOS pop-ups at long last), iOS 5’s centerpiece is iCloud, a syncing service for music, photos, and apps that ties into iTunes. The new iPhone will also feature deep voice integration with a service called Siri, which lets you speak commands and turns dictation into text on the device…

…The device will be up for pre-order on October 7, with orders shipping on October 14 — including on Sprint, the newest carrier to come into the iPhone fold. Apple also updated its entry-level media player, the iPod nano, with a new pricing scheme and will now offer the iPod touch in white. The original iPhone 4 will now be dropped to a wallet-friendly $99, on contract.

For more thorough rundown of specs with all the marketing flair you can handle check out the Apple site. For a full journalistic roundup that will make your eyes boggle checkout Engadget’s roundup. And for an iPhone 4S head to head combat with other popular devices check out Engadget writer, and one of those other queer tech writers I was talking about, Myriam Joire’s article on Engadget.

You can also watch the keynote in its entirety or just check out the 5 min official promo below.