iPhone News Updated

Should I upgrade to the iPhone 4S for Siri?

Apple’s voice-activated, personal assistant, Siri, is a cool app to show off at parties, but is it useful enough for me to upgrade to the iPhone 4S? And how can I make sure that I don’t get socked with a surprise $1,000 bill when I return from my winter vacation in the Caribbean Islands?

These are the questions Ask Maggie tackles in this edition.

Should I upgrade to the iPhone 4S for Siri?

Dear Maggie,
I’ve had the iPhone 3G for a couple of years. But recently, I’ve really gotten tired of the slow download speeds for emails and Web surfing. Would the iPhone 4S be better? Also the Siri app looks really interesting, and I can’t get it on my iPhone 3G. Is it worth it for me to upgrade to the iPhone 4S for this app?

I’m going to be buying a new phone in the next couple of weeks, and I am curious as to whether or not you think it is worth the money to get the iPhone 4S, or if I should consider something else. Now that I’ve been retired for almost five years, I’ve lost touch with the latest technology so your advice is much appreciated.

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Nielsen: iPhone Experiences Temporary Boost Against Android in United States

According to the market researchers at Nielsen, it’s still a two-horse race in the US smartphone market. But thanks to a massive splash with its latest iPhone, the Android horde has been temporarily slowed, and Apple nearly caught up to the smartphone platform that is otherwise defeating it at every turn. Unfortunately for the iPhone, however, this turnaround seems to be temporary and there’s already evidence that the iPhone 4S sales surge is over.

“The high-profile launch of Apple’s iPhone 4S in the Fall had an enormous impact on the proportion of smartphone owners [in the United States] who chose an Apple iPhone,” Nielsen reports. “Among recent acquirers, meaning those who said they got a new device within the past three months, 44.5 percent of those surveyed in December said they chose an iPhone, compared with just 25.1 percent [right before the iPhone 4S launch]. Furthermore, 57 percent of new iPhone owners surveyed in December said they got an iPhone 4S.”

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