When the iPhone 4S contracts are delivered, users receive Apple Earphones with a remote control and Mic, along with a dock connector to a USB cable and a USB power adaptor.
However accessories remain big business, allowing users to protect their phones with screen covers and cases, which either fit the phone inside or cover the back like a gel skin. It also adds to a sense of individuality, marking your phone out and adding to its personality. From wrist straps to keep your phone close at hand when out and about, to diamante fastens, small holdalls or connectors to enable hands free driving or charging the phone via solar panels, many online stores design accessories exclusively for manufacturers, like Apple. Often, particularly in the case of protective covers, these have to be redesigned with each generation, as the exterior on the phone changes. External buttons like the volume or capture for the camera along with the placement of the camera lens on the back of the phone means a new case for a specific model.
Many of the firms who make cases for the iPhone 4 were relieved when at first the next generation device appeared to be unchanged. However, in fact, minor changes in the design mean new cases and screen protectors have had to be designed and sold.
The new technology including the faster lens and exposure rate on the iPhone 4S 8 megapixel camera has had an impact on phone cases that fit quite snugly around the lens. Some users have reported seeing a “dark halo” effect around their pictures, prompting designers to increase the size of the hole accommodating the camera.
More significantly for case makers, Apple has shifted the ambient light sensor in the front of the iPhone 4S by just a few millimetres. The light source is an important feature for preserving battery life and usability. If in a darkened or brighter room the sensor picks up on light levels and adjusts the brightness of the screen accordingly. The movement of the sensor even by a few millimetres means it could be covered by existing iPhone 4 cases. Also, other changes on the exterior include the slight shift in the mute switch and the volume up and down buttons.
These may appear like minor changes but it opens the door to exclusive iPhone 4S products. Manufacturers, particularly in the US where new iPhone carriers mean a wider potential base of customers, mean the Christmas list is likely to be lengthened to include iPhone 4S specific products.