Rory Cellan-Jones for the BBC:

Why rush out and buy the new, new thing if it looks just like that old phone that’s been around for more than a year?

Yes, why do that? You’d never, say, buy a new TV that looked much like the old one, because it had a better display or more features. You’d never buy a new amp and speakers, even if they looked like your existing ones, if they offered a much better audio experience. You’d certainly never buy a new electric guitar, ever, even if its sound was astonishing compared to the electric guitar-shaped object you already owned.

So, yes, the iPhone 4S is clearly a complete disaster. If we ignore digital assistant Siri, the A5 chip that’ll massively boost app (2x) and graphics (7x) performance, the improved camera (8 MP stills; 1080p video), and the revamped antenna, WHAT THE HELL WAS APPLE THINKING? It looks the same as an iPhone 4! How will tech geeks be able to show off now? They’ll have to actually speak to people and say “LOOK AT MY NEW SHINY THING” rather than nonchalantly point at a device with a new and exciting form! They’ll have to avoid chucking out all their accessories, because they’ll still work! The horror!

To sum up Apple’s announcement earlier today…

Apple:

We’ve released an update to the iPhone 4, called the iPhone 4S. It’s way faster, yet has a longer battery life. The graphics performance is stronger, for better gaming. Antenna problems have been fixed through a cunning dual-antenna system. It works worldwide (GSM and CDMA) but isn’t any bulkier. The camera’s 8MP, also with better video recording. There’s a new version of iOS, with loads of great features. And there’s iCloud to tie everything together.

Whiny internet bitches:

Wah wah! No iPhone 5! Wah wah wahhhhhhh!

Zune.net:

We recently announced that, going forward, Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy, and that we will no longer be producing Zune players.

iPod killer, killed!

So what does this mean for our current Zune users?

Well, it means they bought into yet another platform that’s been killed, in part due to the overwhelming hype and promises at the time, many of which weren’t met. Still:

 Your device will continue to work with Zune services just as it does today.

No switch-off this time, at least.

Duncan Wilcox on Twitter:

iPhone hardware might be exciting but once you turn it on it’s the software that sets it apart from other smartphones. Focus is iOS 5. Thinking about tomorrow’s announcements if you hadn’t guessed.

He’s right, of course. What sets Apple apart is the OS, rather than the hardware. People bang on about the lack of ports, extensibility and other features of iPhones, which some competing devices have, but Apple’s sleek and simple iPhone 4 remains the USA’s number-one smartphone for a reason: what you can do with it.

Tomorrow will almost certainly see iOS 5 released. This will bring some catch-up features like notifications that don’t suck, but also iMessage (unlimited, free text messages to iOS 5 users), Newsstand (iBooks for magazines), and PC Free (back-ups to iCloud and over-the-air updates). In addition, iPad 2 owners will get AirPlay mirroring of everything on screen to an Apple TV.

I’m sure there will be new hardware, but I don’t really care what it is, as long as it looks nice enough and isn’t any worse than the iPhone 4. And I’m certain that I’ll buy a new iPhone, but that’s only because I never grabbed an iPhone 4 and have been patiently waiting for an upgrade.

I suspect that regardless of what Apple reveals tomorrow, disappointment will speed across the internet like a virulent disease (which, naturally, will particularly affect tech hacks and analysts, who’ll yell that, yes, Apple is finally doomed! Again!), and if Apple’s new hardware really is only going to be the iPhone 4S—a minor update—it’s a pity that’ll be Tim Cook’s first keynote. But even if that is the case (and it might not be), it won’t distract me from what matters: the software. The phrase I’m most hoping for tomorrow isn’t “and here’s the new iPhone 5”, but “and iOS 5 is available for download today“.

Digitimes reports that Acer VP Scott Lin has continued his company’s special line of crazy:

Acer vice president Scott Lin pointed out that ultrabooks from notebook brand vendors will mostly be released in the fourth quarter and start mass shipping in early 2012

Only many months after the MacBook Air, but of course all these companies aren’t copying Apple’s every move—they are innovating!

therefore, estimates for ultrabooks to account for 30% of the global consumer notebook shipments by the end of 2012 are reasonable and tablet PCs will be the first products to be impacted by ultrabooks.

Because, as everyone knows, the iPad’s been selling really badly since Apple released the MacBook Air.

Lin pointed out that tablet PCs are mainly emphasizing light and thin features as well as entertainment capabilities, and once notebooks are capable of achieving the same features, while still maintaining battery longevity, consumer’s purchasing behavior will reverse as consumers would rather choose a machine that can satisfy their demand for both entertainment and work, instead of carrying a tablet PC and a notebook around.

Lin pointed out that he’s a dolt that doesn’t see what’s actually happening in the tech industry. He also pointed out that he doesn’t fully understand lots of people love the intimacy of a touchscreen interface over an old-fashioned clamshell, do plenty of work on iPads anyway (Penultimate! iA Writer! Brushes! Numbers! And so on!), and OH GOD WHAT IS THE POINT?

*picks self up off of ground, bracing self for further Acer idiocy*

Lin believes that consumers’ purchasing focus will return to notebooks in 2012.

Just like they did in 2011! Also, notice how those ‘laptop’ things were just a fad? I’m sure consumers’ purchasing focus will return to desktops in 2013. And CRT TVs. And horse-and-cart.