The iPhone 4S, which Apple introduced earlier this week, includes several improvements over its predecessor. It sports a faster processor, an all-new operating system, and what is likely to become a class-leading 8MP camera.
One addition that Apple has been fairly quiet about, however, is the handset’s support for Bluetooth 4.0. In fact, as several sites have pointed out, the iPhone 4S is the first smartphone to support the new technology…
Bluetooth 4.0 packs some significant advantages over previous versions, but its most important attribute has to be its low power consumption. According to ITProPortal, the new tech uses around half of the power of previous Bluetooth profiles.
Although there aren’t many accessories available yet that take advantage of Bluetooth 4.0, it opens the door for all kinds of possibilities. Headsets and other Bluetooth accessories are currently limited by their excessive battery drain.
Outside of peripherals, the new technology could have some other uses as well. As we reported back in July, Apple’s latest MacBook Air and Mac Mini products contain support for Bluetooth 4.0. Maybe we’ll see file-transfer support at some point?
The nice thing about 4.0 is that it’s completely backwards compatible, so all of your old headsets and accessories should still work. And hopefully we’ll see manufacturers, including Apple, take advantage of the new tech sometime soon.