If there’s one company that can inspire fanaticism in people all over the world, it’s Apple. From the early days they’ve made products that have broken the mould, and made people want to camp out overnight just to get their hands on the ‘next big thing’. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, of course, and in the early 90s it very much looked like Microsoft would crush Apple; fast forward twenty years and Apple are arguably the biggest and most doted-upon company in the world. Their latest must-have gadget is the iPhone 4S, an upgrade of the previous iteration. But is it worth your time and, more importantly, your money? Let’s look at three very good reasons that you should consider upgrading…

A faster dual-core processor

If you’re a bit of a tech-head, you’ll understand why the dual-core A5 processor built into the iPhone 4S is such a big deal. For everyone else, it means the phone is faster and smoother, allowing users to open and switch between apps much more quickly. Another bonus of the A5 is that it boosts the phone’s graphical capabilities by (according to Apple) seven times. That’s a phenomenal leap forward and will no doubt mean we’ll be seeing some top notch gaming titles appear on the App Store very soon – including the highly anticipated Infinity Blade II. If you’re not much of a gamer, the A5 chip is still well worth it for the speed and reliability it provides across the operating system.

Voice recognition from Siri

This is probably the most talked-about feature of the iPhone 4S; Siri is an all-new speech recognition system which is truly a joy to behold. It’s like having a personal assistant built in to your phone. Unlike speech recognition systems from the past, Siri is spot on practically every time – and it even has a sense of humour! Simply ask Siri a question by speaking into the phone and it’ll come up with a solution (or at least try to). So whether you need to text your mother and say hello, or plot a route to the nearest shop, Siri will be able to help. Or if you want to Google something or find out the very best high interest current accounts, Siri can step in there too. It also answers some of the more unusual queries; for example, if you ask Siri where you can get some drugs, it’ll instead find drug rehabilitation centres near you… isn’t that thoughtful? You can even ask Siri its opinion, how it’s feeling, or what its favourite brand of computer is (hmm…). The iPhone 4S is the only way to experience Siri, and we think that’s a great reason to invest.

1080p HD video recording

The iPhone 4 introduced a high-def video camera and a higher resolution camera, but it’s small fry in comparison to the iPhone 4S’s offering. A ten megapixel camera means that your photos will be more detailed than ever, and the HD video recording now outputs at 1080p full HD, so it’s as powerful as many of the standalone video cameras on the market. Plus, the new A5 chip means that the camera app now has face detection – a feature sorely missed on previous iterations of Apple’s flagship product. These camera features are a real step up, and they’re ideal for any budding videographers or photographers out there (or for those who want to have a top quality camera on them at all times).

These are just three of the reasons you’ll want to invest in an iPhone 4S, and there are likely plenty more. Of course, there’s a good chance that Apple will be releasing the next ‘proper’ version of the phone – the iPhone 5 – next year with a whole host of must-have features, but until them the iPhone 4S is a fantastic choice for anyone looking to make the upgrade (especially if your contract is due for renewal about now). And of course, you’ll be the envy of all of your friends with the latest piece of tech right there in your pocket. Just be prepared to have a lot of people asking you to show them exactly how well Siri works!