Apple iPhone 4S Goes Global 11 November
Apple has confirmed it will be launching its already record breaking iPhone 4S in a number of new territories 11 November, less than a week before its Mango and Ice Cream Sandwich flavoured competitors, the Lumia 800 and Galaxy Nexus hit British stores. Reuters/Robert Galbraith

Apple announced the next cluster of countries to receive its newest smartphone, the iPhone 4S. Starting Nov. 11, Apple will launch in-store sales of the new iPhone in 15 new regions in South America, Asia and parts of Europe, including Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania and South Korea.

These countries will be able to pre-order the new iPhone 4S starting on Nov. 4, with the exception of Albania, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malta, Montenegro and Panama. Apple plans to sell the 4S alongside the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS in all 15 countries, but the company has not announced local pricing for each handset.

On Oct. 28, Apple began to fill pre-orders for the iPhone 4S in 22 countries, including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands. Apple still plans to release the 4S in 55 new countries by the end of the year.

The iPhone 4S looks identical to the iPhone 4 in size and appearance, but the phone is built with completely new hardware, including a dual-core A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera that shoots video in full 1080p HD, a dual-antenna system to maximize call reception and support for CDMA users and GSM global roaming.

Every iPhone 4S comes pre-loaded with Apple's iOS 5 mobile operating system, which boasts 200 new features from the last iteration, and also comes with Siri, a virtual personal assistant that helps the user place calls, write and send texts and e-mails, set alarms and reminders, schedule meetings, get directions, and answer highly complex and context-sensitive questions.

Since the phone's release, users have been complaining about excessive battery drain on the 4S, and Apple seems to be stumped. The company reportedly reached out to users to install monitoring programs that would send diagnostic information back to Apple, but in the meantime, many are experimenting with different ways to prolong the battery life. One solution, which involves changing the automated time zone settings on the phone, reportedly increases the phone's battery life dramatically when switched off.

The iPhone 4S is available on AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and regional carrier C Spire Wireless networks.

Apple inc. Portugal Poland Poland