iPhone 4S to be Available in Hong Kong, South Korea from Nov.11

Apple Inc. has announced the availability of the iPhone 4S in Hong Kong, South Korea and 13 additional countries beginning Nov. 11. Specifically, the iPhone 4S will be available in Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania and South Korea. The phone is currently available in 29 countries around the world and will be available in more than 70 countries by the end of the year.

Customers will be able to pre-order the iPhone 4S beginning Friday, Nov. 4, Apple said in a statement.

The news comes as the iPhone 4S is reeling under charges of a too-rapidly draining battery, for which Apple is yet to issue a fix.

The iPhone 4S comes in either black or white for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the new 64GB model under a two-year contract. Without contract, Apple sells the iPhone 4S for $649 for the 16GB, $749 for 32GB and $849 for the 64GB model.

The iPhone 4S is the fifth generation of the iPhone, a device that combines a widescreen iPod with a touch screen, a mobile phone and Internet communicator. The smartphone was unveiled at Apple's Let's Talk iPhone event on Oct. 4, 2011 in California. Apple started taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S on Oct. 7, with a first delivery date set for Oct. 14.

It retains the exterior design of its predecessor - the iPhone 4 - but is host to a range of improved hardware specifications and software updates. The device's highlights include a voice-enabled assistant called Siri, the iOS 5 and iCloud. In addition, the device sports a dual-core A5 chip and stunning graphics, an 8 megapixel camera with advanced optics and full 1080p HD resolution video recording.