Users more concerned about function than form will rush to the new model, she predicted.
Initially, the iPhone 4S will be available in the Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the U.S. and the U.K., with 22 more countries following two weeks later. "It's our fastest roll-out ever," said Cook, confirming what some analysts anticipated.
Philip Schiller, who leads Apple's marketing, promised that the new iPhone 4S will be faster -- up to seven times faster in rendering graphics -- thanks to the A5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) embedded in the device. Apple first used the A5 in the iPad 2 that it launched in March.
Like the A4 chip used in the iPhone 4, the A5 is based on an ARM Cortex design; the latter, however is a dual-core processor built on the Cortex A9 that runs at 1Ghz.
Calling it Apple's first "world phone," Schiller said that the new model will support both CDMA- and GSM-based networks, the two most popular standards used by mobile carriers, eliminating the need to stock different phones for, say, AT&T and Verizon customers in the U.S.
A pair of antennas in the iPhone 4S, as well as supporting circuitry and chipsets, allow the single model to connect to both types of networks, said Schiller.
"Our engineering system has worked really hard at advancing the state of the art," said Schiller. "[The iPhone 4S] can now intelligently switch between the two antennas between transmit and receive."
As expected, the new iPhone sports a higher-resolution camera with an 8-megapixel sensor, a 60% improvement over the 5-megapixel camera in the iPhone 4. For shooting video, the camera now includes stabilization technology to produce less jitter when hand-held and will shoot 1080p video.
Also as predicted, Apple did not roll out a smartphone designed specifically for the faster LTE, often called "4G," networks.
"I think it would have been a mistake" for Apple to brave the LTE waters, said Milanesi, since that faster standard has not yet been widely deployed.
Apple's decision to not make a move on LTE, or other features found in Android smartphones, such as a larger screen, show that the company is comfortable with its current strategy, she added.
"For those expecting that pressure from Android would force Apple to go faster, and not follow the iPhone 4 with the iPhone 4S -- as it did with the 3G and then the 3GS -- it's clear that Apple doesn't feel that is that much pressure from Android," said Milanesi.
Among her highlights for the iPhone 4S was Apple's new "Siri" voice-controlled assistant, which will work only on the newest model.