First of all: we'd like to thank our awesome iFixit user, Markus Weiher, for taking some of the photos from Germany!

You asked, we delivered! The new iPhone 4S steps up to the grandest stage of them all, and iFixit is here to expose it.

The tech specs:

• Apple's A5 System-on-a-Chip: 1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
• 8 MP Rear-Facing (1080p Video Capture) + VGA Front-Facing Cameras
• 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 (oo-la-la!)
• LED Backlit IPS TFT LCD Retina Display with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE + Dual-band CDMA/EV-DO Rev support (World phone)

We finally have the much-anticipated iPhone 4S in our hands, and it sure is looking mighty fine!

Sticking with last year's rectangular design, the 4S looks very much like the iPhone 4 and sports the same stainless steel bezels around its perimeter.

• Apple has supposedly fixed the antenna issue that emerged immediately following the release of the iPhone 4. Does this mean we won't be receiving a free case this year? Bummer!

The SIM slot is back! Since the iPhone 4S is a world phone, it will support both GSM and CDMA networks. Regardless of your carrier, you can be sure that the micro-SIM slot will be there to accept your GSM micro-SIM cards, as well as any CDMA "roaming SIM."

Oh look! The 4S got the FCC stamp of approval. Bravo, Apple. But no gold stars from us yet...

The iPhone 4S's model number is A1387.

Notice the exterior antenna gaps around the perimeter of the iPhone 4S— Siri! You got some 'splaining to do!

Pentalobe Screws, again? We were somewhat hoping there would be something new to keep us out this year, but it seems like our familiar friends have not moved far from their home at the bottom of the iPhone 4S.

A couple quick turns with our 5-Point Pentalobe Screwdriver and out they come! And guess what: our all-new pro driver was just released today. It comes in a great blue/black color, and it's guaranteed to be the best Pentalobe driver on the market. Hey, it's not like we haven't done this before.

Sorry, Siri. Despite your self-destruction threat, we will not be deterred. Let's see what you're hiding.

We continue to tread largely familiar waters as we remove the back cover, the same way we did with the iPhone 4, and reveal the battery along with a mess of padded EMI shields.

"I must implore you not to go any further, iFixit. You do not have proper authorization," Siri firmly asserts.

Unfortunately, we have to stop here since the tag says "Authorized Service Provider Only."

Sike! That silly tag hasn't stopped us before, and today is no different.

We finally get our first good look at the 4S's highly-acclaimed battery.

Look closely... closer... there it is: an extra .05 WHrs in the battery over the iPhone 4!

• You probably want to know if you can use this battery in your iPhone 4. Sadly, it appears that the connectors are different shapes, so we'd have to say that it's not likely.

The iPhone 4S boasts a continuous talk time of 8 hrs on 3G, up to 14 hrs on 2G (GSM network) and up to 200 hrs on standby.

• Comparing these times to those of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S offers an extra hour of talk time on the 3G network, the same amount of talk time on the 2G network, and 100 hours less standby time.
• Taking into account the upgrade in hardware that comes with the 4S, though, the power consumption seems rather efficient.

A quick flick with our spudger disconnects the rear-facing camera.

The iPhone 4S turns up the heat with its new 8 megapixel camera.

• We learned from Chipworks that the camera is made by Sony!

8 MP is great and all, but as we all know, it's not just about the tools; it's about how you use them. The iPhone 4S knows how to use every last one of those pixels.

• Apple boasts 73% more light with "next-generation backside illumination" for better low-light performance. Want pictures fast? This camera is roughly 33% faster and can snap multiple photos less than a second apart.

Still pictures not your thing? How about HD video at 1080p and 30 fps?

With the help of our iPhone opening tool, we pop out the logic board.

The iPhone 4S logic board bears a close resemblance to its stateside CDMA counterpart. Once those EMI shields are off, though, we'll have a better idea of where the similarities stop.

• Until then, what else can we do with an L-shaped block?
• "Please halt all destructive activity" Siri responds upon hearing our intentions. Apparently she can still talk with her battery removed. Could she be running on pixie dust, perhaps?

Notice the white triangular sticker located on the right EMI shield? We did too... it's our dreaded enemy, the liquid indicator.