First Apple tries to pull the "mythical" white iPhone shenanigan, wherein they attempted to dupe us into buying something that already exists. Now, rumor has it that the actual next generation iPhone will also be ... pretty much something that already exists! The nerve!

Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek issued a research note to clients today, in which he claims the next iPhone 5 will be called the 'iPhone 4S' and will debut in September, per industry expectations. But unlike "geek-pectations," it doesn't sound like the new iPhone's features will really deviate significantly from the current iPhone 4. Instead, it'll just have "minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support."

Oh, sure, Apple's gonna let late-to-the-party carriers T-Mobile and Sprint in on the action by the end of 2011, so that's good news for some folks, but otherwise, the "update" sounds terribly ... LAME!

Seems that Apple knows it, too, and plans to just lean on the new iOS (operating system) as a key selling point for customers. Meh, when it comes to buying a new smartphone, most people are more interested in fancy, new hardware. And if you can just get that iOS update on your existing iPhone 4, why would you bother with the 4S?

Sure, the new A5 processor is pretty sweet, but without 4G speeds, it won't be a worthwhile update, according to my friend who is a tech expert and serious early adopter. Network speeds are becoming increasingly important, and I wouldn't be surprised if consumers look elsewhere for that 4G. Cuz they can find it in lots of other smartphones.

Of course, the complaint with the existing 4G smartphones is that they can't hold a charge to save their neat gadget lives. The speedy network sucks up tons of juice. And that's probably why Apple is having trouble incorporating the technology into their new model, but yo, figure it out, Jobs! If any company could solve an industry-wise problem, it would be Apple. Well, maybe not anymore!

Seriously, I am pissed. Where is my iPhone 5? A proud owner of an iPhone 3GS for almost 2 years, I've waited patiently for Apple to work out the bugs in the iPhone 4 and come out with something revolutionary this year. And it seems like all we faithful Apple customers are going to get is a slightly revamped iPhone 4 with a perfunctory letter tacked onto its name. Boo. Hiss! If these iPhone 4S rumors are true, I bet the iEmpire will take a fall from many a technophiles' grace.

What do you think about the rumored iPhone 4S? Would you buy it with these minor changes?