HD screen, video messaging, dual cameras lead new additions
Steve Jobs has unveiled the Apple iPhone 4, calling it the biggest leap since the original iPhone, with a new display, HD video camera and gyroscope.
Available in the US and UK from 24 June, the iPhone 4 will cost $199 for the 16Gb version or $299 for a 32Gb version on a two-year contract in the US. While pre-orders will start 15 June. There was no mention of a release date for Ireland.
Speaking at the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco yesterday, Jobs claimed it was the thinnest smartphone on the planet. Only 9.3mm thick, it's 24% slimmer than the iPhone 3G S.
The iPhone 4 is made of glass and a stainless steel band, with the latter doubling up as an integrated antenna, with half of it boosting Wi-Fi and GPS and the other half helping out GSM connectivity.
Jobs unveiled a new display tech for the iPhone called "retina display," which offers 326 pixels per inch, meaning the 3.5" display has a 960x640 resolution - four times that of the 3G S. Jobs said the new iPhone has 78% of the number of pixels of the much larger iPad "right in the palm of your hand."
The rear camera has been updated from three to five megapixels, and includes a new "backside illuminated sensor" for taking pictures in low light.
It also records HD video, taking 720 pixels at 30 frames per second, and the new LED flash will stay on during filming. To edit on the go, Apple's iMovie software will now be available for the iPhone, including themes, geolocation and the ability to add music from your own collection.
The new iPhone also features picture-in-picture video calling called FaceTime, using the new front-facing camera. FaceTime will only work over Wi-Fi this year, in order to give Apple time to sort out 3G bandwidth issues with mobile operators.
Apple has switched to a microSIM, giving more room for a bigger battery. The iPhone 4 offers seven hours of talk time, six hours of 3G browsing, and 300 on standby, Jobs said.
Another new feature is a gyroscope, which adds another dimension of movement for gaming.
New operating system
The next version of the iPhone OS will arrive "soon" with 100 new features and be renamed iOS4. It will arrive as a free upgrade on 21 June, will full support for the 3GS and all but the first generation of the iPod Touch. The 3G iPhone will also support the iOS4 upgrade, but won't support multitasking.
Talking about the previously announced support for multitasking, Jobs admitted the feature was a long time coming, but said Apple wanted to make sure it avoided draining the battery.
Jobs also revealed that Microsoft's Bing would be added as a third search option, although Google will remain the default alongside Yahoo.
On the business side, iOS4 will be more enterprise friendly with improved data protection and support for multiple Exchange accounts and Exchange Server 2010.
The new OS will also include iAds, a new advertising system that will work inside the app to keep users' attention. Apple will host the ads and handle sales, with 60% of revenue going to the app developers.
iBooks updated, iPhone apps
Jobs unveiled a host of other iPhone- and iPad-related news at the conference.
The iPad will see an update to iBooks, which will now be able to read PDFs, highlight text, make notes, bookmark pages and see bookmarks in the table of contents. The update will roll out later this month, with a version for the iPhone and iPod Touch that will sync books across devices.
Jobs claimed five million books have been downloaded since the iPad's launch, which works out to 2.5 per iPad.
He also launched a strong defence of Apple's iPhone apps policy. Fighting back against criticism that getting apps approved is too difficult, he said that of the 15,000 apps submitted each week, 95% are approved within seven days.
According to Jobs, the main reason for rejection is that the app doesn't work as advertised, and the second most common reason is they run private APIs, which he claims break when Apple issues updates.
Jobs said the App Store passed 5 billion downloads this week, with $1 billion in payments to developers.
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