Apple today announced its fourth-generation smart phone, the iPhone 4, with virtually all of the expected improvements plus a few surprises.
The leading surprise was arguably the addition of a built-in gyroscope that responds to movement along six axes of motion, and promises to enable new kinds of video games—including a stacking puzzle that Apple boss Steve Jobs demonstrated during his presentation.
The iPhone 4 will be available June 24 for $299 and $199 for its 32 GB and 16 GB models, respectively, with pre-orders beginning on June 15. It will be the thinnest smart phone on the market, at just 9.3mm thick—or 24 percent thinner than its predecessor, the 3G S. (That older iPhone will remain available, at a reduced price of $99 for an 8GB version.)
Held as part of the Apple Developers Conference, Jobs’ presentation also unveiled some enhancements for all iPhones, except the first-generation 2G model, that arise from the new iPhone operating system, dubbed iOS4.
These enhancements include the expected ability to multitask; Jobs demonstrated how iPhone users will, for the first time, be able to check e-mail, view Web pages, and stream music at the same time. And they'll also be able to view e-mails from multiple accounts, and open PDF files by using the iBooks app now available for the iPad, a version of which is being added for iPhone.
Playing catch-up with other smart phones, especially Android models, iPhones will also now have the ability to share photos and videos to social networks or e-mail in one click, directly from the camera. Video editing is also upgraded; you’ll now be able to record, edit, and then, with a few taps, e-mail video right on the phone. And the new iMovie for iPhone app, a $5 download, will allow more advanced on-camera editing like adding transitions, titles, photo stills, and importing music from iTunes for the soundtrack.
You’ll also be able to use more search engines on your iPhone. In addition to Google, iOS4 will add native support for Yahoo! and Microsoft's Bing.
Here are other features of the iPhone 4 itself, most of them predicted in advance by some pundits, including me:
A sharper display. iPhone has been behind many of its competitors in terms of pixel density, which generally equates to sharpness. However, with its 960×640 screen, dubbed “Retina,” iPhone 4 is capable of delivering 326 pixels per inch (ppi), putting it ahead of the best Android phones such as the Motorola Droid and HTC Evo, whose displays are around 250 ppi.
In a side-by-side demo with 3 GS, pictures and text indeed appeared much sharper on the iPhone 4, yet they also appeared to be a bit darker. We'll just have to wait to test the new phone in our labs.
The screen is also claimed to be more responsive, which Jobs demonstrated by using a new version of Guitar Hero for iPhone; together, he claimed, the screen and app will provide Guitar Hero players with a "richer" air-guitar experience.
One screen surprise: The new iPhone’s screen is the same 3.5-inch size as the 3 GS, meaning iPhone will lag behind the likes of the HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Galaxy S, with their 4-inch-plus screens.
A better camera. iPhone 4 also upgrades the current 3-megapixel camera to a 5-megapixel one, and claims a better, backside-illuminated sensor, too. And, in a game of catch up with other cameras, has added an LED flash that stays on for video recording.
In another catchup move, there will finally be an iPhone that’s able to shoot HD video (in 720P format at 30 frames per second).
A second camera for videoconferencing. Taking it’s a cue from HTC's Evo, iPhone 4 has a front-facing camera to facilitate video conferencing. The feature, called FaceTime, is free but will only work over a WiFi connection in 2010. However, at today's demonstration between Steve Jobs and someone else, the transmission appeared to stall several times.
Improved battery life. In spite of the demands of multitasking, which typically boosts power consumption, Apple claims to have improved battery life on the iPhone 4. Each charge, it says, will allow the device to run for 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, or 40 hours of music.
A new case. iPhone 4 has a flat, glass back, two buttons on the side for volume control, and a second microphone on the bottom, to allow for noise cancellation. Its stainless-steel trim also acts as an antenna.
We'll have more details on the new iPhone soon.
—Mike Gikas
