iPhone 4 Announced Today

[Kevy Baby]

From Mac Rumors:

As expected at today's WWDC keynote event, Steve Jobs announced the next iPhone model, dubbed iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 features a new design relative to previous models and is identical to the model obtained by Gizmodo earlier this year, over which a search warrant was issued and criminal charges are being considered.

The new iPhone will have Apple's own A4 chip and a larger battery that will offer 40% more talk time than the previous model. It will also be capable of HSDPA/HSUPA speeds of 7.2Mbps down and 5.8Mbs up. Surprisingly, the iPhone will not see a storage bump in this generation, maxing out at 32GB like the current iPhone 3GS.

Other new additions include 802.11n Wi-Fi, a gyroscope to detect motion on 6 axes, as well as an LED flash to supplement the new 5-megapixel auto-focus lens. The updated camera will have 5x digital zoom and will record 720p HD video at 30 frames per second. Videos captured can be edited on the device using the new iMovie for iPhone.

The new iPhone 4 will also have a secondary microphone on the top for noise cancellation, as well as a front-facing camera for video calls. It will also use the smaller micro SIM, making use of the smaller SIM standard like the iPad.

Size-wise, it will be just 9.33mm thick, which is 24% thinner than the current iPhone 3GS. It will have a glass front and back with a stainless steel band that wraps around all sides. This band is used as part of the antenna system for the GSM, UMTS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth radios.

iPhone 4 will also have a Retina Display, a new display technology that packs in 326 pixels per inch, compared to the current iPhone's 163 ppi. Noting that the detection limit of the human eye is 300 ppi, Jobs described that the iPhone 4's display will "comfortably" exceed this and that text will be seen as a "fine printed book." The new iPhone's display will be the same 3.5-inch size of the current iPhone 3GS but with a resolution of 940 x 640 pixels and an 800:1 contrast ratio and the same IPS technology used in the iPad's display.

The new iPhone 4 model will go on sale on June 24 in the U.S., France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., it will cost $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model with a new 2-year contract. iPhone 4 will be available in 88 countries by the end of September.

AT&T will be offering an early upgrade special for current iPhone users in the U.S., allowing the lower upgrade pricing up to 6 months earlier than the company normally does.

An 8 GB iPhone 3GS will also be available and will be priced at $99 in the U.S. with a new 2-year contract.

Engadget has some hands-on pics and notes:

We've just gotten some face time (ha ha!) with the new iPhone 4, and let's just say this: it's incredibly sexy. We'll hand it to Apple, the phone is so thin it's kind of mind-boggling. The 3GS by comparison looks bloated. Feast your eyes on the pics below, and check out the FaceTime video demo after the break! Oh, and special thanks to hand models Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg.

Some takeaways about the device:

• As we said, it's shockingly thin.
• The screen is truly outrageous -- you basically cannot see pixels on it. We're not being hyperbolic when we say it's easily the best looking mobile phone screen we've ever laid eyes on.
• The build quality is really solid. The home button feels much snappier, and on the whole it just feels like a tightly-packed device, but it's not heavy.
• The side buttons are really nice and clicky.
• iOS 4 is very familiar -- there's not a lot added to fit and finish.
• The general speed of the whole OS is way snappier. The camera app in particular is noticeably faster -- shots get snapped in an instant.

(Click the link above for pics)


And while not mentioned in either above, the new OS DOES do multi-tasking (about effing time!)

[Alex]

Good for the multitasking, but doesn't that disappoint all the people who have told me that the lack of multi-tasking is a desirable feature? I'll have to go find them and ask.

[mousepod]

Originally Posted by Alex

Good for the multitasking, but doesn't that disappoint all the people who have told me that the lack of multi-tasking is a desirable feature? I'll have to go find them and ask.

If you follow the link above, you'll see that the new version of "multitasking" that Apple is using on the iPhone is a "best of both worlds". If open apps were running in the background (the imagined definition of multitasking for the iPhone before today), the battery would drain faster. This new version pauses apps when you switch between them.

I'm satisfied with that explanation.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by mousepod

I'm satisfied with that explanation.

Except nobody who ever defended the lack of multitasking ever used battery life as a defense but rather that it was actually better to only be able to run one application at a time.

As for how well this form works, I'd have to try it and see what impact "pausing" has. I have several apps that I frequently use simultaneously where I wouldn't want them to stop when I had something else in the foreground but I'd probably get used to it.

All somewhat moot for me since I'm pretty sure the iPhone still has a virtual keyboard which my use of test phones at work has confirmed is a showstoppe for me. I'm just old.

[mousepod]

Originally Posted by Alex

Except nobody who ever defended the lack of multitasking ever used battery life as a defense].

Except me.

[innerSpaceman]

That's cool for the multi-tasking - but I don't find myself using the device for internet all that much. Incredibly, I find the new phone to be so much uglier than the original iPhone that I'm not tempted for a minute to buy one for the tech upgrades.

I just recently freed my phone from its protective case to restore its sexiness of fantastic design. The new phone comes unsexy out of the box, so it's a big no-thanks from me.

Thinner is good - but I don't think the old one looks "bloated." Ovoid, rounded shapes are futuristically sexy, and sharp edges are simply not as appealing to my sense of futuristic aesthetic. Wall*E vs. Eve.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by mousepod

If you follow the link above, you'll see that the new version of "multitasking" that Apple is using on the iPhone is a "best of both worlds". If open apps were running in the background (the imagined definition of multitasking for the iPhone before today), the battery would drain faster. This new version pauses apps when you switch between them.

I'm satisfied with that explanation.

I know others will poo-poo it, but I think I would prefer this way of multi-tasking. I would be too worried about draining my battery too quickly by forgetting what was also running.

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I just recently freed my phone from its protective case to restore its sexiness of fantastic design. The new phone comes unsexy out of the box, so it's a big no-thanks from me.

Personally, I think you are crazy for not having a cover on it. Maybe it is just me, but I think the question is not IF you will drop it, but WHEN. While no cover is a panacea of protection, I feel that a decent cover is a must - especially with the iPhone (and especially for Susan, but that is another story).

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I just recently freed my phone from its protective case to restore its sexiness of fantastic design. The new phone comes unsexy out of the box, so it's a big no-thanks from me.

Thinner is good - but I don't think the old one looks "bloated." Ovoid, rounded shapes are futuristically sexy, and sharp edges are simply not as appealing to my sense of futuristic aesthetic. Wall*E vs. Eve.

Bad news for you: the next iPhone (iPhone 5?) will have the same boxy shape: http://macrumo.rs/NM4CTl

[Not Afraid]

I love it and I'm so happy our contract is up in July. New phones new phones new phones!!!!

(But, I will be putting mine in an un-sexy case. I'm too rough on my devices to risk it.)

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

I love it and I'm so happy our contract is up in July. New phones new phones new phones!!!!

(But, I will be putting mine in an un-sexy case. I'm too rough on my devices to risk it.)

AT&T is being generous with iPhone upgrades. People are asking why.