San Francisco – Apple (NASD: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs on Monday introduced a
new iPhone model with support for video calls, and a corresponding iOS software
update at the company’s annual WWDC developer’s conference in San Francisco. Jobs
made reference to the fact that many had already seen the new iPhone — a
prototype was reportedly left in a bar and sold to a technology blogger —
which sports a glass and stainless steel casing, and is one-quarter thinner
than the current 3GS model.
Among the new features are a 5-megapixel camera
with LED flash, front-facing camera and support for HD video recording in 720p
at 30 frames per second.
The dual cameras will support a new feature, FaceTime,
which enables real-time video calls over a Wi-Fi connection.
The new
"retina display" on the iPhone offers 4x the resolution of previous
models, and a contrast radio of 800:1.
A gyro has been added, which when paired
with the existing accelerometer, provides 6-axis motion sensing — now a
standard feature on next-generation video game controllers.
Apple also unveiled
the new iPhone OS — now called "iOS" 4, as it ships with the iPad
and iPod touch as well as the iPhone, which brings the long-awaited ability to
multi-task with applications.
Apple will now offer users a choice between
Google, Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) or Microsoft’s (NASD: MSFT) Bing as their preferred search engine.
The iBookstore is now
available for the iPhone and iPod touch, after launching previously for the
iPad, and titles will automatically sync across all devices.
New applications
announced included a $4.99 version of Apple’s iMovie video-editing software for
the iPhone; Netflix (NASD: NFLX) instant streaming of TV shows and movies to the iPhone and
iPad; and mobile versions of Zynga’s "FarmVille" and Activision’s
"Guitar Hero."
Jobs relayed that the new iAd mobile advertising platform
has already received commitments of $60 million, from advertisers including
Nissan, Unilever, GE, Best Buy and Disney. The format is slate to launch on July 1.
The new iPhone 4 will be priced at
$199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model.
Pre-orders begin on June
15 and the device ships in the U.S.
and four other countries on June 24, expanding to 88 countries by September.
Additionally, the current iPhone 3GS model will be discounted to $99.
Poll: Will You Buy the New iPhone 4?
Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/06/07iphone.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20006866-260.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?entry_id=65182
Great I will order some from China and pay half the price and get more features !!!!