Steve Jobs took the stage yet again today to promote a new Apple product and continue the ongoing argument of which products are the best in the market. As is custom, Steve started his keynote at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC 2010) discussing the recent successes that Apple has had, some quick updates to recently released products (The iPad) and how the company is set to push the envelope again in the mobile market.
It wasn’t long ago that pictures of a “lost” Apple device reached the internet via Gizmodo and detailed specifics of the hardware behind the mobile device Steve Jobs would announce. And with only a few slight comments about the Gizmodo article, Steve quickly went to show off the iPhone 4, the mobile phone that Apple believes will change the market yet again.
Many of the features and capabilities that come with the iPhone 4 have been known since Apple announced their iPhone OS 4 (now renamed iOS 4) was announced but the hardware specifics and the demonstrations of new apps soon to hit the iPhone market again brought the media audience at the WWDC 2010 keynote to applause. We’ll discuss a number of these features below and detail why we believe Steve and Apple when they say that the mobile market is going to change significantly yet again.
iPhone 4 Technical Specifications
Apple’s iPhone 4 is thiner, lighter, and more impressive than the iPhone 3GS. The phone features Apple’s A4 processor that we’ve come to love in the iPad and has an improved design that allows for stronger antenna for increased range and quality of signals (Phone, 3G, and Wifi). Apple’s new phone is designed with two flat glass surfaces (that should be easily cleaned) and features black or white color models. Apple also has added their own “covers” to the mix, what they call bumpers, that add color to your iPhone for a bit of additional customization, personalization, and style. The iPhone 4 will come with either 16GB or 32GB models and sports a new State of the Art Retina Display.
Apple explains that the Retina Display will allow for 960 by 640 resolution on the 3.5 inch screen. This is a considerable increase over previous models and supports over 300dpi, a level of detail the human eye can’t even see. In addition to these features the iPhone also ads a camera to the front and back of the phone with up to 5-megapixel quality images and 720p HD video recording. A Three-Axis Gyro has also been added to the device which we guess will mostly be utilized by video games. The Battery has been made larger and now supports up to 14 hours of talk time, 10 hours of Wi-Fi, 10 hours video playback, and 40 hours of Audio playback.
With the improvement in battery support, the amazing retina display functionality, and HD video recording capability we expect the iPhone will consume more and more electronic devices. Use of applications like Qik will make video sharing easier and more and more “on the go” video will appear on Facebook and other social networks.
The best part about the technical specification improvements over previous models of the iPhone or other mobile devices is that it will continue to push Google and other smart phone makers to build better more capable phones. In this type of environment the consumer wins more and more. Its great to see significant improvements and additional capabilities that iPhone apps will be able to do with the new iPhone 4 hardware.
Best New iPhone 4 Features
Apple is including a number of new features in the iPhone 4 and iOS 4 but some of the best are detailed below. These features are what makes the device a game changer and will be the reason why we expect to see millions quickly pickup their own iPhone.
The most important feature that is also most likely to change the mobile market is FaceTime. Apple has created the ability to allow Face to Face calling on a mobile device by adding a phone to the front and back of the device. You can now call (over wifi networks only for 2010) your friends and family and instantly see how they’re doing, what they’re doing, and what their faces are really telling you during a quick converstaion. Technology has been making face to face communication less common, but Apple hopes to change that with FaceTime. Apple is also making this an Open technology and industry standard which means we should see the functionality and capability on other devices, even those not made by Apple. - Multitasking will allow individuals to do significantly more with their application. The ability to run multiple applications at once changed computers years ago and has already begun in the mobile market with Operating Systems like Android and Palm OS. Its great to see Apple catch up in this are and provide users with more control over the devices. I expect use of applications like Pandora will only increase as listening to streaming music while performing other mobile tasks will only increase. This may impact our data plans so pay attention to your data usage when outside your wifi networks.
- Flip and other mobile video recording devices must not be too happy with the iPhone, and we expect the iPod Touch to soon follow, entering the HD Video recording market. Apple’s iPhone will make capturing video on the go more likely and more common. I expect the number of Video Blogs to increase significantly over the next few years.
- Small screens require high quality images and Apple has yet again delivered with the Retina Display technology they include in the iPhone 4. This will make using the phone more enjoyable across the board. Images, Video, and Games will look more crisp, support higher resolutions, and provide a better visual experience to users. Each and every app will be improved by this technology update to the iPhone
Additional Features
Apple didn’t stop at just the features mentioned above. More than 100 new features and capabilities will be available on the iPhone 4 with iOS 4 in the coming months. Improved iPhone 4 Parental Controls will allow for restrictions to safari, youtube, itunes, app store, camera, and location service usage to be set to help ensure the privacy and safety of children. Tethering will be made easier but be sure to weigh in the benefits at AT&T’s expensive costs. iBooks will becoming to the iPhone and will quickly sync between your iPad and iPhone. Nike + iPod is also part of iPhone 4 and iOS 4. All the features of the iOS 4 will be available and optimized for usage on the iPhone 4. It will be great to see new great and capable apps hit the store with the new hardware and software updates.
iPhone 4 Price
Apple is selling the iPhone 4 16gb for $199 and the iPhone 32gb for $299. The device can be pre-ordered on June 15th and picked up on the 24th of June. Expect long lines, lots of people, and an amazing device if you decide not to wait. AT&T has made it even easier for current iPhone owners to upgrade to the new device by decreasing the number of months required for upgrade eligibility so be sure to check on your AT&T account to see if you’re able to purchase the iPhone 4.
