By Allen Tsai | Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:10 am |
Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs today unveiled a new version of its iPhone, which features a thinner design, a clearer display and cameras on the front and back, as the company looks to extend its lead in the mobile market.
While Jobs described the glass and stainless steel rimmed device, dubbed the iPhone 4, as "thinnest smartphone on the planet," he offered few surprises after details surfaced last March.
Among other things, Jobs praised the iPhone 4's slim 9.3 millimeter profile -- 24 percent thinner than the existing 3GS, higher-resolution touch screen display and dual cameras -- a highly-anticipated front-facing VGA camera, dubbed FaceTime, which can be used for videoconferencing, in addition to a 5.0-megapixel one on the back.
"When you hold this in your hands, it's unbelievable," he said.
Jobs said the iPhone 4 will come in two models. A version with 16 gigabytes of storage will cost $200 and a version with 32 gigabytes of memory will be priced at $300. Both device will go on sale in the U.S. and four other countries starting June 24, and be available in 18 more countries in July. By the end of September, the iPhone 4 will sold in 88 countries.
For now, FaceTime works only if both users have an iPhone 4 and are connected through Wi-Fi rather than a 3G network. But Jobs hinted that FaceTime will eventually be opened to AT&T's network, saying Apple needs to "work a little bit" with carriers to tweak it to be "ready for the future."
While new iPhone's 3.5-inches touch screen display remains the same size as the 3GS, Jobs said the iPhone 4 now shows four times as many pixels as the previous model -- so small, in fact, that the human eye can't see the individual dots on the screen.
"We've been able to make the battery bigger and because the A4 chip is so good," he said. "We've improved the battery life to seven hours of 3G talk, six hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music and 300 hours of standby."
Jobs added that the iPhone 4 also has a new gyroscope for three dimensional functions and more advanced motion-sensing applications, such as games and navigation services.
"We tied the gyro, accelerometer and compass together for six-axis." he said. "It's perfect for gaming."
The new device will be powered by the latest version of Apple's mobile software, now called iOS4, which can run more than one program at once. Older devices will be able to download iOS4 for free on June 21, but not all the features will work on them.
New programs for the phone will include a version of the popular Facebook game Farmville and a application from DVD rental company Netflix, which lets people watch streaming video from their TV.
Apple also tightened links between the iPhone and its iPad tablet by offering a version of its iBooks e-reading software on the new iPhone, which means, for example, customers could buy an e-book from the company and read it on either device. Apple is also integrating iAds, a platform that lets developers incorporate advertising into apps, and a gaming platform called Games Center.
Additional features on the iPhone 4 include a second microphone to reduce unwanted noise, 802.11n Wi-Fi and high-speed HSDPA Internet.
Since releasing the original iPhone in 2007, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has set the gold standard for touch screen phones. Last quarter, Apple sold a record 8.75 million iPhones, which accounted for more than 40 percent of its revenue, pushing its global smartphone share to more than 15 percent, third behind Nokia and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.
Jobs said he expects the company to sell its 100 millionth iPhone this month and 36 million units in the year, up 73 percent from 20.8 million from a year ago. But analysts said the iPhone 4 will lands as more competition is boiling over, especially with rivals like HTC introducing more high-powered devices that run on Google's Android operating system, including Verizon's Droid Incredible and Sprint's Evo 4G.
Last week, AT&T, the exclusively U.S. carrier for the iPhone 4, announced that it would no longer offer unlimited data plans. Beginning today, new subscribers can either pay $15 a month for 200 megabytes or $25 for 2 gigabytes.
While many consumers are anticipating an iPhone for Verizon, most analysts speculate that a Verizon iPhone won't show up until early this fall or next year.
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