14 DAY TRIAL // Touted by Apple as the thinnest smartphone ever, iPhone 4 officially debuted yesterday at Apple’s WWDC10 Steve Jobs keynote address. The company highlighted key new additions such as FaceTime video calling, the all-new Retina Display with a remarkable 960-by-640 resolution in a 3.5-inch screen, HD video recording, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, iBooks, iMovie applications and more.
Apple introduced iPhone 4 with a bang yesterday at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, noting that this next-generation device was, by far, the biggest leap since the original handset was introduced in 2007. In fact, the Apple CEO’s official statement shows just how proud the company is of its latest achievements.
“iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, said. “FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.”
FaceTime is a highly anticipated feature, although Apple confirmed during yesterday’s event that video calling would work over WiFi only for now. Steve Jobs said there was still some work to be done with carriers to get FaceTime up and running on their networks.
Weighing in on the 3.5-inch Retina display, Apple claims it has 960 x 640 pixels – four times as many pixels as the iPhone 3GS, and 78 percent of the pixels on an iPad, for comparison. Going great with the improved screen is the improved camera with 5-megapixel autofocus, 5x digital zoom, a backside illuminated sensor, and built-in LED flash for shooting in dark environments. The built-in Photos app has also been enhanced, while users will be able to enhance and edit the videos taken with iPhone 4 thanks to the new iMovie app.
For those who like to play a lot of games on their iPhone, Cupertino has confirmed the addition of a 3-axis gyro. This combines with the accelerometer, providing 6-axis motion sensing – up and down, side to side, forward and backward and pitch and roll –, making it perfect for gaming, Apple says.
Also among yesterday’s announcements, Apple revealed it had decided to change the iPhone OS dubbing to iOS. iOS 4 is touted by Apple as “the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system.” The new software is set to deliver over 100 new features, including Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support, Game Center and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform when it arrives later this month. iOS 4 is fully supported on iPhone 3GS, iPod touch third generation and iPad, and partially supported on older hardware such as the iPhone 3G. iPad users are on track to receive iOS 4 this Fall.
For a complete overview of the iPhone 4’s specs, visit this page.