Now that the dust is beginning to settle on Steve Jobs’ WWDC10 keynote, we thought we’d ask the most pertinent question of all: who’s buying this new hero mobile device from Apple? We know the company’s loyal fan base will not disappoint, but what about you, undecided voter? Did that 960 x 640 IPS screen make you look upon Cupertino’s wares with a new level of appreciation? And let us not neglect the iPhone’s detractors here — have they been placated by the inclusion of HD video recording, video chat and a meaty new A4 processor? Tick the appropriate box below, then visit us in the comments and let us know what you thought.
If you put your ear up to the screen, you can hear these two beasts snarling at one another. Hit up the gallery for more shots, along with some iPhone 3G for good measure. Let’s see how they stack up on the big stats, shall we?
Not enough for you? We’ll have a big comparison of all the “majors” for you shortly.
Now, there’s a lot left to learn about Apple’s FaceTime video chat service. For instance, they called it “open,” but they also only mentioned a zero-configuration iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calling setup. Meanwhile Qik can make calls between EVO 4Gs, but also stream video live to the web (while the iPhone needs to record and then upload to get “social” using its official apps). No mention was made of the FaceTime call resolution, but given the fact that the front camera is merely VGA, it’s probably streaming at the same 640 x 480 that Qik is constrained to in the free service. However, a premium version of Qik for $5 a month lets you go beyond that resolution, using the EVO’s higher resolution cameras. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that the EVO can stream video calls over 3G or 4G, while the iPhone 4 is constrained to WiFi for the time being. Naturally, we expect other video calling apps (Skype, please?) to crop up on both platforms and give these initial offerings a run for their money.
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.
Update: More pics! We’ve also thrown in a video demo of the iPhone 4 running its FaceTime video chat app. Check it out at the usual location.
Apple’s claiming that the iPhone 4 represents the platform’s biggest advance since the original model’s intro back in 2007 — but does the argument hold water? Follow the break for a comprehensive rundown of the key differences between the newest member of the iPhone model and last year’s king of the hill, the 3GS!
Apple has unveiled its new iPhone 4 after a couple wild, unprecedented months of leaks. Sure, it looks exactly like we expected it to (Steve compares it to an old Leica camera), with a glass front and back, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts, kids. The stainless steel band that goes around the phone is an antenna system, while also providing the main structure of the phone, though it’s plugged into the same old GSM / UMTS radio you all know and love — there’s a reason they didn’t call it the iPhone 4G. There’s also of course that front facing camera we were all anticipating, a rear camera with LED flash, and a new high resolution display that doubles the pixels in each direction (960 x 640) for a 4X overall pixel count increase — Apple calls it a “Retina Display.” It’s rated at 326ppi, which Apple claims is beyond the human eye’s limit of distinction. Check out an example of the new screen up against the iPhone 3G after the break. Similar to the iPad, it’s an IPS display, offering 800:1 contrast. Naturally, it’s still the same old 3.5-inch size. Under the hood is the A4 processor that runs the iPad. Despite the new engine (and the 25% thinner chassis), Apple managed to make the battery slightly larger, and the new handset is rated at 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music. Oh, and that WiFi? It’s 802.11n now. The camera has been bumped to 5 megapixels, with 5X digital zoom and a “backside illuminated sensor,” which now can also record HD video at 720p / 30fps.
On the software front, applications will automatically get high resolution text and buttons as part of iOS 4 (the OS previously known as iPhone OS 4), and with “a little bit of work” developers can make their entire app compatible with the new resolution display. Developers will also get access to a new gyroscope, giving devs “six axis” motion control between the gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass, with a new “Core Motion” API to deal with it all. Users won’t be left out in the cold, however: they can mess around with that new HD video using a brand new iMovie app, if they shell out $4.99 for it. If anyone’s feeling particularly frisky, iOS 4 even lets you switch your default search provider to Bing. Last but certainly not least, that new front camera is enabled for video chat using the new “FaceTime” feature. It’s a WiFi-only (for now) video calling feature that works from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 with “no setup” involved, and can flip over to the rear camera if your grandparents get tired of your face.
The phone will be available in white or black, retailing at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for 32GB. They go on sale June 24th, and AT&T will be giving some extra grace upgrade timing — up to six months early. The 3GS will be dropped to $99 and the 3G will disappear completely. Pre-orders start in a week, with 5 countries at launch (US, France, Germany, UK, Japan), with 18 more following in July. Apple will also be selling a first party case for $29, and a dock for the same price. PR is after the break, promo videos can be found here, and we got hands-on right here.
We’ve already seen the iPhone 3GS drop to under a $100 at Walmart, and Apple has now expectedly made that the official price point following the announcement of the iPhone 4. What’s more, the 3GS will now only be available in an 8GB version (it’s still not clear if both colors will be available or not), and that naturally also means that the iPhone 3G is now officially discontinued. Of course, there’s also still quite a few of the current iPhone 3GS models floating around out there, and AT&T will be doing its best to clear those out — you can now grab a 16GB 3GS for $149, and a 32GB 3GS for $199 on a two-year plan “while supplies last.”
That front-facing camera on the new iPhone 4 and a flood of leaks were a dead giveaway — the new FaceTime app brings video calling to the iPhone. Unfortunately, it’s WiFi-only at the moment, as Steve says Apple needs to work with carriers to support it on 3G. The FaceTime app is pretty cool — you can flip the image between the front and rear cameras and between portrait and landscape orientation, and the video call system is built on open standards like SIP, H.264, and AAC so it’ll work with other video calling apps as well.
We knew it had to happen eventually — iPhone OS has been renamed to iOS with the bump to version 4. Some 1500 new features are coming along with the name change, including biggies like multitasking, a unified inbox, app folders, and data detectors. Although Apple is encouraging devs to tweak their apps for the iPhone 4′s new Retina Display, iOS4 will also automatically redraw text and controls for existing apps to make them play nice with the new higher pixel density. Bing search integration has also been added to iOS 4 in addition to Google and Yahoo — Google is still the default, though. The golden master is available to devs today, and Steve says the 100 millionth iOS device — that’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad — will be sold sometime this month. That’s a lot of devices! We found out about most of the features of iOS 4 at the SDK event, so check here for the full rundown.
Apple says iOS 4 will arrive for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and the iPod touch on June 21 — and it’ll be free to iPod touch owners for the first time, which is nice. Not all features will be supported across all devices: the first-gen touch is left out entirely, and the 3G won’t do multitasking, as we heard at the SDK event. We’ll see if there are any other limitations and let you know.
A backside-illuminated 5 megapixel sensor is about to grace the new iPhone‘s rear, equipped with an LED flash and 720p / 30fps video recording. Tap to focus while recording video will also be rolled out in the iPhone Quattro, and Steve Jobs is keen to impress on us all that although the megapixel count has grown, the quality of images has apparently improved. That’s what they all say. iMovie for iPhone will add more sophisticated video editing options, but they won’t come for free — a $4.99 tithe will be required. This is moving things along, to be sure, but why is the iPhone 4′s upper storage limit still stuck at 32GB? A more generous apportionment of memory would’ve gone very nicely indeed with that HD video mode.
You knew it was bound to happen sooner or later — Farmville is heading for the iPhone. But that’s not all, Activision was also on hand at WWDC to announce an iPhone version of Guitar Hero, which packs classic rock from the likes of Queen and The Rolling Stones, and is available in the App Store today for $2.99. Check out a shot of it after the break, and look for Farmville to be available by the end of June — or don’t, it’s up to you.
Update: Guitar Hero press release, with the complete tracklist and add-on packs, is now after the break.
