Apple WWDC 2010: iPhone 4 and other updates

apple wwdc 2010

Steve Jobs led the main presentation today and, as expected, I was pining for the Stark Expo and Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 2. Anyway! Read on to find out what Stark Jobs said about the iPhone, iPhone OS4, iPad, and a few other things. But mostly the iPhone.

GoogleBingYahooBan Bing will now join the rank of Optional Search Providers for anything using the iPhone OS. Now you can say you binged on some yahooing while simultaneously googling. Or something like that.

iPad and iBooks

AppleiPad The iPad is selling well. Since it’s introduction, 2 million units have found their way into the world. And! Care to guess how many books have been downloaded using the iBook app? 5 million. The iPad has been out for two months, and the trees are probably pretty thankful. Speaking of iBooks,  updates later this month will feature a note-taking system that looks like Post-its (handy little buggers), bookmarks and native PDF viewing. The iPad will also be able to update to the new OS for free. (More on new OS further down.)

App News

Netflix is coming to the iPhone. It’s basically the iPad Netflix app. Much like the iBook app, you’ll be able to sync information between the two devices. Pause on the iPad, exit, pick it up on the iPhone. You’ll be able to manage your queue and as well. It will work on cell phone networks as well as with wi-fi. (AT&T is crying right now.)

Did you want to play Farmville on the iPhone? No? Same here. But it’s coming anyway. Arriving sometime this month. Another game coming to the iPhone – Guitar Hero! It joins Rock Band. There will be a new strumming mechanic that will help with the game play.

iPhone4 

Official name: iPhone 4

Yes, it’s officially here. Below are some good upgrades and maybe one or two that aren’t that necessary.

More antennas integrated into the phone.

Redesigned Buttons

New front-facing camera

A flash (“illuminated censor”) on the back.

The camera will be upgraded to 5 megapixels with a 5x digital zoom.

Video capture in HD (720p at 30fps)

An iMovie app ($4.99) will be available to do some basic editing on the phone, includes transitions, credits, etc.

Second microphone for noise cancelation

26% thinner than the iPhone 3GS, and more square,

There will be a dedicated iBooks store for the iPhone 4
The 3.5-inch display will have 960×640 pixels of resolution. (About 75% of what the iPad has.)

Will be powered by the Apple A4 chip.

A bigger battery will improve talk time by 40%.

Will run on a 7.2Mbps network wherever they are available.

The internal accelerometer will be upgraded with a gyroscope so the phone can sense movement using a six-axis basis. Wonky right now, expect improvements.

Video calls! They’re called “Facetime” because Apple needs to prove just how twee the company can be. They only work between iPhone 4’s and over Wi-Fi. All other models are shut out.

Will be available in black and white

Prices
Available June 24
With a 2-year contract.
32GB: $299
16GB: $199

iOS 4

That is the official name for the new iPhone OS! It shipped to developers today, and will be available to the public “soon.” Almost 100 million iOS 4 compatible devices have been sold thus far. iOS 4 upgrades are available for older devices on June 21. The upgrade will be free.

Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.