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The new iPhone gets a front-mounted camera plus a five-megapixel
camera and a flash. Photo / AP
SAN FRANCISCO - Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has revealed a
next-generation iPhone that features the ability to shoot and edit
high-definition quality video and a crisp higher-resolution screen.
"We are going to take the biggest leap since the original iPhone," Jobs
said in a keynote speech at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.
The "iPhone 4" will go on sale on June 24 in Britain, France, Germany,
Japan and the United States and will cost US$199 for the 16 gigabyte
model and $299 for the 32GB version. New Zealanders will get the device
by the end of July, according to Apple.
Vodafone has confirmed that it will be selling the device here, and
expects to announce plan pricing soon.
The iPhone 4 includes more than 100 new features including a
front-facing video camera to allow for video-conferencing, a better
still camera, improved battery life and a screen with significantly
higher resolution, Jobs said.
The front-facing video camera will
allow iPhone owners to have video chats with Macintosh computers or
iPhone-to-iPhone.
device you carry with you everyday," said Randy Ubillos, Apple's chief
architect for video applications, demonstrating Apple's iMovie video
editing program.
Jobs touted the higher-resolution screen as a major leap forward. "There
has never been a display like this on a phone," he said.
The 3.5-inch screen is the same size as on previous models but features
326 pixels per inch, four times more pixels than the earlier iPhones.
"There is a magic number around 300 pixels per inch that is the limit of
the human retina," Jobs said. "We are over that limit."
"That's going to set the standard for display for years to come," he
said.
The improved battery allows for 40 per cent more talk time, Jobs said.
He said the iPhone 4 - at 9.3 millimetres or three-eighths of an inch -
is 24 per cent thinner than the previous model, iPhone 3GS.
"It is really thin," Jobs said. "It is one of the most beautiful designs
you've ever seen. Its closest kin is a beautiful old Leica camera."
Jobs said the iPhone 4 features a five-megapixel camera, an improvement
on the previous three-megapixel camera.
The Apple chief executive joked that some of the attendees at the
conference may have seen the iPhone 4 previously "because there have
been a few photos around."
