Today was the big day for the WWDC 2010 conference, with Steve Jobs giving the keynote speech. It was, of course, the announcement of the latest and greatest iPhone that had everyone waiting with baited breath for today’s announcements. Steve announced the new iPhone 4 to much fanfare, despite the fact that we’ve already seen the device (thanks to Gizmodo). However, it’s the features of the phone that we didn’t have all the juicy details on. So Steve laid out his top eight features, a couple of which were really lame in my opinion (iBooks and iAds, for starters) so I’m not going to do a rundown of those features. If you want a blow-by-blow of this morning’s event, you can check out the keynote liveblog post over on Digigasms, where I really work. ;-)
So let’s get down to the nittty gritty. What are the real features on this new iPhone 4 that will matter to most users? Here’s my top 5 picks, and analysis, of these features:
5. FaceTime - This is the new iPhone video chat application. You will now be able to video chat with your friends and family, but only if they have the iPhone 4. While the iOS software will be available for the 3G, 3GS and iPod Touch, not all features will be supported, and apparently this is one of those features. And while this feature can use either the front or rear facing cameras, keep in mind that the new front facing camera is VGA only, not the five megapixel HD version that is the rear facing camera.
4. Stainless Steel – You might wonder why I’ve included the stainless steel rim in my top five new iPhone 4 features. Well, it all comes from what this rim is actually used for. The rim is part of an internal antenna system that is used to boost signal strength for both WiFi and 3G signals. Now I don’t know about you, but that is a big deal for me. I don’t live in a big city (and from what I hear, AT&T isn’t all that great in some metro areas either), and out here in the boonies it pays to get good reception. Anything that will help with reception is a bonus in my book.
3. iOS 4 – The new operating system is being called the iOS 4, instead of the iPhone OS 4. This represents a major shift, indicating that the OS is no longer just for the iPhone, but is being developed for other “i” devices as well. Will this include mobile laptops as well? I think the key is that the market is pushing in the mobile direction and Apple wants to maintain their lead. I will be looking for versions of this iOS to be available for future MacBook systems as well.
2. Retina Display – Jobs has coined another phrase in his ever-evolving world of techno babble, and this time it’s part human. According to Steve, “retina display” is the display that the human eye can perceive, which at 10-12 inches is roughly 300 pixels per inch. The new iPhone’s resolution is an astounding 326 pixels per inch, for a total of 960 × 640 available screen space. So I think the point is that anything better and your eyes can’t tell the difference anyway.
5. Battery Life – According to Jobs, the battery life is longer because of a bigger battery as well as a better processor. 40% longer, to be exact. This comes out to seven hours of talk time on 3G, 10 hours of WiFi browsing and 300 hours of standby time. If these numbers hold up out in the field, this will be a phenomenal accomplishment, rivaling the iPad in battery life. I will be impressed. This is the most important new feature to me, simply because it is the biggest complaint of almost every iPhone user I know.
Well, that wraps it up for my top new features. Tell us what you think about the new iPhone and share your favorite features in the comments.
More Coverage:
