As usual they started their keynote with an update on the statistics about their products, specifically the iPad. Probably the most impressive statistic was that in 65 days since the launch, users have downloaded over 5 million books - most of that time was whilst it was only the US using iBooks. In related news they have also added the ability to add notes and bookmarks to books, and have confirmed the previously announced self-publishing (US only). It's also quite good that they will now allow PDF ebooks to be viewed in iBooks.
They have also announced the impending release of a Netflix application for the iPhone, however it will of course be for US residents only. At this point they mentioned it had already done really well on the iPad - I didn't even realise it was available for that though (not that I'd see it in the App Store being in the UK)! They have said that like on the iPad you'll be able to resume a movie where you left off - already better than iTunes support for renting movies (in the UK at least you're limited).
Another developer announcement was that Zynga, a well known games developer among those on Facebook, are about to release Farmville for the iPhone. I find that game a complete waste of time and uninteresting, but I'm sure I'll still download it (to review it at the very least). I think it's one of those games that is compelling only for the sake of competing against your friends. The closest game to it's style among existing apps would have to be "We Rule" which is the same style of gameplay but instead is about building a kingdom.
The iPhone 4, after months of speculation and the leaked prototype fiasco, was also announced. The new iPhone looks absolutely amazing - it is thinner than the previous model (9.3mm) and has a glass cover on the front and back. Apparently this is now the thinnest "smartphone on the planet" though I'm sure that's a title it won't hold for long. Not only have they added an LED flash to the main camera (which is now 5MP), but it now has a front-facing camera which is perfect for the video chat that was previously uncovered in the iPhone OS 4.0 SDK. They have also said the application now supports 5x digital zoom, but it's nothing special really - anyone with Paint or other photo application could make a photo have 5x digital zoom. Also, as part of the design they have improved the phone's reception by making the stainless steel band around the phone the antennae. As expected they also increased the resolution by 4 times and is now an effective resolution of 326 pixels per inch. They call it a "retina display" as it's resolution than the maximum resolution a human eye can see (apparently around 300 pixels per inch). It has an 800:1 contrast ratio and uses IPS for improved colour definition. These improvements to the display will improve existing applications although Apple recommend that developers should start including higher resolution graphics in their apps.
The new iPhone uses Apple's newly designed A4 processor - something else which was already revealed during the recent leak. In saving space by using a microSIM this has allowed more space for the battery and have now given the iPhone a 40% increase in battery life. That alone would be enough for a lot of people to upgrade due to common woes of the iPhone having a short battery life.
- 7 hours 3G talk time,
- 6 hours browsing over 3G,
- 10 hours browsing over Wi-Fi,
- 10 hours watching video,
- 40 hours listening to music,
- or an amazing 300 hours on standby.
They've also added a 3-axis gyroscope which allows games to utilise pitch, roll and yaw, as well as rotation about gravity. When used in conjunction with the accelerometer you can obtain details about the phone in 6-axis through the CoreMotion API which makes it perfect for gaming and could easily have more practical uses (possibly even for pilots?).
Going back to the camera they have now got the camera to record video in HD (720p at 30fps) and works with a mobile version of iMovie (costs $4.99 from the app store) which will allow you to edit videos on your phone. If you're recording at night or in low level light conditions you can also use the LED flash in a permanently on mode to illuminate the subject. All videos you record are also automatically geo-tagged which allows iMovie for iPhone to sort clips by area.
The iPhone OS 4.0 is no longer known by that name either, it has been renamed to iOS 4 - it makes sense really considering the iPhone is only one of three devices to use it (the others of course being the iPod Touch and the iPad). As part of this upgrade (which will be released imminently due to the final release going to developers today) they have also added a third search option: Bing. iBooks will also be coming to the iPhone - something I'd hoped for since it was announced for the iPad; it should help improve their competition with Amazon. As you'd expect it has pretty much the same features as the iPad version and any books you by can be used on both.
As a "one more thing" they also announced that you'll be able to do video conferencing (called FaceTime) using the iPhone 4. Again this is something which was revealed as likely due to people uncovering it in the iOS 4.0 SDK. This new feature can use the front or rear camera in landscape or portrait; but is only available over Wi-Fi due to the strain it would put on existing networks. Maybe this is a good argument for the next iPhone to use 4G.
The new iPhone comes in Black and White models, $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and will be on sale in several countries (including US and UK) on June 24th and for everywhere else it will be released in July, August and September. The iPhone 3G is being scrapped and the 8Gb 3GS will be reduced to $99. Apparently AT&T will also allow people to upgrade early just so long as their contract expires some time in 2010 and will be replaced with a new contract. The iOS 4 update will be available for free from June 21st for supported devices.