On Monday June 7, 2010, Steve Jobs of Apple Computers introduced Apple's new smartphone, the iPhone 4. The sleek, ultra-thin device was presented to an audience of software designers at the Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco.
This is the design that was “leaked” and presented on the web by Gizmodo in April. Gizmodo claimed that the phone was left at a bar and sold to them by a third party.
While customer satisfaction rates higher for Android phone users, and Blackberry is the top selling smartphone on the market, Apple can boast that of all mobile web browsing, iPhone is the leader.
Steve Jobs, in his usual superlative manner, introduced several features of the iPhone 4. The design is thinner than any other smartphone on the market. The front and back consist of specially designed glass that is 30 times harder than plastic. Longer battery life allows 40% longer talk-time than previous models.
Many news sources have reported on the technical problems Jobs had when he tried to demonstrate online features of the phone. He openly expressed his frustration, and had to discontinue some of his presentation. Later he said that staff was scurrying backstage. He told the audience that they had discovered that there were 570 people using wireless devices in the immediate vicinity. Most of his audience members were actively communicating on their phones and laptops during the presentation. Steve Jobs laughed and let them know that if they would log off, he could resume his demonstration of the iPhone 4. Presumably enough of them responded, at least those working for Mr. Jobs did, and he was able to continue his demonstration.
Along with Global Positioning (GPS), compass and accelerometer, Apple has added a gyroscope to track movement. The phone can even demonstrate the effects of gravity. Jobs displayed these properties by playing a game of Jenga for the audience, spinning around on the stage, moving the phone in his hands while the audience watched the projected image and the changing perspective. The phone's representation of gravity was seen when the tower fell.
The iPhone 4's display is said to be four times sharper than previous smartphones. “Retina Display” presents 326 pixels per inch, providing an image as rich as the human eye can detect. Objects presented on the screen will appear as sharp as items held in your hand.
The phone's camera capabilities are the most innovative. A 5 megapixel camera with a lens on the front and back is standard on every iPhone 4. This camera has LED flash, and HD video capabilities. The iMovie application is available for $4.99 that allows you to edit and embellish video to create movies which can be shared through texting (MMS), email or youtube.
Steve Jobs brought “The Jetsons” to mind as he introduced the phone's camera-phone capabilities. Apple has designed “FaceTime” which compares to the laptop application, Skype. FaceTime provides video calling through the internet. Apple's demonstration of FaceTime emphasized the value this feature will have for deaf callers who use sign language.
The iPhone 4 retails for $199 for the 16GB model, and $299 for the 32GB model, with a two year AT&T contract. They will be available in the U.S. June 24, and will be in a total of 88 countries by September.
Contributed by :
Patty Harshbarger
Computer Renaissance, Bradenton, FL
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