Steve Jobs today unveiled the new iPhone 4 during a keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which opened today in San Francisco.
Jobs got started with iPad stats and a few new apps, most notably Farmville from Zynga, Guitar Hero from Activision, and 3G streaming of Netflix from the iPhone later this summer.
And while the stats that Jobs presented regarding Apple’s achievements in its distribution and sale of content were impressive, the new iPhone was indeed the star of today’s show.
The iPhone 4’s form factor was pretty much what was seen in the leaked prototype from “Gizmodogate.” The iPhone 4 features glass on front and back with a steel bezel. According to a live blog from Endgadget, Jobs touted the new phone as the “thinnest smartphone in the world,” coming in at just 9mm thick.
Powered by Apple’s own silicon in the form of the A4 chip, the new iPhone features what Jobs called a Retinal Display, which packs 326 pixels per inch. There’s also a front-facing camera, micro SIM tray and a 5 Megapixel camera and LED flash on the back.
The 5 megapixel camera records video at 720P at 30 frames per second and as a compliment, Apple will offer iMovie in the form of an app for $4.99 at the App Store.
Jobs made that Apple has added Microsoft BING search engine to iPhone 4.
Perhaps ironically, given numerous complaints about AT&T’s network, Jobs became frustrated with the network connection at the Moscone Center. Before demoing iPhone OS 4, which has been renamed iOS 4, Jobs asked that the audience to turn off their Wi-Fi and put their laptops on the floor so that he could get a better connection for the on-stage demos.
Jobs spent a good deal of time rehashing the features of iOS 4, including iBooks and iAds. Notably, Jobs said that iAds are projected to represent 48 percent of the mobile advertising market in the second half of 2010. The new iOS 4 will be available June 21 for free, but not all the features are supported for the 3G and iPod touch.
To top things off, Jobs made a video call from the new iPhone to legendary Apple designer Jony Ives. The app he was using was called FaceTime, which operates on WiFi only in 2010, and also only works from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4. Jobs said the technology behind FaceTime was based on a handful of standards that would eventually become an industry standard.
The new iPhone will come in white and black, and pricing starts at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB. The 3GS will now sell for $99. According to Jobs AT&T will allow anyone whose contract expires in 2010 to upgrade to the iPhone 4 for the subsidized prices. The iPhone 4 will be available June 24th.
