Next-Gen iPhone: Thinner, Better Battery, Video Calling

Available June 24, it also has a screen better than the eye can see

MORE PHOTOS: Engadget | GDGT

Apple chief Steve Jobs opened the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday with a much-anticpated keynote, where, as expected, he officially unveiled the next-generation iPhone — the device that spawned a Silicon Valley investigation when it was leaked to Gawker blog Gizmodo in April.

Here some highlights of Jobs’ presentation:

>> Jobs said Apple is selling an iPad "every three seconds," and has shipped more than 2 million worldwide.

>> Proof that the iPad is magical? Jobs: "I know it because I got this email: ‘I was sitting in a café with my iPad, and it got a girl interested in me!.’ So there’s proof."

>>
Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, joined Jobs onstage: "We just launched Netflix for the iPad, and it’s been a huge success. It’s the #1 most downloaded in entertainment apps. But I’m happy to announce Netflix for iPhone coming this summer, for free."

>> Zynga, the company behind Facebook juggernaut FarmVille, is introducing the game for the iPhone.

>> Activision said it has developed a "Guitar Hero" for the iPhone, too.

>> As expected, Jobs announced the next-generation iPhone. "I don’t know if you’ve ever seen this," he said, drawing a huge applause.

>> It is the "thinnest smartphone on the planet," Jobs said. "Twenty-four percent thinner than the iPhone 3GS."

>> "Stainless steel, glass on the front and back. Extraordinary build quality. I don’t think there’s another consumer product like this."

>> Jason Chen, the Gizmodo blogger who caused the April ruckus, writes that the new design "looks just like the phone we got."

>> Jobs encountered some tech issues while trying to load the NYTimes.com on the iPhone 4. According to Engadget, when Jobs asked a technician "Any ideas?" someone in the crowd yelled "Verizon!"

>>
Some more features: 3.5 inch display, 326 pixels per inch and 800:1 contract ratio — four times better than the 3G version. Improved the battery life: "7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music."

>> Apple has added a gyroscope to the iPhone 4 — "perfect for gaming," Jobs said.

>> The iPhone 4 camera has 5 megapixels, as opposed to 3, and a 5x digital zoom. The company also announced an iMovie application for video.

>> Facing more technical issues with WiFi in the conference room, Jobs asked bloggers to put their laptops down. Few honored his request.

>> Jobs said they’re renaming the iPhone "iOS4."

>> There are some other key new features, including multitasking and folders, Jobs said.

>> Next addition, and another killer blow to the Kindle: iBooks. "We are bringing it to the iPhone,” he said. "You can download the same book to all your devices" — iTouch, iPad, iPhone — "at no extra charge.”

>> Jobs demoed iAds — Apple’s previously announced ad platform — on the next-gen iPhone. "Why are we doing iAds? For one simple reason: To help our developers earn money." He demoed an iAd for Nissan’s LEaf, the "world’s first real electric car."

>> Jobs said there is $60 million committed in iAds for the second half of 2010. "We think it’s going to be 48 percent of the entire U.S. mobile display ad market."

>> The last feature unveiled by Jobs: FaceTime — a video calling application. It will be available WiFi-only, iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 in 2010.

>> Jobs: "You know I grew up with the Jetsons and Star Trek … and now it’s real."

>> Price and availability: $199 in the U.S, for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB. Available in white or black. Available June 24, pre-orders start June 15.

>> Jobs said Apple will be offering iOS4 upgrades for the 3GS, 3G and iPod Touch, not all features will be supported in the 3G. The upgrades will be free on June 21.

>> Jobs said Apple “is not just a technology company. It’s more than that. It’s the marriage of that and humanity.”

>> "This is our new baby. I hope you love it as much as we do.”

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[Photo via GDGT]

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