06/18/2007, 9:15am, EDT
Monday, June 18thiPhone gets 8hr battery life, glass screen
Ahead of the much publicized launch, Apple today revealed a surprise upgrade to the performance of the iPhone reaching stores. The device now claims a practical talk time of a full eight hours -- a major increase from the five-hour figure claimed for the device in January. Music playback has also been increased to an all-day 24 hours while Internet browsing and video playback have been extended to six and seven hours respectively. Standby time has been lengthened to 250 hours (over ten days), the company says. The firm points out that the final specifications make it one of the most capable devices in its field.
"With 8 hours of talk time, and 24 hours of audio playback, iPhone’s battery life is longer than any other ‘Smartphone’ and even longer than most MP3 players," Apple's CEO Steve Jobs says.
Beyond the battery upgrade, Jobs also notes that the iPhone's 3.5-inch touchscreen has been upgraded from plastic to lens-quality glass, which helps both visibility as well as resistance to scratches. This too is better than other rivals -- including the latest devices such as the BlackBerry Curve, Apple says.
Prices remain the same at $499 for the 4GB version and $599 for 8GB. Both require AT&T service and will be available on June 29th at 6PM, though the official announcement doesn't mention earlier claims about the need for a two-year contract, which has also been dropped from the company's ad campaign.
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Also, the glass screen seems like a benefit—definitely clearer optics, I wonder what other reasons?
No word yet though if the battery is removable. I wonder also if this "upgrade" in battery capacity is due to better batteries themselves, or improvements to the software power saving. Probably both...
I gotta say though, what a bad choice of a title for this article. Seriously, at first glance you make it seem as if the maximum life you're going to squeeze out of this isn't even enough to last through the average work day. Poor, poor choice of words.
I, however, to not desire, want or need a Blackberry, Treo, or other "smart" phone. The iPhone, on the other-hand, has me desiring this phone immensely! That's saying something. I'm sure MANY others feel the same way.
Apple's has been very smart about the iPhone. Quality of product, timing, listening to potential customers (by allowing 3rd party apps through web 2.0 technologies and by increasing, and releasing info on, the battery life). It seems they have covered al the bases.
This phone is going to ROCK right out of the gate and will only get better!
If AT&T will be the exclusive provider for the first 2-3 years then there is no reason to have it, it is just a marketing negative.
There is, however, one more thing. ;) 8 gigs of storage, max? Jeez, 16 and 32 sound so much better in comparison, especially considering this isn't just a media player, it's going to be THE media player for most people.
Oh well. Here's looking forward to the first third-party offering flash upgrades.
Perhaps this little hole in the middle of the on-off button, would be the 2nd camera for video conferencing through some sort of an iChat app?
That would be a smash hit! :)
I was thinking a 30-pin attachment for future video-conferencing capabilities (obviously featuring forward-facing camera) would be neat as an accessory.
Also, bluetooth GPS module (think: Nike+) would be a cool addition, too.
The potential for this piece of technology is incredible.
On the other hand, video conferencing should be considered "silly" using the network of you mobile provider (unless you have enough money), so an external camera addition would make sense if you would use it at home through your wireless internet. Gosh, this device is amazing.
Apple did it again. :)