Now that Apple has announced a new iPhone, all those rumors and mockups seem silly to me. Steve was right: you won’t be disappointed by the WWDC keynote, because you’ haven’t seen anything yet.
We didn’t see anything indeed, and we couldn’t expect the iPhone 4 to become in a matter of two hours the most advanced mobile phone ever built.
Quick summary of new features:
- Brand new design
- 9.3mm thick, 24% thinner than the 3GS.
- Volume controls. Mute button.
- Front facing camera. Camera, LED Flash.
- Sleep/wake button.
- Headset, second mic.
- Video calling
- Glass front, glass back.
- 960 x 640 326 ppi screen powered by IPS technology
- Apple A4 processor
- Gyroscope
- HD video recording
- Two colors (black and white)
Apple’s official Specs page of the iPhone 4.
From a technology point of view, the iPhone 4 is impressive: you can head over Apple’s official website and see the specs all by yourself, but let’s try to recap all the new features anyway. First, a 960 x 640 “Resina” display with IPS (in-plane switching, used in iPad and Apple LED Cinema Displays) technology that allows you to see pictures, text and video like never before. Basing on what Steve Jobs promised on stage, and from the videos we can see on Apple.com, text on the iPhone 4 looks amazing. Websites on this new device will look crisp and pixel perfect, with a quality that only print could have had until yesterday. How did they achieve this? They doubled pixels, they implemented IPS and manufactured a beautiful, resistant glass screen that makes everything looks better.
It’s “intense technology”, as Forstall says in the video. We agree.
“By developing pixels a mere 78 micrometers wide, Apple engineers were able to pack four times the number of pixels into the same 3.5-inch (diagonal) screen found on earlier iPhone models. The resulting pixel density of iPhone 4 — 326 pixels per inch — makes text and graphics look smooth and continuous at any size.
Made from the same materials used in helicopters and high-speed trains, the Retina display glass is chemically strengthened to be harder, more scratch resistant, and more durable than ever. The glass also features an oil-resistant coating that helps keep the screen clean.”
In my opinion, the design of the new iPhone is simply gorgeous. Ok, it looks like the iPhone prototype Gizmodo leaked back in April. But seeing the real thing on Apple’s website and in Steve’s hands is a completely different story. First off: it’s shiny. Powered by the new glass and steel based structure, the device shines and brights like no other iPhone before. Hell, my iPhone 3GS looks matte now. While I first wondered how it was gonna work in high light conditions, I then realized that the iPad worked just fine for me at the beach two days ago. I’m sure that the iPhone 4 will do perfectly fine.
About the side buttons: at first they don’t look like something made by Apple. I have to admit that. But I’m sure they will grow on people and turn out to be very comfortable to use.
“Created from our own alloy, then forged to be five times stronger than standard steel, the CNC-machined band is the mounting point for all the components of iPhone 4. The band provides impressive structural rigidity and allows for its incredibly thin, refined design. It also functions as both iPhone 4 antennas.”
The iPhone 4 records HD video at full 720p, up to 30 frames per second with audio. All of this is possible thanks to a 5MP still camera and the advanced backside illumination sensor, which helps delivering great videos both in low and high light conditions. With built in video editing capabilities (Apple also announced an iPhone specific version of iMovie), HD recording and all this great technology, I guess the iPhone 4 will seriously reinvent video on mobile devices. It has all the potentialities and features to do so.
“Because your iPhone goes with you everywhere, you’re always ready to capture every moment. And with iPhone 4, you can do it in stunning high definition.”
FaceTime is the big new feature of iPhone 4, the “one more thing” that Steve kept safe for the end of the keynote. It’s video calling. No, even better: it’s video calling done right. First, it happens under wifi 0nly. Sorry AT & T, but until you’ll have a better network that the way it is. Still no word about international carriers though, so here’s to hoping Apple will allow 3G video calling in Italy. I’m already guessing that jailbreak will enable it, anyway.
So, FaceTime is Apple’s version of something many cellphone makers tried to implement in the past, but never really managed to implement well. Apple’s way is, as usual, minimal and simple: you make a call, tap a button on screen to start FaceTime. You hold the device in front of you and see the person on the other “side”. In this case, front facing cameras are active by default. But here’s the thing, you can quickly switch cameras with just the tap of another icon on screen. Boom, the video call rotates and that’s it.
It’s simple, easy to use and - hey - useful. The concept behind it is what matters most though.
“FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using FaceTime is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your best friend. Just find her entry in your Contacts and tap the FaceTime button. Or maybe you’re already on a voice call with her and you want to switch to video. Just tap the FaceTime button on the Phone screen. Either way, an invitation pops up on her iPhone 4 screen asking if she wants to join you.”
The iPhone 4 is powerful, beautiful and will surely reinvent the way we think about mobile phones. But it’s not just about technology, it’s about people. It’s about making the phone personal again, and by making it personal it becomes a more important part of our lives again. FaceTime is the flag that Apple is carrying, and is the perfect example of what this 4 model will be capable of: connecting people. It’s funny, because it was Nokia’s motto once.
With FaceTime you’ll be able to see the person you’re talking with. Sure, we’ve seen this movie before, you might say. I’m telling you, we didn’t see such a beautiful movie before. Remember when Steve said that design is not just about how it looks, but how it works? Here, FaceTime is the implementation of that concept. Making video calling simple, accessible, easy to use no matter your age and so on. It brings emotions, real emotions to the iPhone. It makes you want to ditch simple calls now and want to start video calling as soon as possible. Basing on what we’ve seen so far, it’ll be a pleasure to use.
Also, think about iMovie, Game Center, the HD recording feature. It’s all about enabling you to do your personal stuff (edit your videos, play with your friends, record high quality videos) just better. It’s about connecting people.
The iPhone 4 becomes available on June 24th, with preorders starting on June 15th. It comes in two different colors (black and white), and two different sizes (16GB and 32GB).
