WWDC: Apple Announces the New iPhone 3G S – Ships 19 June
Posted by: Phat^Trance in iPhone, Press releases
Apple on Monday unveiled a new, high-speed version of the iPhone that will come to market later this month. The device will be known as the iPhone 3GS, the ‘S’ standing for ‘speed’, and will be available from 9 June, Apple announced at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, according to theappleblog.com, reporting live from the event.
The iPhone 3GS will be priced at $199 for the 16-GB version of the device and $299 for the 32-GB option. The phone will be up to three times faster than the regular 3G iPhone and will include a range of the new features, the company said, simultaneously announcing a cut-price $99 version of the 3G iPhone. The 3GS features a new 3.2-megapixel, autofocus camera. Video capture is now possible, and users can edit videos on their handset.
Apple has also introduced voice control, which enables users to control music and make calls by talking to the handset. When it comes to form factor, theappleblog.com noted that the iPhone 3GS looks much the same as the existing 3G iPhone. While the new iPhone was undoubtedly the star of the show, Apple also present a range of new applications for its iPhone portfolio, and a new operating system. The 3.0 OS features a cut-copy-paste ability that works across applications; users can shake the phone to undo.
MMS is now available, although the news that it is not yet available to AT&T customers drew criticism from the audience; it will extend to AT&T later this summer. Apple also introduced the ability to rent and purchase movies from iTunes on the handset, autofill capabilities, and language support for 30-plus languages.
Its Find My iPhone service for MobileMe customers allows users to track their handset and to remotely wipe data if the phone is lost.
And Apple is doing digital books in partnership with Scroll Motion, bringing 50 major magazines and 1 million books to its app store.
iPhone 3G S – Highlights:
- 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and 30 FPS video recording, editing, and uploading to YouTube
- Voice control
- Compass
- Speed and performance improvements (up to 2 times faster)
- OS 3.0 goodies like cut and paste, universal search, stocks, and voice memos
- MMS via AT&T later this summer
- Tethering via everybody else but AT&T
- Nike+ integration
- Battery life improved: 9 hours of WiFi use, 10 hours of video watching, 30 hours of audio listening, 12 hours of 2G talk time
