Everything you need to know about the upcoming iPhone 4, and some about the iOS 4 too!

So as we all know, today was the day of the BIG unveil for the iPhone 4 at the WWDC 2010, as well as the newly renamed iOS 4. First, before we go into the specs about the infamous keynote, I must say that I think it is ingenius that Steve Jobs decided to condense and rename the iPhone OS, iPod OS, and iPad OS. Why? Because by doing this, the iOS is now operating more devices than the Android OS. In one fell swoop, Jobs has overcome Android. Yes, while the Android OS has some features that the iOS doesn’t, it’s only a matter of time until Apple updates and reinvents, and then further leapfrogs over Google. What I do know for a fact is that Google execs today sat there, with their heads in their hands, muttering “sonovabitch” as Steve Jobs announced all of the new features of this lovely device. And I don’t blame them, because as the slogan goes, Apple really has changed everything…. again.

So, let’s have a quick picture of this new, beautiful toy for us geeks:

As you can see, I’m not going to overload you with pictures like every blog on the planet does. Instead, I’m going to use this space and describe to you exactly what has been done, why it’s awesome, and how it can affect you. Right off the bat, as I stated in the article I wrote about the Gizmodo leaked prototype, pretty much everything is the same physically as it was, except now, we have physical confirmation. But to be concise, I’ll go through the quick list again, to get you up to speed:

This new iDevice is a BEAST compared to previous models. It’s got iPad like power and speed in a compact little package. Frankly, the iPhone 4 could take the iPhone 3G[s] outside, into an alley, and beat it to death with its bare hands, Chuck Norris style. And I doubt the iPhone 3G[s] could even get a hit off during this process.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the form has physically changed, and so have the materials. No longer is it a plastic backing, and no longer is it rounded. Everything on this iDevice is now straight, flat, and sleek. A flat back to match a flat front, and a perfectly bezeled steel frame around it. The materials used for the front AND back of the phone are made of the same material – a new type of GLASS that Apple has created. Yes, that’s right, the back is now a super-strong composite glass that’s most likely one of the strongest glasses on the planet. It’s made out of the same type of materials as the glass in windshields of helicopters. Combine that with the thin, super strong steel band encircling the iPhone 4, which also acts as an antenna, this iDevice is simply beautiful to the eye.

As mentioned previously, it’s also got a front facing camera and a small LED light for flash in low light environments. This is going to be used for something Apple is introducing called “FaceTime”. Basically, its video calling the way it was meant to be. Right now, it will only be available to iPhone 4’s, and it will only be functioning over WiFi, however, as soon as I heard that, I knew that some form of “3G Unrestrictor” is going to be implemented in the jailbreak community where it will allow “FaceTime” to function over 3G, much like it was used to allow Skype to make calls over the 3G network in previous iPhone models. The rear camera is going to be five (5) megapixels, and capable of recording in HD video of a resolution of 720p, with the front facing camera recording a slightly lower quality of video, closer to the video that the iPhone 3G[s] shoots. These videos, all of them, will be flawlessly edited via the new “iMovie” application which Apple is creating for the iPhone 4. This is the mobile version of an extremely popular application currently in use for the Mac OSX, and is extremely user-friendly.

Apple has also revolutionized the way you’ll look at your iPhone 4, literally. They have created something called “RetinaDisplay”, which means that the human eye will no longer be able to discern the spaces in between pixels. It will literally shine when it comes to text and reading, due to the fact that to the naked eye, reading on the iPhone 4 will be almost exactly the same as reading from a real, printed page. And speaking of viewing, the screen pixel density is the highest of any mobile device, ever. It’s got a resolution of 960×640. Now, to be clear, the quality of a STANDARD DVD (not a Blu-Ray) is 720×480 in the US, and 720×576 in Europe. 720 lines wide, by 480 or 576 lines high. The screen on this iPhone is of a higher quality than most DVD/standard TVs. The standard framerate for a regular DVD (and some Blu-Rays) is 29.97 frames per second in the US, and 25 frames per second in Europe. This iPhone will record at 30 frames per second, which is higher than all of the above. So hopefully, you’re starting to see the potential.

The contrast ration is 800:1, which to the layman basically means that the iPhone 4 screen is exactly four times better than the 3G[s]. The previous contrast ratio was 200:1. Here is a screenshot below, taken of an iPhone 4 screen shot (press home button + power button) and an iPhone 3G[s] screenshot. Take a look at the size difference and clarity.

It also comes with a three (3)-axis gyroscope, which to the basic person means more accurate and fluid ability to get your game on flawlessly. No more of those “What the hell! I tilted the phone!” moments. Further elaborating, there is a gyro + accelerometer which will also provide six (6) axis motion sensing, which will actually give you a wider range of motion, digitally.

And alas, the heart of the beast – the Apple A4 custom silicon chip. This is the exact same chip as the one in the iPad. Why is that significant? Because the iPad is CONSIDERABLY faster than the iPhone 3G[s]. For jailbroken users, they can reboot (not re-spring) their iPad in less than eight (8) seconds. This is huge. Re-springing is damned near instantaneous.

This iPhone will come in two (2) versions, the 16GB and the 32GB, just like previously released 3G[s]’s, and like all previous models, will also come in black and white. The price for the 16GB models, subsidized through AT&T will be $199, with the 32GB model being offered at $299. Anyone who was eligible for an upgrade in the year 2010 is immediately eligible for an upgrade to the iPhone 4, but it WILL add time to your AT&T contract – an additional two (2) years, as a matter of fact. So that’s something to consider if you don’t want to pay the full price for the phone. And speaking of full price, they offer both iPhone 4 models with “no-commitment” pricing (no AT&T contract) for $599 (16GB model) and $699 (32GB model), which brings me to the next topic of discussion, the frequencies of the antennae placed inside the iPhone 4.

This will be the world’s second true “worldphone”. With the announcement of this iPhone, the FCC has finally allowed the blueprints to be viewed to the public, and in these documents, which the FCC has labeled “model A1332”, it confirms that despite it containing a Bluetooth module, the coveted 802.11n WiFi capabilities, it will have FIVE bands of 3G internet compatibility – now, before you get your panties in a bunch, the first thing unlockers thought when they read what I said above was “OMG! Now I can use the iPhone 4 on T-Mobile (US) with their 3G network!” and.. well.. no, you can’t. For some reason, the correct frequencies were intentionally omitted from this model, which many insider believe to be an “under-the-table” pact between Apple and AT&T. I personally believe this, because we have seen a ton of kiss-ass and reach-arounds going on between Steve Jobs and AT&T lately in the form of unwarranted compliments, and network/loyalty praise, so on and so forth. These bands will cover the UMTS I/II/V/VI/VIII. Now, this is also something to take note of, especially because the 800MHz band VI is the one that is currently used throughout most of Japan, but no ‘official’ announcement has been made, so ultimately, you’ll have to take that however you choose to. The additional frequencies supported are 850MHz, 900MHz, 1900MHz, and 2100MHz, which mostly cover the Western Hemisphere of this planet. Larger carriers such as Vodafone can now offer a 3G network to use for the new iPhone 4. To further elaborate, the iPhone 4 technically has a pentaband antenna/chipset, which specifies that now, not only will the iPhone 4 run on all standard GSM frequencies, but it will also contain support for the 900MHz UMTS/HSDPA, which will increase the utility of the phone for many users not on “official” carriers. Because of this, it’s also safe to assume that the iPhone 4 will have much better wireless reception, especially over older iPhone models, because of the way it was made. In the Keynote, it was mentioned that the steel band wrapping around the edge of the iPhone 4 actually serves as part of the phone’s antenna system. So ultimately, this should result in better connectivity, especially data-wise.

Here is a screenshot of those docs.

Another added hardware improvement is that instead of just having one standard microphone like the previous iPhones, the iPhone 4 actually has two (2), one is for picking up the sound, and the other one is to cancel out any background noise that may be picked up. This means that the person on the other end of your call will hear only you during your conversation, and not the babies crying behind you, the traffic in front of you, of the loud “Sex & The City” wannabee groups of women gossiping on all sides of you.

Now, the official specs state that compared to the iPhone 3G[s], the battery life on the iPhone 4 is better, but not by an amazing amount. The numbers officially are: you’ll get 300 hours of standby time, 7 hours of 3G talk time, 6 hours of web browsing on the 3G network, 10 hours of WiFi browsing (much like the iPad), 10 hours of video playback (also like the iPad), and 40 hours of musical playback.

The iPhone 4 is thinner, too. It’s actually a whole 24% thinner, officially, than the iPhone 3G[s], with a physical screen that’s the same size as previous models, 3.5”, and it also contains a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Another thing to note though, is that in this new model iPhone, like the iPad, it will use a MicroSIM, and not a standard SIM. This will only be a problem for unlockers until the unofficial carriers start selling MicroSIM cards.

And as mentioned in the beginning of this article, the iOS 4 will be powering this device. As a matter of fact, now, ALL iDevice’s are on a level playing field, because with the announcement of the iPhone 4, Apple has decided to make ALL updates to the iOS free, so for iPod owners who have been paying $10 for each major upgrade, they don’t have to worry about that any longer. Thank you, Apple.

Supposedly, iOS 4 will be packed with over 1,500 features, but don’t expect all of them to be major and game-changing. Because this is an upgrade from iPhone OS 3.1.3, all previous applications created for those systems will run flawlessly on the new iPhone 4, but since the screen is such a significantly higher resolution than previously before, most apps should actually seem MORE clear and impressive to the eye. Hopefully, there won’t be any pixelization like when the apps ran on the iPad. I guess time will tell.

And finally, to close out the article, I’ll also mention that with the new iPhone 4, some new applications will be released for this phone as well, such as iMovie as I described above, and iBooks which was previously only available to the iPad, and though unconfirmed, many believe that there will be a type of “Keynote” app as well.

Now, the most important thing right now is “when”. Simply put, the iOS 4 is going to be released on June 21, 2010, and the new iPhone 4 will be in AT&T and Apple stores on June 24, 2010.

Now it should be noted that @MuscleNerd of the iPhone dev_team has promised both a jailbreak AND an unlock to be released by the end of June, 2010. So for all you unlockers, don’t be idiots and just rush out to upgrade. If you upgrade to iOS 4 upon release day, you will lose your ability to unlock until later on in the month. Right now, patience for this beautiful monster are paramount for all unlockers.

And to close out, here is the YouTube video released officially that will explain everything you need to know about this revolutionary new iPhone:

And keep your eyes open at www.apple.com for the KeyNote, which is sure to be released soon!