New iPhone 4 is off the hook

At time of writing, 27,889 facebookers ‘liked’ the iPhone 4. People worldwide were tweeting their heads off about it. And since England’s disappointing opening World Cup match, the hottest topic of conversation in workplaces across the country is exactly who are the lucky buggers who will be taking an iPhone 4 home on 24 June.

This is the most highly-anticipated gizmo to hit the shelves since, well, ever. And even Apple are surprised. On Monday of this week, Apple and its carrier partners took pre-orders for more than 600,000 of the new iPhone 4. It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and was far higher than the company anticipated, resulting in a number of order and approval system malfunctions. Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration. Apple has apologised and is asking wannabe-customers to try again or visit an Apple or carrier store once the iPhone 4 is in stock.

So is it really worth all the palaver? This reporter thinks yes.

Journalistic ethics aside, in the hope that some shameless free promotion may result in me being sent a complimentary iPhone 4, I will dedicate the rest of this article to pointing out some of the features of Apple’s new offering, particularly with regard to the business sector.

CRYSTAL-CLEAR video calls: With the iPhone 4’s ‘FaceTime’ and what Apple says is the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, crystal-clear video calls will bring you face to face with clients, colleagues, and loved ones, no matter where you are in the world. iPhone 4 also features a second microphone and advanced software to suppress unwanted background noise for improved call quality when in loud places.

TOO rushed off your feet to recharge? You won’t have to worry about that pesky red flashing battery. iPhone 4 is powered by Apple’s new A4 processor that provides long battery life. And there’s 40 per cent longer talk time, too, bringing it up to seven hours on 3G networks. Meanwhile, there’s up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and up to six hours on 3G, up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback.

THE things look cool. And, it hurts me to admit, but I think having one would make me cool too. Apple says iPhone 4 is the thinnest smartphone ever, at 9.3 millimeters. They come in a choice of black or white, and feature a design blending glass and stainless steel. The front and back are made of aluminosilcate glass (not sure if Apple has made this word up, but I’m well impressed anyway). This glass has been chemically strengthened to be 30 times harder than plastic. It has an oil-resistant coating to keep it clean. Encircling iPhone 4 is a highly-finished stainless steel band made of a custom alloy that is forged to be five times stronger than standard steel.

iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 100 new features and 1500 new APIs for developers. iOS 4 features Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform.

JUST seven sleeps to go! iPhone 4 will be available in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK on June 24; available by the end of July in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland; and will have been rolled out to 88 countries worldwide by the end of September.

JUST a note for Apple: I can be contacted via the Startup News online form, regarding delivery of my iPhone. Cheers.