As far as entertainment goes, the iPhone has always been a device that appeals to more than just our need to talk to our friends and family. At Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco on Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed the biggest changes to our beloved iPhone since its debut in 2007. A sleek redesign, improved screen resolution and the introduction of several media-centric apps means the iPhone 4 has almost everything we’d hoped for.
Sleek HD
The thinning of smart phones is something Apple prompted with the first iPhone. Today, new standards have been set, with the iPhone 4 boasting a 9.33 mm width, thinner than any other smart phone on the market and 24 percent thinner than the iPhone 3GS.
In addition, the pixel resolution for the iPhone 4 is higher than what the human eye can discern, meaning your media will really come to life on the next generation phone. The increased resolution at 326dpi is ideal for viewing HD content, which will really come in handy once you grab the upcoming free Netflix app.
The iBooks release will also look great on the iPhone 4, especially as it has added support for PDF files. Striking success on the iPad, iBooks comes with iBookstore support, and can share files on any other iOS devices.
Yet the iMovies addition to the iPhone 4 is also significant, as it supports HD video recording. For iPhone 4 users, iMovies will also enable video editing, which makes it easier to create and share content. No word on how well this app will be able to integrate with third-party tools, but with iOS 4’s availability later this summer, we’ll find out soon enough.
Video chat and multitasking
Another new app I’m hoping will be open for extensive third-party development is Face Time, the iPhone 4’s new video chat tool. With fantastic sci-fi appeal, the app utilizes the new front-facing camera for real-time, face-to-face video calls. While this isn’t directly related to entertainment on the iPhone, it could very well be incorporated into other apps, from gaming to social viewing of television programs.
Increased storage and faster processors also mean more room and power for stored movies, TV shows and music. The lengthened battery life also means you won’t have to search for an outlet so quickly, or spring for the portable charging device for plane rides (fingers crossed).
It’s the multitasking capabilities of the iPhone 4, however, that have the potential to vastly improve media consumption. With the ability to pause media while using another app, or have media apps running in the background, the iPhone 4 becomes a truly multi-purpose entertainment device. Based on Jobs’ demo, it’s still unclear as to how well the management of multiple apps will work for certain tasks, but Apple is certainly headed in the right direction.
