Apple unveils new iPhone features
Multitasking, mobile ads and enhanced email functionality are just some of the new features announced by Apple for its new iPhone 4.0 operating system, due for release later this year.
Apple boss Steve Jobs says there are 100 new features in all. Multitasking will allow iPhone and iPod Touch users to run more than one application at a time, and a new advertising platform called iAd allows adverts to be placed in applications made by third parties.
External developers will be allowed to keep 60 per cent of the ad revenue generated from iAd.
Apple's move into mobile advertising was widely expected after it bought the Quattro Wireless mobile advertising network for around $300m (£196m) in January.
Some of the other features added to OS 4.0 include the ability to create specific folders to store third-party apps downloaded from iTunes, enhanced mail which will gather email from multiple accounts into one unified inbox, and iBooks, which is already available on the iPad.
The iPhone OS 4.0 update will be released for the iPhone and iPod Touch first, and then the iPad, later this year.
Jobs also revealed that the company had sold 450,000 iPads as of April 8.
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Comments
I think its widely expected that the latest IPhone will be out in June, as Apple tend to do annual hardware upgrades.
It's been almost a year since the last hardware update to the 3gs model. How often do apple upgrade the hardware and what do you guys think will be next?
I bought a 3g last time around and the 3gs came out 2 weeks later....
This update has actually added 90 features which were not mentioned by Apple including some:
The Iphone OS now has Grand Central dispatch from desktop OSX which enables it us multi-core processors
OS wide spell check like on a desktop OS
Spotlight search which actually now searches E-mail messages and text for words
Looks like the next iphone hardware update is going to be a big one
Mobile advertising. Mmmm sounds like a big turn off to me, certainly won't be rushing to upgrade, as for the other stuff most of it is already available. As multitasking goes, it's a must for any device and apple is playing catchup.
My iPhone Is the gift that just keeps on giving, love it
Interesting, thanks.