iPhone 4 is available in black or white

Yesterday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone which is called “iPhone 4″.  It is a major upgrade from the previous model.  It’s worth considering an upgrade from a current iPhone.  I’ll list out the major differences and other factors to consider if making a purchasing decision.  I’ve intentionally stayed away from the cool features in iOS 4 since an iPhone 4 is not required for iOS4.

Main features

  • Improved battery life.  Apple states 40% longer batter life.
  • New hardware design.  Looks a different than the previous models.
  • Thinner.  Thinnest iPhone yet.
  • 5 megapixel camera.  Current iPhone is 3 megapixels.
  • LED Flash.  Not available on current iPhone.  Flash can also be used as a light for HD videos.
  • 4 times the amount of pixels than current iPhone.  Fonts and pictures look better with smoother edges.  Basically, it has more pixels per inch than the human eye can see from a foot away.
  • HD Video camera with zoom.  Current iPhone is non-HD video and non-zoom.
  • FaceTime – iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 video conferencing over wi-fi.
  • A4 processor.  This is the same processor in the iPad

When & Cost

  • Preorder on June 15.  Pick up at AT&T or Apple store on 6/24.
  • On sale June 24 at $199 for a model with 16 gigabytes of storage, $299 for a 32 GB model
  • If you are scheduled for an upgrade in 2010, you can upgrade to an iPhone 4 without a penalty.  The penalty is $200.  This is a big deal.
  • Here’s an upgrade example:  My date is 10/12/2010, so I can upgrade on 6/24 as soon as the iPhone 4 is released.  You can verify your upgrade eligibility on AT&T’s website.  Last year, the upgrade was penalty free if your upgrade was before the end of September.  My date was 10/12/2009.  So I could not upgrade until 10/12/2009.  If my date would have been 9/30/2009, I could have upgraded in June 2009 as soon as the iPhone 3GS was released.

Conclusion

It looks like a worthy upgrade.  With the camera upgrades (video and still) Apple appears to working towards making it easy for people to have a phone that can shoot quality photos and video in one device.  Couple that with Apple quality and ease of use, and it’s a hit.  With AT&T waiving the upgrade penalty for the rest of 2010, I recommend preordering or getting to the store early.  I already have the money saved up and will be pre-ordering first thing in the morning on 6/15.

Additional info:  Apple’s official iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS comparison