Apple toughens iPhone screen, boosts battery life
Glass display to hinder scratches?
Apple has upped its claim for the iPhone's battery life, now saying the touchscreen smart phone will offer an eight-hour talk time. It's also decided to ship the machine with a glass front in a bid to beat the scratches spotted by so many early iPod Nano buyers.
Apple's iPhone: will it fall on its glass?
Both changes undoubtedly come from real-world testing and the development work that's gone into the iPhone hardware since Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the handset in January. Comments allegedly made by folk who'd had their hands on the iPhone earlier this year highlighted issues with both battery life and screen resilience, and Apple's statement today certainly lends verisimilitude to those claims.
So what's changed? Apple originally had the iPhone's single-charge longevity down as five hours' talk time, video playback time and web browsing time, and 16 hours' music playback. Today's revised figures up those number by up to 60 per cent: eight hours' talk time, six hours' browsing time, seven hours' video playback and 24 hours' music listening.
It's all highly theoretical, of course, as were Apple's original numbers. We're sure, under lab conditions, with the screen dimmed right down, the iPhone can deliver those new figures, but if the handset actually delivers them in the real world, it'll be the first smart phone that ever did match the promised spec.
As Apple admits: "All Battery claims are dependent upon network configuration and many other factors; actual results may vary."
Apple now has a better idea how many iPhones it's going to sell, and punching that into the company's humungous iPhone Excel spreadsheet reveals it can afford to fit a pricier, "optical-quality glass" panel on the front and either a bigger or a more advanced battery without too many negative effects.
Or it's simply decided it can't risk the reputation of a $600 handset on such factors and is taking the hit.
Apple's iPhone: slim but now with a jucier battery
The iPhone goes on sale in the US next week.
COMMENTS
Apple source for new Battery
Apple's best friend in the world is the VC company Sequoia Capital, one of Steve Jobs best friends is is Michel Moritz, the so called Prince of Wales of this VC giant, and old Chaiman of Google. Michel is also chairman of A123Systems a company with the hottest Lithium Ions cells developed using a new Nanophosphate™ technology. Extensively developed by A123systems for automotive applicatiosn, the cells are also good for consumer applications.
User reports have been very good on the new cells.
The cell charge very fast too, 400% faster than conventional Lithiums and as fast as a HI-cap with a slight edurance hit.
http://www.sequoiacap.com/company/a123systems/
Stephen!
"Yes I have an Ipod, and have use it quite loud when rollerblading since traffic noise makes it hard to hear anything."
AHA! So you're the guy I almost ran over last week when he crossed without looking and could not hear my horn. Be carefull, someone else might not mind another dent in their front fender.
Sratching....
"Apple has no experience making things that go in people's pockets and don't break (much). Dude, they invented the friggin' iPod. Have you heard of it ?"
Yeah my daughters on her fourth now...better things to do with my own money. Difference is you can still use an ipod when its in its protective condom and its not so much of a problem that they need to go back every couple of months.
"If they're using a sapphire crystal they should be fine"
As long as it doesn't come into contact with keys, coins, cigarette lighters, the ground etc
Divide by two
My experience with Apple product battery life is immediately divide by two for real world usage. I have an iPod nano with a claimed 14 hour battery life that has never in it life made it past 8.
One question
Is the glass bullet-proof ? That would be innovative !
And to the first poster : an amply-buttocked female will have the necessary circumference to allow the iPhone to be protected. It's the anorexic ones in skin-tight jeans that will break them just by walking.
