The iPhone 4 – This changes everything. Again.

The new iPhone 4 has been announced at WWDC 2010. Right on cue, as everyone expected. It also looks exactly like what we expected, since we got a preview thanks to a leaked prototype got into the hands of Gizmodo earlier. As I skimmed through the keynote, the renaming of the “iPhone OS” to “iOS” briefly caught my attention. I wonder if Cisco will take issue with Apple over that name. After all, “IOS” has been the Cisco software since forever. I was beginning to wonder if the iPhone 4 would be anything exciting at all.

Well, I think the iPhone 4 has finally come of age. I still take issue with what Apple calls “multitasking in all applications”, but suffice to say, there are now ways for applications to operate in the background. Alright, we already knew multitasking was coming with iOS 4.

In terms of hardware, apart from the physical form that we can see from the prototypes, there are some new exciting changes. Apple is using their own A4 processor in the new iPhone 4. The main camera on the back is now 5 megapixels, with LED flash, and there is also a front camera. Videoconferencing is now supported in what Apple calls “FaceTime”. Battery life is said to last 40% longer. The screen resolution is doubled to 960×640, making for pixel density so high they cannot be seen by the naked eye.

The design of the iPhone 4 has a more industrial look to it. I thought it looked more clunky. The old design was smooth and curvy, not something I like either. I think the industrial look is fine, just that there are too many intrusive (extrusive?) details in the frame.

Do I like the iPhone 4? Well, I used to be very critical of Android. Not just about physical hardware, but also about the software, ecosystem, etc. Things started to turn around with the Motorola Milestone, and then with the Nexus One. I think, things are starting to turn around with the iPhone 4.

The trouble I have with the iPhone is its software and ecosystem. I don’t think Apple plans to change any of that in the foreseeable future. Apple’s tagline for this iPhone 4 announcement “This changes everything. Again.”… Not quite so.