Apple unveils iPhone 4

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Apple has officially confirmed what we've all been thinking and unveiled details about the iPhone mark four, or the iPhone 4 to give it its correct moniker.

It'll be available from 24 June in the UK, US, France, Germany and Japan, with other countries following suit from July. It'll be available to pre-order from 15 June. By the end of September it'll be available in some 88 countries worldwide, according to Apple.

Barely 30 minutes into his keynote speech on the opening day of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Steve Job's the company's chief executive wowed the crowds with the list of specs and details.

Claiming this was the "thinnest smartphone on the planet" at 24 per cent slimmer than the iPhone 3GS, Jobs proudly showed off new features such as a five megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom, a front-facing camera and retina display that will revolutionise image taking and consumption on the iPhone.

“iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” Jobs added in a statement. “FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.”

Powered by an Apple A4 processor and micro-SIM, the battery takes up most of the inner space, meaning it will last longer than its predecessors, according to Apple. Quoted figures during the keynote included seven hours of 3G talk time, six hours of 3G browsing and 300 hours of standby.

Also on offer is HD recording - 720p at 30fps - and a gyroscope that should help boost the gaming experience for those so inclined. Video fans will also be pleased to hear that iMovie is making its way to the device as an app for just $4.99.

Jobs also used the opportunity to recap on the features iPhone OS 4, which will - naturally - feature on the new device, will bring to users. Multi-tasking, folder creation and management and business-friendly features such as mobile device management, better data protection and support for Exchange Server 2010 are all on offer. And, despite being big rivals, Microsoft's Bing search engine will also play a role.

The new OS will be available as a free update from 21 June.

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