Apple announces iPhone now delivers up to 8 hours of talk time, new glass display
Talk about last minute upgrades: In a press release today, Apple has revealed a number of significant upgrades to both the iPhone's battery life and touch screen. Instead of what I believe was around 5 hours of video/talk and 16 hours of audio playback, Apple has updated the iPhone's battery life rating to the following numbers: up to 8 hours talk time, a whopping 250 hours of standby (over 10 days), 6 hours of internet use, 7 hours of video playback and 24 hours of audio playback. Of course, just like any other mobile phone, these numbers can vary depending on various factors like intermittent use and network configuration (whether features like Wi-Fi or the speakerphone are enabled, etc.).
In addition, Apple has changed the spec of the original 3.5" plastic surface of the iPhone to "optical-quality" glass, which should bring some smiles to those who were concerned about the durability of the phone's primary feature and user interface.
This is quite the update to drop on anxious customers less than two weeks from launch. I can only wonder what other tricks and unknown or upgraded features (PUSH email? HSPDA instead of EDGE?) Apple could be waiting to announce.
Update: Interestingly, this latest press release also mentions the iPhone's pricing - again at $499 and $599 for 4GB and 8GB, respectively - but makes no mention of contracts being involved with those prices. Since Apple dropped the "2-year activation required" language from their ads after originally airing them, this might offer more hope to those who aren't able to renew a contract just yet to get the discounts.
Update 2: Commenter Greg points out that Apple's competitive chart shows the Nokia N95 as a no-WiFi device, when it actually does do WiFi. We hope this error will be corrected in short order.
