"This changes everything. Again."
- Apple website
So sorry to those of you who were just getting comfortable.
Yet another Apple product has consumers all atwitter. This time it's the iPhone 4. In Tucson's Foothills, La Encantada's Apple Store, at East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue, opened its doors at 7 a.m. Thursday to usher in iPhone customers who had ordered in advance.
Apple employees wheeled about a trolley of granola bars and bottled water to a slew of eager customers, while many of them tapped away on their current iPhones and iPads.
Two lines ran in opposite directions away from the store's glass front doors: one for those who reserved the phone and a much shorter one for those who didn't reserve but still hoped to snag one.
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Customers who didn't reserve the iPhone 4 were not guaranteed their chance to buy. "A little after us, they stopped asking people what they were here to purchase," Christian Dameff said. Some "non-reservists" had been waiting since midnight, one customer said. Many of those at the front of the line reclined in folding lounge chairs.
The new iPhone is paired with a two-year contract for $199 for the 16-gigabyte model or $299 for double the capacity. These prices are being offered to new customers and certain existing customers who qualify.
The phone's features drew some new customers and some at unfathomable hours. Barbara Herrington had been in the pre-order line since 4:30 Thursday morning. When asked why she'd turned out so early, she answered, "I've been asking myself that." Herrington said she thinks the iPhone's features will pair up well with her Mac. "I'll be able to sync my contacts and music, and the resolution looks amazing," she said.
Tim Arnold already had received his 16-gig iPhone 4 by mail and waited patiently with a friend who wanted his own. Arnold is a former iPhone 3G user. "I'm excited about the higher-resolution display and faster processor," he said.
For those currently ineligible for early upgrade, Apple has released a software update to give all 3GS and 3G users some of the new compatible iPhone 4 features. The phones also are available for purchase by customers ineligible for an early upgrade, or as gifts: $599 for the 16 gig and $699 for the 32. The iPhone 4 will be available to all starting Tuesday, either from AT&T or in Apple stores.
NEW DESIGN FEATURES
• Adieu, hopefully, to scratches and cracks: The new glass faceplate is reportedly "20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic," Apple says.
• Smile . . . for two cameras, front and back facing, with 5 megapixels each, LED flash and 5x digital zoom.
• The iMovie feature allows HD video capture and on-the-spot edits; share them online or by messaging. The download is available from the App Store for $4.99.
• Packing in the pixels: With "four times the number of pixels found on earlier iPhone models," allowing for sharper, crisper images zoomed in or out.
NEW CAPABILITIES
Multitasking - Run multiple applications at once; run up-to-the-minute GPS apps in the background, and receive turn-by-turn spoken directions, even as you text.
Face time - Make video calls to other iPhone 4 users. Have a "face-to-face" chat or share moments happening before your eyes with the back camera.
Folders - Organize applications into folders, leaving your phone's screen streamlined and uncluttered.
Tethering - Connect with a PC or Mac notebook to get online without the need for Wi-Fi hot spots. Tethering is available only on At&T's Data Pro plan, priced at $25 per month.
By the numbers
4 ways to buy: New customers and customers 18 months into their contracts: $199 for 16 gigabyte, $299 for 32; other customers and gift buyers: $599 and $699.
3 G and GS phones can be upgraded to iOS 4, but not all features will be available on the older phones.
2 available data plans: DataPlus with 200 megabytes or DataPro with 2 gigs and 10 times the computing capacity. (The unlimited data plan is still available for those grandfathered into it.)
1 monthly fee of $59.99 buys the basic package: 200 text messages, 450 anytime minutes and 200 megabytes.
Charlie Golestani is a University of Arizona journalism student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact him at starapprentice@azstarnet.com
