Newest iPhone debuts with another camera

Seeking to fend off intensifying competition from Google and others in the smartphone business,Apple introduced a new version of the iPhone on Monday that includes a front-facing camera for video chats....

Seeking to fend off intensifying competition from Google and others in the smartphone business,Apple introduced a new version of the iPhone on Monday that includes a front-facing camera for video chats.

The iPhone 4 is faster and thinner than previous models,with a crisper display and a more angular look. It has a 5-megapixel camera and can shoot and edit high-definition video.

This is our new baby, said Steven P. Jobs,Apples chief executive,as he presented the phone during the companys annual Worldwide Developers Conference here. I hope you love it as much as we do.

Analysts said the new phone came at an opportune moment for Apple. While previous versions of the device continue to sell briskly,buyers have been faced with an increasingly large array of attractive smartphones.

Some phones powered by Googles Android software match and in some cases exceed the capabilities and speed of the iPhone 3GS,the most recent model.

The iPhone 4 should help Apple re-establish its leadership,some analysts said. When it ships,it will be the best smartphone on the market, said Tim Bajarin,an analyst with Creative Strategies,who has been following Apple for nearly three decades. It gives Apple a years lead on competitors,if not more.

A Google spokesman,Mike Nelson,declined to comment on the new phone.

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The iPhone 4,priced at 199 for a model with 16 gigabytes of storage or 299 for one with 32 gigabytes with a two-year contract,will go on sale June 24 in the United States and four other countries. Apple plans an aggressive international rollout after that; Jobs said the phone would be on sale in 88 countries by September. While the iPhone 4 was greeted with cheers by the loyal Apple developers in the hall, Jobss presentation included few surprises. Some of the secrets of the iPhone 4 were revealed after a prototype,apparently left behind in a bar by an Apple engineer,ended up in the hands of reporters for the technology blog Gizmodo,which published details of the devices hardware. And Jobs did not introduce a new version of the Apple TV device or announce that the iPhone would be available on Verizon Wireless,despite speculation on technology blogs that he might do so.

Analysts and developers were particularly impressed by the iPhones video chat feature,called FaceTime. For now,however,chats can be conducted only with other iPhone 4 owners,and only over Wi-Fi networks. Jobs said Apple would work with carriers to bring video chats to cellphone networks.