Apple has said that consumers will not be able to get their hands on the new iPhone 3.0 operating system until at least June 09 however the new code which incorporates over 100 new features is being released to developers today.
Apple has said that consumers will not be able to get their hands on the new iPhone 3.0 operating system until at least June 09 however the new code which incorporates over 100 new features is being released to developers today.
Among the new features are copy-and-paste and message notifications to picture messaging. The 3.0 iPhone software will also support automatic alerts of items such as sports results or the arrival of an instant message. The alerts would show up automatically even if the user is in another application. Apple has also shown a new universal search feature called “spotlight”, which can search key applications on the phone such as e-mail and an iPod.
Several of these features already exist on the BlackBerry from Research In Motion and are part of the new Palm Pre which is set to be released around the same time as the new Apple iPhone software.
Reuters said “While Apple’s touch screen interface had inspired many imitators, some users had complained it lacked functions common in other smartphones such as multimedia messaging and the ability to copy and paste text:.
The operating system is expected to be used in the next version of the iPhone, suggesting a new model might be released around that time.
The company, which made the announcements at an event at its US campus, also rolled out new development tools for companies building and selling iPhone programs, and revamped the App Store, which sells iPhone software downloads.
Additional new features included the ability to attach voice recordings, photos or contact files to emails as well as hardware features such as the ability to provide an Internet connection for notebook computers and other devices which suggests that Apple will launch a new version of the phone later this year.
Reuters claim that Apple’s iPhone announcements underscore how competition in the smartphone market is shifting to software and interface issues, as opposed to design or hardware specifications. Since the iPhone first went on sale about 18 months ago, Palm has improved its smartphones and Research In Motion has upgraded its Blackberry line to close the gap on hardware. Apple is now trying to use its software to maintain its edge.
