Apple's iPhone will have a longer-lasting battery than it
originally expected, exceeding those in rival phones, the
company said on Monday.
Apple said the iPhone would provide up to eight hours of talk
time, or six hours of Internet use. In January, it said the
battery would last as long as five hours of talk time.
Apple also said the top surface of the touch-screen phone,
which will sell for about $500 to $600 through a subscription
with AT&T Inc. , has been upgraded from plastic to
optical-quality glass, making it more resistant to scratches.
AT&T, the biggest U.S. wireless provider, has an exclusive
agreement to sell the phone in the United States for at least
two years. The company has said that more than a million
people have inquired about the phone via e-mail.
The iPhone battery cannot be easily removed, unlike those of
traditional cell phones, so power efficiency is an even more
important feature in this device.
Sony Ericsson has touted a talk time of up to 9 hours for
some of its Walkman music-playing phone models.
The Upstage music playing phone from Samsung has a battery
life of up to 6.3 hours.
Apple said the iPhone can support up to eight hours of talk
time, seven hours of video playback, or 24 hours of audio
playback.
iPhone will be available in the US on June 29, 2007 in a 4GB
model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will
work with either a PC or Mac.