How they work: “The iPhone 4G”

When creating iPhone 4, Apple designers and engineers didn’t start from zero, they started with three years of experience designing and building the phones that redefined what a phone can do.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

When creating iPhone 4, Apple designers and engineers didn’t start from zero, they started with three years of experience designing and building the phones that redefined what a phone can do.

The iPhone 4 is the result of everything they have learnt over time. It is all contained in a beautiful enclosure a mere 9.3 millimetres thin, making the iPhone 4 the world’s thinnest Smartphone. 

This entire technological step forward in the iPhone 4 is positioned between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultra-durable and more scratch resistant than ever.

It’s also recyclable.
The 960-by-640 backlit LCD display boasts a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution phone screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small a mere 78 micrometers across that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels.

That makes text remarkably sharp and graphics incredibly vivid. IPS technology also provides excellent colour and contrast from almost any viewing angle.  Created from our own alloy, then forged to be five times stronger than standard steel, the CNC-machined band is the mounting point for all the components of iPhone 4.

The band provides impressive structural rigidity and allows for its incredibly thin, refined design. It also functions as both iPhone 4 antennas.

Apple engineers designed the Apple 4 chip to be a remarkably powerful yet remarkably power-efficient mobile processor. With it, iPhone 4 can easily perform complex jobs such as multitasking, editing video, and placing Face Time calls. All while maximizing battery life.

The iPhone 4 includes a built-in three-axis gyroscope. When paired with the accelerometer, it makes iPhone 4 capable of advanced motion sensing such as user acceleration, full 3D attitude, and rotation rate.

Translation: More motion gestures and greater precision for an even better gaming experience.

The iPhone 4 camera shoots stunning 5-megapixel photos and stunning HD video. And with its advanced backside illumination sensor, it captures beautiful images even in low-light settings. The built-in LED flash does double duty.

When you’re taking pictures, it works as a flash. When you’re shooting video it can stay on to light up the scene.

And on the front of iPhone 4, the built-in camera is perfect for making Face Time calls and shooting self-portraits
While most phones have only one microphone, iPhone 4 has two. The main mic, located on the bottom next to the dock connector, is for phone calls, voice commands, and memos.

The second mic, built into the top near the headphone jack, is for FaceTime calls and for making your phone calls better. It works with the main mic to suppress unwanted and distracting background sounds, such as music and loud conversations.

This dual-mic noise suppression helps make every conversation a quiet one. With its large Multi-Touch display and innovative software, iPhone lets you control everything using just your fingers. How does it work?

A panel laminated on the glass senses your touch using electrical fields. It can register multiple touches at once to support advanced gestures such as pinch to zoom, two-finger tap, and more. The panel then transmits the information to the Retina display below it.

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