Software Testing Blog

Almost like clockwork, Apple has consistently announced iPhone updates at their WWDC conference every June.  This year was no exception with Steve Jobs himself presenting the much awaited iPhone 4. Just as in the past, this year’s update introduces a number of interesting and must-have features for mobile developers and aficionados everywhere. Here are some of our favorites:

New Display – a Treat for Sore Eyes
Before today, I could not have told you the maximum amount of detail my retina could process in a given inch of space.  Now, thanks to Steve Jobs, I know: 300 dots per inch. That’s important because the iPhone 4 features an astonishing 960×640 display that resolves to 326 pixels per inch. That’s apparently more than what your retina can physically see, a fact that Apple took to heart when they decided to name this feature “Retina Display“.

More incredible is how this compares to the iPad. The iPad is a significantly larger device, but with a resolution of 1024×768 it only has 28% more pixels.

Of course, this also means that Apple developers now have three resolutions to worry about when they’re developing apps: iPhone 4, iPad, and iPhone/iPod 2G/3G/3GS.

A4 – A Super Fast Processor with a Super Short Name
With the launch of the iPad, Apple introduced the A4 processor – a custom system-on-a-chip CPU developed by secret engineers Apple has locked away somewhere. The A4 has been important for the iPad for two reasons: it’s incredibly fast and it uses very little power. That gives the iPad a longer battery life while making it insanely speedy.

Now the iPhone 4 will have an A4 processor as well. That means it will feature a huge performance boost over the 3GS while actually using less power. Everybody wins! You should thank those smart Apple engineers, assuming you can actually find them.

Gyroscopes – No Longer Just for Museum Gift Shops
Apple has also augmented the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer with a gyroscope.  With this feature, developers will be able to measure the tilt of an iPhone as it moves.  That will make it easier to develop games and other apps that can use the angle of the phone as an input. Imagine tilting your phone to steer your race car or rotate a game.

Front Facing Camera + Video Phone = Answer Phone Fully Dressed
If you thought Chatroulette was fun, wait until all iPhone users have the ability to make and receive video phone calls. Apple calls the feature “FaceTime” and it will either change your world or make you incredibly paranoid.  Either way, get ready for an awkward learning period where the world figures out video phone etiquette. Rule #1, video phones and driving probably don’t go well together.

iPhone OS 4 – Now iOS 4
Apple has put the letter ‘i’ in front of nearly every word in the computer dictionary, and quite honestly we thought they had run out by now. But they surprised us by rebranding the iPhone OS as simply iOS. The new version, which we discussed previously, will be known as iOS 4.

Other Notes
Two other takeaways from today’s show. First, always have a backup plan. Midway through Steve Jobs’ presentation, the WiFi in the auditorium briefly stopped working. Even though Steve couldn’t finish presenting a feature online, he was able to switch over to showing the feature using photos instead. You can watch the issue unfold here.

Second, Steve also revealed the three most common reasons an app is rejected from the App Store:

1. The app doesn’t function as advertised by the developer
2. The app uses private APIs
3. The app crashes

As usual, software testers still have plenty of work to do.