Dive into OS X

Apple announced Monday that the battery of its widely anticipated music-playing iPhone will last longer than expected. The iPhone will have a battery life that supports 8 hours of mobile phone talk time, much better than the five hours of talk time the company originally estimated in January.
The company also said its device can support six hours of Internet use, seven hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback and 250 hours of standby time before requiring a recharge.

Apple said its battery claims are dependent upon specific configurations and “many other factors.” It did not give further details on the longer battery life.

In comparison to Apple’s eight hours of talk time, one rival music player phone from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the Upstage, has a battery life of up to 6.3 hours. The BlackJack, another Samsung phone, has talk time of up to 5 1/2 hours. And Sony Ericsson, a venture of Sony Corp. and Ericsson, has touted a talk time of up to 9 hours for some of its Walkman music-playing phone models.

All manufacturers are battling to increase the battery life of their cell phones. This is mainly because cell phones became smart phones, which need lots of power as they also aim to handle Web browsing, personal data storage and music and video playback. And the constant communication with radio broadcast towers tends to drain power more quickly than “ancient” unconnected consumer electronics devices.

Apple also pointed out that the IPhone’s top surface of the touch-sensitive screen has been upgraded to optical-quality glass from plastic, making it more resistant to scratches.

Improving the iPhone’s battery life and upgrading the top surface of the screen addresses two key weaknesses that competitors and critics have leveled in the run-up to the device’s launch.

So Apple upgrades the iPhone before releasing it!