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iOS 4 has arrived! Much to love.

Apple’s latest operating system upgrade for the iPhone, iOS 4, was released Monday, packed with over 100 new features including multitasking and folders.

iOS 4 is compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, as well as recent generation iPod touch. Multitasking is only available with iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. iOS 4 also comes preinstalled on the new, $99, 8GB iPhone 3GS, as well as the next-generation iPhone 4, set for release this Thursday.

New features of iOS 4 highlighted by Apple:

Multitasking: Now you can run your favorite third-party apps —- and switch between them instantly —- without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.

Folders: Organize apps into folders with drag-and-drop simplicity. Get faster access to your favorites and browse and manage up to 2160 apps.

Even better Mail: See messages from all your accounts in a unified inbox, organize messages by threads, open attachments in third-party apps, and more.

iBooks: More than a great ebook reader, iBooks is also an amazing place to browse and shop for books, day or night.Create playlists: Create custom playlists right on your iPhone.

5x digital zoom: Get closer to your subjects by zooming in up to 5x.

Tap to focus video: While shooting video, tap the display to choose where to focus.

Faces and Places in Photos: View photos based on who’s in them and where they were taken.

Home screen wallpaper: Change the background wallpaper on your Home screen.

Gift apps: Send apps as gifts to your friends or family.

Spell checking: A built-in spell checker works in Mail, Notes, and other apps.

Wireless keyboard support: Pair a keyboard based on Bluetooth wireless technology with your iPhone.

iPhone 4 Update

Apple announced that the first day of iPhone 4 preorders topped 600,000 on the first day of availability, representing the largest single day of preorders ever. Apple said in a press release that the total was “far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions. Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration.”

The company continued, “We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again or visit an Apple store or carrier store once the iPhone 4 is in stock.”

AT&T stopped accepting iPhone 4 preorders entirely, informing consumers that sales were temporarily suspended due to demand ten times higher than for the iPhone 3GS.

“Given this unprecedented demand and our current expectations for our iPhone 4 inventory levels when the device is available June 24, we’re suspending pre-ordering today in order to fulfill the orders we’ve already received,” the company announced in a statement Wednesday. “The availability of additional inventory will determine if we can resume taking pre-orders.”

Apple’s Face Time

This ad speaks for itself. If this does not make you want to get an iPhone, you’ve got more will power than I do. (If you have issues with this video, here’s the link directly to Apple’s site: http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/facetime.html) and click “See FaceTime in Action”

iPhone 4

Ok. Today was a big day in the World of Apple. Apple introduced a new, super-slim iPhone 4 today, which Steve Jobs likened to a Leica camera in design and quality. A stainless steel band around the phone’s edge is both structural and part of the antenna. 
  A new “retina” display packs in 326 pixels/inch, supposedly above a 300ppi resolution limit of the human eye at a distance of a foot. The 3.5-inch display offers 960×640-pixel resolution and uses IPS screen technology. 
  The iPhone 4’s other features include a bigger battery (and longer run time), Apple’s “A4” processor (used in the iPad), 32 GB of storage, dual microphones for noise suppression, plus a built-in, 3-axis gyroscope that will be supported by new CoreMotion programming interfaces.

Facing competition from other smartphones, Apple has again upgraded the iPhone’s camera in the new model, switching to a “backside illuminated sensor” for improved low-light performance, while capturing 5 Mpixels (up from 3 Mpixels). There’s an LED flash, and you can tap to focus the lens. And the camera now captures HD video: 720p at 30fps. A $4.99 iMovie app lets you edit video right on the iPhone. 
 

Jobs demonstrated video conferencing via a second camera that faces the user. This “FaceTime” app uses WiFi only for now; it works iPhone 4-to-iPhone 4 without any special set-up tasks, according to Jobs.

The iPhone 4 is priced at $199 for the 16GB model with a new, 2-year AT&T contract, $299 for the 32GB model. It goes on sale June 24 in black or white, and Apple plans to take pre-orders starting June 15. The iPhone 3GS will drop to $99. Apple is also selling a “bumper” partial-case and new dock for the phone. 
  iOS 4 is due as a free upgrade June 21 for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3 and iPod Touch (not all features supported in the latter models). Apple has not given an availability date for iOS 4 on the iPad. (Content above via Macintouch)