The rumors have come to a halt now that Apple has showcased its new iPhone 3GS, touting it as the fastest and most powerful iPhone yet. The iPhone 3GS has all the features that have been leaked over the past several months, including an autofocus camera with video and audio recording, a built-in digital compass, and the ability to copy and paste.
Apple’s Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, showcased the new iPhone at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. The device will be available in the U.S. and a few other countries next week.
The 3GS video-recording feature allows users to record, edit and share videos by tapping on the iPhone’s onscreen controls and sending them through MMS, MobileMe or YouTube.
“It certainly was expected from the leaks, but performance and new features, including video capture and editing, adds up to a very nice upgrade,” said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret.
One of the newest features for the iPhone is a digital compass. The application is like a standard needle compass that tells the user which direction they are heading and uses the built-in GPS to give users their location.
Other improvements include faster launching of applications. Scrolling, zooming and panning through the iPhone and jumping between apps are also faster. The iPhone also received an upgrade to its battery, which is now designed to last longer.
One feature that has had iPhone users frustrated is the inability to cut, copy and paste from messages and photos. Apple has included this feature in the 3GS.
One surprise from Apple is its $99 price point for the 8GB iPhone 3G, which will be a very disruptive move in the smartphone market, according to Gartenberg.
Apple may have also caused some disruption by stealing some of the thunder from competitor Palm and…