iPhone 4 could come to Malta later on this summer

iPhone 4, Apple's next generation smartphone launched by co-founder Steve Jobs last Monday, is expected to be officially available in Malta in August or September.

Mr Jobs said the phone would be available in 88 countries by the end of September, three months after the first wave of launches starting in two weeks' time.

iPhone 4 will be available in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK on June 24 and by the end of July in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Apple did not give the full list of all 88 countries having the iPhone 4 by the end of September.

Apple's iPhone page for countries having the new model in June or July is already promoting iPhone 4, while Malta's page is still showing the 3GS, hinting at the later launch date.

In 2008 Steve Jobs mentioned Malta by name at the launch of the iPhone 3G.

The iPhone 4 announced by Mr Jobs is the same model that was revealed last April by Gizmodo after a handset was found lost in a bar in Cupertino, California, giving rise to one of the most hyped preview coverage of any electronic device ever.

iPhone 4 has a newly-designed stainless steel casing, is available in both black and white colours, and is 24 per cent thinner than the current 3GS model. It comes with a faster A4 processor and the battery is larger and gives more power. It sports a five megapixel camera, a front facing camera that enables video calls, video recording in HD and an LED flash. It has a new 3.5-inch screen with better resolution and takes a micro SIM card.

All this is governed by a new operating system, the iOS4, which will also be made available as from June 21 free of charge to older models of iPhone and iPod with some restriction in some instances. The new OS makes multi-tasking possible, supports folders, makes video editing easier through iMovie, and provides iBooks, an e-book reader.

However, it seems the iPhone 4 will be network-locked like previous models, meaning users won't be able to use it with any mobile operator but only with the official operators.

The iPhone is officially available in Malta from Vodafone but unlocked models are available through unofficial retailers. Locked models can be unlocked through software freely available on the internet and many Maltese have used this, i-Tech can reveal.

There is no confirmed news yet on the official availability in Malta of another Apple product, the iPad, launched a few weeks ago.

www.apple.com/iphone