Apple iPhone Gets US Launch Date

The new Apple iPhone is to go on sale in the US on June 29, with the company expected to announce launch dates for Europe and Asia in the coming weeks.

The iPhone, which will be priced between $500 (£250) and $600 (£300), lets users watch movies, download songs and store photos, and also offers email, calendar and contacts software.

The handset includes a two mega-pixel camera and will run with the Safari internet browser and access to products such as Google Maps.

Apple has also announced that Apple TV users will be able to browse, find and watch free videos from YouTube in the comfort of their living room.

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, said: “This is the first time users can easily browse, find and watch YouTube videos right from their living room couch, and it’s really, really fun.

“YouTube is a worldwide sensation, and Apple TV is bringing it directly from the internet onto the widescreen TV in your living room.”

Thousands of the most current and popular YouTube videos will be available on Apple TV, with YouTube adding thousands more each week until the full YouTube catalogue is available.

Commenting on the collaboration between Apple and YouTube, Carl Gressum, senior analyst at Ovum, said: “This is another firm stake in the ground that over the top players, such as Youtube are reaching out to the device vendors to bring web content into the living room. For Apple this could be a good deal, as there is limited movie content available on the Apple TV, or iTunes. The downside is that Youtube streams low resolution content.

“What Apple probably should do is provide a higher quality of service for Youtube content streamed on to the Apple TV. Low quality resolution content is more accepted on a PC, but not on the big living room TV.”

Apple TV allows users to wirelessly transfer downloaded video content to their TV from their PC (see Apple TV To Launch).

Apple: www.apple.com