iPhone gets last minute upgrades

Cupertino (CA) – Apple today announced that its upcoming multimedia phone will offer longer battery life than originally estimated as well as a glass top surface.

Apple today said that the iPhone, scheduled for a June 29 release, will deliver up to eight hours of talk time, six hours of Internet use, seven hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback. The standby-time is estimated at about 250 hours.

Earlier this month, Apple had had published estimates on its website that the phone would hit a talk time of about five hours and an audio playback time of 16 hours.

Apple also upgraded the surface of the iPhone – the 3.5” touchscreen will be “optical-quality glass” and not plastic as previously announced. The comp[any justified the move to “achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity.”

Pricing of the device remains unchanged. The iPhone will go on sale for $500 for the 4 GB model and for $600 for the 8 GB version.