Apple iPhone to Offer 8 Hours of Talk

Apple announced today the iPhone battery will be able to deliver up to 8 hours of talk time - and will sport a scratch-resistant glass top.

In a move no-doubt calculated to whip up even more frenzy surrounding the launch of the iPhone, Apple today announced that the iPhone would be able to deliver up to 8 hours of talk time on a single battery charge, a figure which puts the iPhone significantly ahead of most other smartphones and high-end mobile devices. Apple also announced the iPhone will sport an “optical-quality” glass top surface—which includes the phone’s 3.5-inch touchscreen display. The glass top allegedly improves display clarity and makes the phone more resistant to scuffs and scratches.

“With 8 hours of talk time, and 24 hours of audio playback, iPhone’s battery life is longer than any other ’smartphone’ and even longer than most MP3 players,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a release. “We’ve also upgraded iPhone’s entire top surface from plastic to optical-quality glass for superior scratch resistance and clarity. There has never been a phone like iPhone, and we can’t wait to get this truly magical product into the hands of customers starting just 11 days from today.”

When Apple announced the iPhone in January 2007, it described the phone as offerng 5 hours of talk time and up to 16 hours of music playback. The company now says that in addition to offering 8 hours of talk time, the phone will offer up to 24 hours of continuous audio playback, up to 7 hours of video playback, 6 hours of Internet use, and up to 250 hours of standby time.

The iPhone goes on sale June 29 via Apple’s retail and online stores, as well as selected AT&T retail stores; the iPhone will cost $499 for a 4 GB edition or $599 for an 8 GB edition.