In case you didn’t notice, Apple previewed its iPhone OS 3.0 software yesterday, revealing a bevy of new features for the iPhone.
More than 100 new features will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer, including cut, copy and paste; MMS; landscape view for mail, text and notes; stereo Bluetooth; syncing Notes to the Mac and PC; and parental controls for TV shows.
The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release also will include a new voice memo app and expanded search for all key iPhone apps.
The iPhone OS 3.0 beta software and SDK include more than 1,000 new APIs and are available now for all iPhone Developer Program members to use for development and testing of their apps for iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple shares rose $4.24, or 4.4 percent yesterday, closing at $99.66.
While many iPhone fans welcomed the updates, some rivals in the smartphone OS space were less impressed. Microsoft has had features such as copy and paste and MMS in its platform for years, according to Greg Sullivan, senior product manager at Microsoft. In some ways, Apple is just catching up. “We feel real good about our continued investment in the platform,” he says.
Microsoft continues to evolve its platform, with its 6.5 Windows Mobile release coming this fall. But it hasn’t offered an apps store on par with Apple’s; that’s coming, however.
Microsoft has worked with third-party apps for years, but it will be integrating the Windows Marketplace into the phone itself so that customers have an easy-to-find link or portal from the device, Sullivan says.
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