The iPhone has battery life to burn, according to sources -- recent rumors to the contrary are B.S., Rumors was told this weekend.
Confirming whisperings that have echoed across the Grapevine this week -- and in direct conflict with several published rumors around the Web -- our oldest and best sources have been able to provide us firm physical proof that indeed, the iPhone has battery life that meets or exceeds Apple's most aggressive targets.....even under heavy sustained usage (voice calls, wi-fi web browsing and heavy Widget activity), the iPhone runs for more than five hours.
And it can reach nearly 20 hours when music playback is the only running function.
Such is the remarkable efficiency of the stunning widescreen display, Xscale ARM (RISC) CPU, onboard memory, Flash storage and surprisingly large dual batteries which dominate the interior space of the iPhone enclosure.
Along with the recent battery life rumors, the Grapevine has also been abuzz about possible iPhone delays in the wake of the announcement of Leopard's delayed release date.....but fear not. These are even more wrong than the battery rumblings.
Reliable sources familiar with the hardware prototype manufacturing end of the iPhone as well as its ongoing software development have confirmed to Rumors that not only is iPhone on-schedule....it is, for the time being, actually ahead of schedule.
Following the AppleTV delay of several weeks, Steve Jobs personally instructed upper management in the company's software development unit to dedicate maximum available resources to iPhone, resulting in the Leopard delay (which would actually still have taken place, but may have only caused a delay through July or August -- the October timeframe is intentionally generous to allow Apple to actually be ahead of schedule on its new release target).
Not only do Leopard and iPhone contain many still as-yet unannounced features/details (notably, the iPhone will probably have some subsidy to alleviate its high price tag -- as much as a $200 discount between planned Rebates and Discounts given for high-end service packages)....they also are the core of Apple's 2007 30th Anniversary Roadmap.
Releasing them in smooth, "ahead of (official) schedule" fashion is of critical importance to the public perception of Apple's progress in its War On Microsoft.
Stay tuned for much more iPhone news in the days ahead; we have had the rare opportunity to experience hands-on time with this remarkable device and are negotiating the details of our sources' embargo on certain details so that we can make an in-depth report on our hands-on experiences ASAP.
Don't miss it -- this device is not only remarkable in its own right, but showcases a lot of what will make the Leopard Era so incredible!
