Long queues formed outside Apple stores across the US today as the company's new iPhone 4 went on sale, according to dpa. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the latest version of the company's vaunted iPhone earlier this month, hoping to beat back growing competition from phones running Google's Android operating system. Demand for the new product was so high that Apple had to suspend pre-orders of the smartphone. The new phone is thinner and faster that the previous iPhone. Boasting a smaller, more efficient chip, the A4, it also has better battery life, allowing seven hours of talking, 10 hours of web browsing and 300 hours of standby. The iPhone 4 boasts cameras on both the front and the back of its glass and stainless steel body to facilitate picture taking and video chat. The display of the iPhone 4 is also upgraded, featuring four times as many pixels as its predecessor. The phone costs 199 dollars for a 16 GB model and 299 dollars for a 32 GB model. It will come in both white and black cases. In a move aimed at undercutting Google's dominance in search, Apple has added a search option from Microsoft's Bing search engine. The iPhone accounts for over 40 per cent of Apple's revenue and the company has sold more than 50 million units since launching the device in 2007. The previous version, the iPhone 3GS went on sale in June 2009.
