Jobs unveils iPhone with Hawaii touch

Apple CEO Steve Jobs redefined the mobile phone market this morning with the iPhone, a device that everyone expected, yet was completely unexpected. And as part of his live demonstration of the iPhone, Jobs took a break from rocking out to music to e-mail a photo of Hawaii to his global marketing head, Phil Shiller.

The iPhone is “three revolutionary products” in one: a cellular phone (on Cingular’s GSM+EDGE network), and an instant messaging client (with WiFi and Bluetooth), and the long-anticipated “wide-screen” iPod. Instead of a klunky set of menus or a stripped down operating system, the iPhone runs the polished Mac OSX interface. The touch-screen interface eschews buttons, keyboards and the stylus, and it can tell how you’re holding it (as a phone, upright, or in widescreen mode) and where you’re using it (GPS allowing tight integration with online maps). Several features benefit from partnerships with both Yahoo! and Google.

The iPhone will be available in June (pending FCC approval) for $499 for the 4GB model or $599 for the 8GB model with a two-year Cingular contract.