Apple Demos iPhone OS 3.0

At a special media event today, Apple took the wraps off of the next major release of iPhone OS 3.0 for iPhone and iPod touch.

When the production iPhone OS 3.0 release arrives later this summer, customers can expect some new, and often requested, features including:

• Search your iPhone
• Cut, copy, and paste
• Send photos, contacts, audio files, and location via MMS
• Read and compose email and text messages in landscape
  

All together, Apple is claiming that there will be 100 new features baked into iPhone OS 3.0. I should note that MMS will only be available on iPhone 3G devices. Sorry iPhone G1 owners. The arrival of copy, cut, and paste should soften the blow. I have long said that cut, copy, and paste is a required feature if Apple really wants to promote the iPhone as a business device. It should also make DataViz's upcoming Documents To Go for iPhone OS much more useful.

If you are a paying iPhone OS developer (Standard Program $99, Enterprise Program $299), you can download the latest beta SDK today. If you are like me, and are amazed by what developers can do, we'll have to wait until later this year when Apple releases the final version of the iPhone OS software.

In the mean time, you can check out a recording of today's iPhone OS 3.0 media event as a QuickTime stream on the Apple website.