… but it still comes with a battery that users cannot replace. This from TimesOnline:

News that Apple has upgraded the iPhone ahead of its US launch next Friday (June 29) helped add $2 billion (£1 billion) to the market value of the company in early trade today.

In a statement that seemed designed to counter mounting fears that the iPhone would be hampered by a lacklustre power supply, Apple said that the finished gadget will feature up to eight hours of talk time, six hours of internet use, seven hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback.

Previously Apple had specified five hours of talk time – though some technology commentators had put the figure as low as 40 minutes.

The device, already dubbed “The God Machine” by Apple aficionados, will also feature up to 250 hours – or more than 10 days – of standby time, the company claimed.

The news helped send the shares up more than 2 per cent in New York.

The company added that the entire top surface of the iPhone has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass “to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity”.

Stock markets are such funny organisms. Deeply erratic. Like elderly maiden aunts.

Apple’s news release here. Good Morning Silicon Valley reports a survey which claims that 19 million Americans are ‘seriously considering’ buying an iPhone. I guess they’re also the people who believe in Intelligent Design.