Apple: Cut & paste, picture messaging finally on tap for iPhone

Some of the most requested missing features for the iPhone—including "cut and paste" and MMS, a.k.a. picture messaging—are coming in a free summer software update, Apple announced today. Push notification is also a go, but neither video recording nor mobile Flash support made the cut.

iPhone software 3.0 will arrive as a free update this summer, according to Apple marketing VP Greg Joswiak (nope, no Steve Jobs sightings during the event, held this morning at Apple HQ), although iPod Touch owners will have to pony up $9.95 for the upgrade.

Apple confirmed that the new software will work for the original iPhone, with two key exceptions: stereo Bluetooth and MMS (so sorry, EDGE iPhone users—no picture messaging for you).

So, without further ado, let's dive into the key announcements:

Cut and paste:
Just about every time I write about missing iPhone features, I get a torrent of complaints about cut and paste—or the lack thereof. Well, starting this summer, not anymore. Just double-tap on a word or block of text, and a Copy/Cut/Paste bubble will pop up, complete with handles for selecting additional text. Then, just double-tap an empty space to paste. Yes, copy & paste will work across all native iPhone/iPod Touch apps; for example, you'll be able to copy text from a Web page and copy it into mail.

Messaging, including MMS:
Again, another long-awaited feature for the iPhone that's finally coming. The new MMS feature in the iPhone's messaging app will let you send a receive contact cards, audio files, map coordinates, and yes—pictures. You'll also be able to forward and delete individual SMS messages.

Push notification:
After a six-month delay, developers will finally be allowed to send "push" notifications over Apple's servers to a given iPhone; so, for instance, a third-party instant messaging application will soon be able to pop up a text alert or fire off a sound when you get a new IM, even if the app itself isn't running. Nice, but still a substitute for true "background" applications support, which Apple SVP Scott Forstall said would put too much strain on the iPhone's battery.

Universal search:
One of the coolest features in Mac OS X is Spotlight, its universal search application, and a version of Spotlight is now on tap for the iPhone. Spotlight will search across applications, including mail (subject and headers, but not the body, unfortunately), calendar events, contacts, music and videos, and any supported third-party apps. Nice.

Maps support, plus turn-by-turn directions:
At last, third-party applications will be able to use the iPhone's native Maps app, complete with pinch-to-zoom, satellite, and location-based features. Even better: Developers will get access to the iPhone's "Core Location" features—and that means true turn-by-turn directions are finally on the way (although developers will have to "bring your own apps" due to licensing issues with the actual mapping "tiles" used in the main iPhone Maps applications).

"Peer-to-peer" connectivity:
Want to play a two-player iPhone game with the iPhone user right next to you? The new iPhone software will include the ability to automatically "discover" other nearby iPhones over Bluetooth—no Wi-Fi required. "Peer-to-peer" connectivity will be great for local multiplayer iPhone gaming, but as Apple points out, it could come in handy for other applications, too (such as trading virtual business cards, for example).

"In-app" purchases:
Upcoming applications will give you the option of buying new levels or content within the app itself—so (as Forstall explained), after playing the first 10 levels of a game, you could opt to buy another 10 levels. Another example: City guide applications that let you buy additional guides for more cities, or e-book readers with an in-app title storefront. Subscriptions will be supported as well—consider, perhaps, a Time Magazine app that lets you sign up for a year's worth of issues or buy single issues (magazine and newspaper publishers, take note).

Better accessory support:
The new iPhone development kit will let developers write apps that "talk" directly to various hardware accessories—for example, an FM tuning app that works with an FM transmitter accessory, or medical apps that interact with dedicated medical devices. Interesting.

Other cool new features:
Stereo Bluetooth (good for listening to music over a wireless Bluetooth headset), the ability to use the virtual keypad in landscape mode when composing e-mail messages, suscription support for the calendar application, in-app e-mail support for third-party applications (so, for example, no need to quit your RSS app when you're e-mailing a link to a friend), and voice memos (which you can send over MMS). Update: Yes (as many of you have been asking in the comments below), update 3.0 also includes landscape mode for the virtual keypad across all apps, including e-mail and Notes.

Phew—a lot of new features there (and I didn't even cover all of them). But what's missing?

Video recording: As predicted, no video capture for the iPhone, at least not yet.
Flash support for Safari: Another oft-requested feature, and again, no dice. 
Laptop tethering though AT&T: While iPhone software 3.0 does support laptop tethering—that is, sharing the iPhone's data connection with a laptop—AT&T has yet to offer its own iPhone tethering plan, and no announcement came during the event.

Oh, and what about new hardware, like a tablet or a netbook—or even a new iPhone? "No announcements today," said Apple. Bummer.

So, thoughts? Happy with the new features? Annoyed that video recording and Flash support are still missing? Let us know.

[Image credits: Yahoo! News and Gizmodo, thanks!]