Today is the day we have all been waiting for. Apple finally jumped on the stage and announced everything. Months of rumors and speculations have finally been revealed. Apple finally announced the iPhone 5. As it turns out, most of those leaked iPhone 5 images were right on the money.
So what did Apple say about the iPhone 5? Well the first thing they talked about was how thin and light it is. In fact, it is 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S and 20% lighter. Along with that, the iPhone 5 will have a 16:9 aspect ratio and a full four-inch screen. It will have a Retina display featuring a resolution of 1136 x 640.
To compensate for this larger screen, Apple has updated the software. There is an extra row of apps on the home screen, and all of their native apps will be updated to use this extra screen space. For non-native apps, if the developer does not update them, they will be centered on the screen with black bars around the edges.
Apple also improved the sensitivity of the touch screen by integrating it directly into the display. This removes the extra layer and makes the screen much more accurate to your input. According to Apple, “this is the most accurate display in the industry.”
Apple also announced that their new iPhone would support LTE, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. In the US, the iPhone will support AT&T, Sprint and Verizon as their 4G providers. This means that they are finally catching up to other carriers in terms of data speed. They also greatly improved WiFi on the iPhone, making using data on the device an all around better experience.
Of course, it would not be an upgrade without introducing a new processor, and Apple did just that. The brand new A6 processor is twice as fast as the previous model, and should allow iPhone users get more done faster.
Apple is also making some improvements to audio with the iPhone 5. It has three microphones designed to enhance clarity while making calls. It is a still phone, after all.
In spite of these performance enhancements, they managed to make slight improvements to the battery life of the iPhone 5. That is no small feat when you consider that the device is smaller, lighter and more powerful.
The iPhone 5 also brings some improvements to the iSight. It will perform much better in low light situations and is capable of snapping photos 40% faster than the earlier model. The new camera also brings panorama mode, which, you guessed it, allows you to take beautiful panoramic photographs. The front-facing FaceTime camera is now capable of 720p resolution.
As rumored, Apple is doing away with their old connector and introducing Lightning. It is substantially smaller than the previous cables and it is generally easier to use. Still have plenty of old cables around? Don’t worry, Apple will have an adapter for that.
With a new contract the iPhone 5 will cost exactly the same as the iPhone 4S. $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and$399 for 64GB. Pre-orders start September 14th and the device ships on the 21st in North America. It ships out in other regions starting on the 28th.