Live from Yerba Buena
Secrets of the new iPhone 5: Is Apple's latest hype machine really a must have?
Apple's Philip Schiller had the honor of unveiling the iPhone 5 in San FranciscoWednesday morning.GDGT.com
A thinner and faster phone than the previous 4S model, the iPhone 5 is only 7.6millimeters thick and weights 112 grams, which is about $5 in quarters.GDGT.com
With improved Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity, the new device will be noticeablyfaster for longtime iPhone fans.GDGT.com
After months of rumors and photo leaks from Chinese factories, the new iPhone 5 has made its formal public debut.
Live from San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple unveiled a glass and aluminum smartphone that's 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than its 4S predecessor.
Finally, the iPhone is getting the 4G LTE connectivity Apple fans were hoping to have when the 4S was announced in October 2011.
A new 4-inch panoramic Retina display — with a ratio of 16:9 — offers 44 percent more saturation and has fully-integrated touchscreen sensors, one of the essential features that allows Apple to now claim the world's thinnest phone, measuring only 7.6 millimeters.
Finally, the iPhone is getting the 4G LTE connectivity Apple fans were hoping to have when the 4S was announced in October 2011, plus it's able to automatically switch antenna connections to insure the best signal. With the addition of some supercharged Wi-Fi, surfing the Internet will be noticeably faster for iPhone users, who can get service through AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.
With its new ultra-efficient A6 processor, Apple claims the iPhone 5 will be twice as fast as the 4S. As such, total battery time jumps to an impressive eight hours of 3G talk, eight hours of 4G LTE browsing, 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 30 hours of video and a whopping 225 hours of standby time.
The new Lightning connector replaces the familiar-but-awkward piece of yore. No worries, Apple will throw in an adapter.
Behold iSight, a new 8MB camera that's 40 percent faster than its predecessor and features panorama and dynamic low-light modes.
And for those unsatisfied with the already pretty impressive 4S camera . . . behold iSight, a new 8MB photo system that's 40 percent faster and features panorama and dynamic low-light modes.
Also updated are the iconic classic white headphones, which have been reshaped to better match the subtle geometry of the human ear. Called EarPods, the new design went through more than 100 iterations until engineers had the shape and acoustics spot on among their 600 test subjects.
Set at the same price as the 4S model, the iPhone 5 will cost $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. Pre-orders begin on Friday with the first new phones set to be come in on Sept. 21.
