Apple's iPhone 5 announcement: everything you need to know
As always, the lead-up to Apple's iPhone 5 event has been filled to the brim with rumors, hype, and speculation — but did Cupertino deliver? Here's all the news from San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in one place.
Major Updates
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Apple's timid new iPod nano sidesteps a smartwatch revolution
By all accounts, Apple's new iPhone 5 is a fine product, a line drive down the middle. It will easily sell millions and likely even break some records — the massive iPhone ecosystem alone will guarantee that. It's also a little boring, which has led to serious questions about Apple's willingness or ability to innovate.
But the iPhone 5 isn't the place to look for those answers. It's been deliberately engineered to be an iterative update to the iPhone 4S with a larger screen and faster...
A blast from the past, not a vision of the future -
iPhone 5 now available to pre-order in US, UK, and 7 other countries (updated)
Impressed by the iPhone 5's hardware design, and unconcerned by the conservative software? You'll want to head over to Apple's site, then, where the phone should now be available for pre-order. It's available right now from the iOS Apple Store app, Verizon, and AT&T. The time of 12.01AM PST should be effective in all of the iPhone 5's first wave of launch countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, and Germany. If you're in the US, check out our...
The wait is over -
The iPhone 5 forecast: a predictable 73 degrees and sunny
The weather icon on the iPhone's homescreen always reads a pleasant 73 degrees and sunny. It has since the original iPhone was released, a comfortable, inoffensive temperature that matches the comfortable, inoffensive homescreen on iOS.
The prevailing opinion after the iPhone 5 announcement is that it's boring, but still pretty great. The hardware is without a doubt impressive from a technical and engineering standpoint, but iterative on previous designs. The software is as competent as...
With this unique relationship people have with their iPhone, we take changing it really seriously. -
The Vergecast: Apple's iPhone 5 announcement - September 12th, 2012
Apple held a special event yesterday to announce the long awaited and much rumored iPhone 5 along with a new iPod touch, iPod nano, and a revamp of iTunes. The Verge was there to report the story as it unfolded. Join hosts Ross Miller and David Pierce and a panel of Verge editors as they review the announcements and what they mean to you (and your wallet). Also, Joshua Topolsky and Nilay Patel join in live from San Francisco to share their hands-on experiences and first impressions.
Apple's done it again -
Official Apple list shows international availability for each iOS 6 feature
As iOS 6 features such as turn-by-turn navigation and Siri become increasingly localized, it can be difficult to keep track of exactly what is available where. To help ease confusion in the wake of the iPhone 5 announcement yesterday, Apple has published an official list, navigable by feature, showing availability from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
The most restricted aspect of the OS is the new Maps app's 3D Buildings functionality, which, according to Apple's list, is only available in the US....
Social integration in Siri restricted to key markets -
Apple iPhone 5 introduction event video now available online
You've read all of the coverage, but want to see Tim Cook and company show off the the latest and greatest iPhone for yourself? You're in luck, because Apple has just posted video of the entire event. It's available for streaming on Apple's own website, and covers the iPhone 5, the new iPod touch, as well as the iTunes revamp and the new iPod nano. You'll even get to see the special Foo Fighters concert that closed the event, so check out the source link below to watch it for yourself.
iPhones and Nanos and Foos, oh my! -
Phil Schiller on the iPhone 5: Apple 'started from scratch'
At Apple's iPhone 5 event today, I had a chance to spend a few moments chatting with Phil Schiller, the company's senior vice president of marketing.
Schiller bounced out of a holding area near the iPhone 5 demo tables with a big smile on his face, surrounded by Apple PR flacks and a variety of handlers — but he was all too happy to talk about the new phone. "What did you think?" he asked before I could get a question out. After telling him I thought the new device was handsome and reaffirmed...
The design language is an iteration, but otherwise this is a completely new phone. -
Apple's new iPod nano hands-on photos and video
We just got a quick look at the new iPod nano, which comes out in October. It's super tiny, and very much like a small phone with its multitouch display and home button. But it's running what appears to be a riff on the iOS interface, not iOS itself. That's not too different from the previous generation of nano, albeit on a longer screen. Though we were hoping the nano would go for a more watch-like form factor, the new design gives you a solid 16GB media player for $149.
Like iOS but not -
Apple's new iPod touch hands-on photos and video
Today in San Francisco, Apple introduced a new, completely redesigned iPod touch. In addition to its new 4-inch, 16:9 Retina display, the 2012 model measures at just 6.1mm thin and trades the tapered chrome backing of last year's model for a flat aluminum panel. It weighs just 88 grams (3.1 ounces), down from the 101 grams (3.5 ounces) of the previous iteration. The front-facing camera has been improved and now supports 720p video and facial recognition, though the exact megapixel...
iPod time -
Apple iPhone 5 to be available in separate GSM and CDMA versions
Apple's just-announced iPhone 5 will be available in two separate models when it hits shelves on September 21st. According to the official specs page from Apple, there will be separate CDMA and GSM versions of the phone, a break from the iPhone 4S which packed both wireless protocols into the same chassis.
The A1428 GSM model and A1429 CDMA model both support LTE, HSPA+, and DC-HSPA, but they do so on different bands for the various carriers that the iPhone 5 will be available on. Apple also...
iPhone 5 goes back to separate GSM and CDMA versions -
iPhone 5 hands-on pictures, video, and impressions
This is the iPhone 5. We've just gotten our hands on the new Apple flagship, complete with that 4-inch Retina display, LTE, and new Lightning connector. What's most noticeable about the new device isn't any of that, however; it's how thin and light it is. The 7.6mm, 112-gram chassis is incredibly sleek, and exceptionally light... it feels almost too light in the hand. This isn't just in comparison to the relatively heavy iPhone 4S — sure, the iPhone 5 may not be the thinnest phone out there...
It's almost too light -
'Clumsy Ninja' demoed on 5th-gen iPod touch
Clumsy Ninja, a toy-like app that lets you interact with a ninja, was shown off on the redesigned iPod touch at today's Apple event.
Clumsy Ninja, a toy-like app that lets you interact with a ninja, was shown off on the redesigned iPod touch at today's Apple event.
The game features a black-clad ninja that is "fully aware of his environment," and will respond to input from the player. During the on-stage demo, the player tickled and chased after the ninja; it sounds similar to Nintendogs or...
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The new iPod touch: $299, 4-inch display, Siri, new colors, and upgraded cameras
After two years of maintaining the same aesthetic design, Apple has given the iPod touch a much deserved overhaul. As rumored last week, Apple has redesigned the iPod touch to feature a larger 4-inch Retina display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, the same used in the new iPhone 5. Announced alongside the new iPod nano, the new iPod touch is just 6.1mm thin and weighs only 88 grams, the lightest and thinnest yet. While the previous generation missed out on processor tweaks, Apple has dropped the A5...
A long overdue overhaul -
Apple updates iPod nano with a larger screen, Bluetooth, and an FM tuner for $149
It may not be the focal point of the day's announcements, but Apple's not forgetting about its line of iPods. In addition to the new iPhone 5-inspired iPod touch, the company's also updated its cheaper line of portable music players at its event today in Yerba Buena. The new nano has a larger, 2.5-inch display, it's thinner and lighter, and has the new Lightning connector. It actually looks like a tiny iPhone, almost. There are physical playback controls along the side of the device, a nice...
The smaller iPods get some love too -
Apple unveils 'EarPods' headphones, available today for $29
For the first time in several years, Apple's iconic white earbuds have undergone a major redesign. Now branded EarPods — a name first uncovered by 9to5Mac — the refreshed accessory lines up perfectly with a leak from earlier this month. Apple is promising significant audio quality improvements from the new earphones, claiming "a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones." EarPods do away with the large, single...
The iconic Apple accessory finally gets some attention -
New redesigned iTunes announced for Mac and PC, available in October
iTunes hasn't been a fan favorite in recent years, adding in layers of cruft and slowness as Apple has packed in new features into the software. Apple itself began the process of lowering the app's importance with the release of iCloud and the ability to sync iOS devices directly to the cloud.
In addition to all of the new enhancements to the iTunes App Store on the iPhone and iPad that we saw back in June, the iTunes desktop app for Mac and PC is getting a visual makeover that brings it more...
New iTunes and iOS App Store to go with iOS 6 -
iOS 6 update due on September 19th
Apple kicked off its iOS 6 beta program at WWDC earlier this year, and the company is announcing today that the final copy of the software will be available on September 19th. Featuring over 200 new features, iOS 6 will be available at no extra cost for existing compatible devices — iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, iPad 2, new iPad, and iPod Touch.
Warn up your download clients, Apple's latest and greatest iOS is nearly ready -
iPhone 4S drops to $99, iPhone 4 now free; Apple discontinues the 3GS
To make room for its latest iPhone, Apple has just announced new prices for the rest of the line — and the iPhone 3GS isn't part of the mix. Cupertino followed a similar strategy to what it used last year, with the 16GB iPhone 4S dropping to $99 with a two-year contract, and the 8GB iPhone 4 now available for free when subsidized by a mobile carrier. It's an improved value over last year's price drop, however, when both of the non-flagship models were stuck at 8GB of storage.
Gone from the...
The 3GS waves goodbye -
iPhone 5 supports HD voice, will work on 20 carriers at launch
Apple's iPhone 5 supports wideband audio — commonly known by many carriers as HD voice — which provides a higher-fidelity call quality than subscribers are typically used to. The company says that it's got 20 carrier partners ready to deliver HD voice at device launch, thought it hasn't named them.
The technology has been around for many years and has been deployed by a handful of carriers around the world, but a lack of supported devices has prevented it from taking off — an iPhone, which...
Finally, this old technology might take off -
iPhone 5 coming to EE, the UK's first 4G carrier
Apple has confirmed that the newly-announced iPhone 5, which features LTE, will be available via EE, the UK's first 4G network. Announced yesterday, EE is a rebrand of Everything Everywhere, a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom — its network had been turned on in testing mode in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Bristol, and the company has plans to expand to at least 11 further cities before the end of the year.
The presence of the iPhone 5 will consolidate EE's...
A phenomenal head start -
iPhone 5 includes smaller 'Lightning' dock connector design
One of the more persistent rumors around the iPhone 5 was related to a smaller dock connector design. Apple has now revealed that its new iPhone 5 will include a smaller version of the typical 30-pin dock connector — breaking compatibility with existing first- and third-party accessories. The new connector, dubbed Lightning, is 80 percent smaller than the old design with an 8-pin connector that is reversible for easier use. Apple has a solution to combat the accessory woes though, the company...
Design and size reduced significantly -
The iPhone 5's new iSight camera is 25 percent smaller, 40 percent faster, features new panorama mode
During Apple's big press event today, the company unveiled the iPhone 5 and its brand new 8-megapixel iSight camera. The iPhone 4S' camera was considered to be the best in class when it launched last year, and the new camera on the iPhone 5 is no different. Where the iPhone 4S camera featured a f/2.4 aperture, five-element lens and backside illuminated sensor, the camera on the iPhone 5 has a smaller, but similar camera. The new camera is 25 percent smaller than the iPhone 4S shooter, yet it...
Smaller, faster, better camera than the iPhone 4S -
Real Racing 3 demoed on iPhone 5
it's so real
it's so real -
The Apple A6: a smaller processor for the iPhone 5 with twice the performance
Apple's new iPhone 5 has some fresh muscle inside: The Apple A6. The new system-on-chip is 22 percent smaller than the A5, and Apple says it has twice the CPU power and twice the graphical power inside.
Mind you, that's apples-to-apples comparison with the iPhone 4S, and not necessarily the third-generation iPad's A5X. The latter chip had a dual-core CPU with quad-core graphics, and we were expecting either a shrunken A5X or a new quad-core CPU for Apple's new phone. With twice the...
Apple cores -
iPhone 5's LTE carriers include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and more
In the wake of the iPhone's support for LTE, carriers are immediately coming out of the woodwork to announce that their networks will be able to take advantage of it. In the US, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint will all offer it; in Canada, Bell, Rogers, Telus, Fido, Virgin Mobile, and Koodo are on board. In Europe, the UK (on the just-announced EE network) and Germany will have it through T-Mobile. In Asia, Apple has announced Japan's SoftBank and KDDI, Korea's SKT and KT, Hong Kong's SmarTone, and...
If anything will stress LTE deployments, this will -
iPhone 5 contains a 4-inch, 1136 x 640 resolution Retina display
Just as predicted, Apple's brand-new iPhone 5 comes with a 4-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and an 1136 x 640 resolution. That's good for 326 pixels per inch, exactly the same as the Retina display in the iPhone 4 and 4S. The OS now allows for a 5th row of icons, and Apple has updated all of its first-party software to let users take advantage of the bigger display. As for third-party apps, those will initially be displayed at their previous resolution with black bars on either side...
At long last, a bigger display -
iPhone 5 to come with LTE worldwide
Apple has confirmed 4G LTE on the iPhone 5, promising better performance across a swath of carriers. The company touted its LTE iPhone, which will support voice and data over the network using one radio chip and a "dynamic" antenna. The phone will also support HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. Altogether, three models for different carriers are planned: two GSM versions and one with CDMA. Apple isn't breaking hugely new ground with this announcement — LTE has been standard for the last year on many phones...
It just screams. -
Apple announces iPhone 5-optimized apps
At its big iPhone 5 reveal today, Apple announced that a number of apps will be optimized for the new handset's screen resolution and size. Apple has updated its core apps to take advantage of the iPhone 5's extra screen area, and as rumored, has added a fifth row of icons to the home screen. The email and calendar apps now show more events and information, and Apple says it has updated the Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand apps as well. Apple says the iPhone 5 will...
Fall in line, apps -
Apple announces 4-inch iPhone 5 with LTE, Lightning connector, September 21st release date
The new iPhone is finally official. Apple has named its sixth-generation smartphone the iPhone 5 and Phil Schiller has detailed its full set of features, specs, and release details. Measuring 7.6mm in thickness and 112 grams in weight, this is the thinnest and lightest iPhone that Apple has ever made, and is constructed "entirely" out of glass and aluminum. The new iPhone looks pretty much identical to all the leaks and mockups we've seen in the past few weeks — evidently Apple wasn't able to...
The sixth-generation iPhone has arrived -
Apple by the numbers: 7M copies of Mountain Lion sold, 27 percent US laptop marketshare, 700K iOS apps
Apple just kicked off its iPhone 5 event, and as it does at every new major product release, the company shared a wide variety of stats on how the iOS and Mac platforms are performing. For starters, CEO Tim Cook announced seven million copies of Mountain Lion have been sold since launch, up from three million in late July. He also noted that the new MacBook Pro with Retina display and the new MacBook Air helped Apple to the number one position in US laptop marketshare over the last three...
Unsurprisingly, Apple is full of good news -
Our live blog of Apple's iPhone 5 event starts today at 10AM PT, 1PM ET
Read the live blog right here!
We're once again at the tail end of an annual ritual, the iPhone rumor cycle, and we're just hours away from finding out what Apple has been working on for the past year. Will the iPhone 5 look exactly like the leaks, effectively an elongated 4 / 4S with a new mini dock connector? Will it support LTE on every US carrier? Are there any surprises in iOS 6 that Cupertino has been keeping under its hat? Will it even be called the iPhone 5 at all? Everything will be...
An annual ritual
