Apple's iPhone 5 announcement: everything you need to know

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 networking, and that's what it is. People will love it, because people already love the iPhone. It might be boring, but Apple isn't going to take any risks with its biggest and fastest-growing business.

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 comprehensive buying guide which gives plan breakdowns by carrier along with alternative places to buy the phone itself.

Update: While early pre-orders showed a September 21st ship date, Apple's UK and US stores are now showing an available to ship date of two weeks.

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 we've come to expect from Apple. Together they make for a product that's not surprising — and therefore a little boring.

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.

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. Standard mapping functions have extremely broad support, and most of Siri's localization features function across North America, Australia, and Western Europe, but more advanced features such as restaurant reservations are only supported in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

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.

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 my desire to "make love to it" (his response: "we'll get you two a room"), I queried about the design language, and if the iPhone 5 was an evolution of the older phones, or something new. "The design language is an iteration," he told me, "but otherwise this is a completely new phone." He talked a bit about the engineering effort that went into the phone, and emphasized that the company had "started from scratch" on building this device.

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.

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 specification has yet to be revealed. On the back, Apple has dropped a new 5-megapixel camera with LED flash that supports 1080p video capture. Under the hood, Apple has swapped the A4 processor for the dual-core A5, which is less powerful than the new iPad's A5X and iPhone 5's A6 chips. What's most immediately recognizable, however, is the array of new colors it is is offered in, such as blue, pink, silver, and others. Check out our hands-on video and pictures below.

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 lists a second A1429 model with support for more GSM bands than the A1428 version. Based on the specs provided by Apple, the A1428 will be carried by AT&T and Canadian operators (with support for LTE on bands 4 and 17), while the A1429 will be available from Sprint and Verizon in the US and KDDI in Japan (with LTE on bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25). The GSM A1429 supports LTE on bands 1, 3, and 5 and will likely be offered in global markets such as the UK, Germany, Australia, Korea, and Japan.

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 as Apple claims — but this feels incredibly light against smartphones in general.

The iPhone 5 is still a sturdy and solid-feeling device, despite the weight loss. The back is primarily a slab of machined aluminum — as are the sides — but just as we saw in the leaks there are two strips of glass along the top and bottom of the device. These strips feel identical to the glass that drapes over the entire face of the device.

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.

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 processor into the new version. Apple has also made a significant battery improvements, allowing users to get up to 40 hours of use when listening to music. The rear-facing iSight camera has been upgraded to 5-megapixels with an LED flash, backside illumination, and more, while the front-facing FaceTime camera now shoots 720p video. Apple has also designed a hook into the chassis to support lanyards, including their own solution, which they call the Loop. For networking, Apple has included Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n, and support for AirPlay mirroring. Apple has also brought Siri to the iPod touch, the voice assistant software introduced with the iPhone 4S.

The iPod touch will ship with iOS 6 and come bundled with Apple's new EarPods. While the previous iteration was only available in white or black, the new iPod touch will come in variety of colors, including pink, yellow, blue, white, silver, black, and slate. The new iPod touch will be available this October in 32GB and 64GB variations for $299 and $399, respectively. Pre-orders will begin on September 14th. Apple will continue offering last year's model with 16GB for $199 and 32GB for $249.

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 addition from the touch-only operation on the previous nano. There's an FM tuner integrated, as well as Bluetooth, fitness features, and a pedometer. All are long-requested features, and make the nano more versatile than it's ever been.

The new nano looks like it's running iOS, but it's heavily skinned — there are a few icons on the screen, which to our eyes don't look particularly great. It also has a round icon in the home button, which is an odd departure from Apple's typical square aesthetic. It all adds up to something that almost looks like a knockoff of an iPod nano, but this is in fact Apple's new model.

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 speaker grille found in Apple's prior headphones in favor of two smaller ones that help "direct sound into the ear." The new design also provides increased protection against sweat and water, says Apple, a welcome change to anyone using them for workouts.

They'll come prepackaged with the just-announced iPhone 5, iPod touch, and iPod Nano. As you might expect, there's an inline remote for controlling volume and voice calls. EarPods are available as a standalone accessory beginning today for $29.

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 in line with the mobile versions. The app features a new edge-to-edge design with more visual cues for albums and a darker theme throughout. Albums can be clicked on and expanded in place to see details — not unlike how folders are handled in iOS or the Launchpad in OS X Mountain Lion — and it is now possible to add tracks to playlists while browsing your complete library in a new split screen mode. The redesign also features more modal boxes to avoid the confusion and jumping around that was required in earlier versions of the software. There is also a new version of the iTunes mini player that is cleaner and simpler than before and includes a search box.

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.

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 line-up altogether, however, is the iPhone 3GS. The venerable 3GS was originally introduced way back on June 8th of 2009, making it the iPhone to have spent the longest time in Apple's product line.

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 will undoubtedly sell tens of millions of units, could be just the catalyst that it needed to gain widespread acceptance.

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 existing head start over rivals such as O2 and Vodafone, which lack the capacity to launch 4G networks of their own until after a much-delayed spectrum auction, not expected to begin in earnest until 2013. While regulator Ofcom claimed that EE would not gain a significant market advantage when it approved the launch of the new network last month, competitors may now see things somewhat differently.

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 is introducing a special adapter to convert existing dock connectors to the smaller design.

A Lightning to 30-pin adapter with 0.2 meters of cable will set you back $39, while a simple Lightning to 30-pin adapter will be $29 — both will be available in October. Apple is also introducing a Lightning to USB cable for $19 that ships within three business days.

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 can snap pictures 40 percent faster. Apple also says that the five-element, f/2.4 lens now uses a sapphire crystal that is thinner and more durable than glass. Additionally, Apple leverages the new A6 processor in the iPhone 5 for better noise reduction and improved low-light performance.

Apple has also added a new panoramic stitch mode to the camera app, allowing users to shoot wide vistas of up to 28 megapixels in size. The iPhone 5's 1080p HD video capture has also been improved with better image stabilization, face detection for up to 10 faces, and the ability to snap images while shooting video.

Electronic Arts showed Firemonkeys' Real Racing 3 running on an iPhone 5 at today's Apple event, with a new kind of asynchronous multiplayer that's being added to Apple's GameCenter.

Real Racing 3 was announced earlier this summer for iOS.

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 performance across the board, it could be quad-core with quad-core graphics, or it could simply have a new design, like ARM's Cortex-A15 architecture. Apple's not really talking specs, but we did learn a few things.