iPhone 5 Announced September 12, 2012

It has finally been announced today that Apple will release their next iPhone, the iPhone 5.  Bringing with it all the capabilities of the previous iPhone models, it will have a slew of new features which will be exclusive to the new handheld.  The big announcement is that this device will support the LTE network, which is in many places superior in speed to home based networks.

The iPhone 5 will also make use of a larger 4″ retina screen.  This is the first time that the iPhone has come with a larger screen since it launched in 2007.  The screen is longer but not wider than previous devices.  This will not factor into its weight as the iPhone 5 is still lighter and slimmer than the iPhone 4s.  Its central processor is the A6 chip, an improvement over the 4s A5 chip.  It will also feature an improved FaceTime front camera, which will be able to take 720p video.

The iPhone 5 will also make use of a new charging port, called the lightning port.  This will likely break native compatibility with a lot of chargers and music devices that make use of the 30-pin port other iPods, iPhones and iPads have made use of for years now, or they’ll just simply have to get an adapter.

Three models will release, one with 16GB of storage, one with 32GB of storage and one with 64GB of storage.  Price will range from $199US-$399 US when bought with a wireless contract.  Verizon, Sprint and AT&T will all carry the device at launch.

The iPhone 5 launches September 21st, 2012 at 8am.  Preorders will start being taken September 14th on Apple’s iPhone site.

UPDATE:  iOS 6 will be released for users who already have compatible iPhones, iPads or iPod touch devices on September 19th.  iTunes 10.7 will support iOS6 devices.