At a press conference this morning in San Francisco, Apple introduced the iPhone 5.

The latest version of the best-selling smartphone has been highly anticipated ever since the somewhat disappointing release of the previous iteration, the iPhone 4s.

The iPhone 5 will be the thinnest smartphone on the market. Made entirely of glass and aluminum, the phone was also designed by Apple to fit right into your hand, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who led the product demonstration.

Other features include:

  • a new, larger 4-inch display
  • all software has been updated
  • screen is bigger—taller but not wider (it now has five rows of apps per page)
  • all apps updated to fit the screen; they'll be centered until resized by the developer
  • faster wireless
  • the touch has been integrated with display with ... drumroll, please ... LTE
  • better speakers and microphones
  • 1080p HD video
  • the 8-megapixel camera now has a panorama feature built in
  • wide-band audio makes voices sound much more natural
  • a new A6 chip
  • longer battery life
  • a new connector and dock
  • a new, native maps app; i.e., no more Google Maps
  • new mail features include VIPs
  • passbook, which allows you to put passes, tickets and coupons on one app, with push notifications—basically, it's a digital wallet
  • photo streaming updates to share photos directly with friends
  • Siri updates: sports scores, movie recommendations, direct posting to Facebook, coordination with Open Table, less delay
  • comes in white (an  aluminum finish called silver) or black (aluminum finish called slate)

The iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order from Apple this Friday, September 14, and ships on September 21. Pricing is $199 for 16 GB, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for 64 GB (all on contract).

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