iPhone 5
It is official! The iPhone 5 has been announced. It is made entirely of glass and aluminum. 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S, and 20% lighter. The Retina display screen is stunning at 326ppi, and is 4″ tall. All other iPhones have had a 3.5″ screen. The extra half inch allows for 5 rows of icons on the screen, instead of 4. All iWork and iLife apps have been updated.
The iPhone 5 will also be able to utilize the LTE network. The processor is an A6 processor. 2 times faster CPU and 2 times faster on the graphics. The battery life exceeds that of the iPhone 4S, with 8 hours of 3G talk time and browsing, and LTE browsing. 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, 225 hours of standby time.
The camera is 8 megapixels, 3264×2448, backside illuminated, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, and a fas f/2.4 aperture. The camera also has a Panorama feature. Tap and hold your phone vertical, and just sweep your scene. The software will tell you what pace to move the phone at.
The video has been improved as well. 1080P HD video, improved video stabilization, face deterction fro up to 10 faces, and you can take photos while you are recording video. The front camera is now FaceTime HD 720P HD camera with backside illimination, and faceTime over cellular.
The connector has changed, and it is being called “Lightening”. Now Apple has Tunnderbolt and Lightening ports. LOL! The Lightening port is 80% smaller than previous iPhones. You can purchase 30-pin-to-Lightening adapters, for all your accessories that have the 30-pin connectors.
The iPhone 5 will come in an all-black design with slate back. A white iPhone 5 is also available, with a bright silver aluminum finish.
iPhone Availability
Pre-orders start September 14th, and ships one week later in US, Canada, UK, France, Germanly, Australia, Japahn, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
$199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB, along with two-year contract. The entire line moves down. The iPhone 4 8GB is free; iPhone 4S 16GB is just $99.
IOS 6
Of course, with a new iPhone, comes a new and improved IOS. IOS6 is here and the features are as follows:
Maps
New map system with vector based maps, with 3D turn-by-turn directions. Flyover on the maps let you fly around the map and see stunning displays.
Mail has added a VIP feature, which lets you mark people as VIPs and all messages from them in the inbox are collected in one place. Flags are improved and easier. Tap a flag icon to flag, and you can access it via a Flagged mailbox.
Passbook
Collect all your movie tickets, airline boarding passes, coupons, store cards with balances, concert tickets, sporting event tickets. Shred the ticket when you are done with it. The boarding pass automatically appears on the lockscreen when you are near the security line at the airport.
Bits and Pieces
Shared Photo Streams. Create a photo stream and when you add photos to it, it shares them to your friends.
Siri now can answer sports questions, and she know more about movies than ever before. If you ask Siri to find a restaurant, she will give you a list of choices. Tap Make Reservation, and Siri will take you to the Open Table app.
You can launch apps by talking to your phone. Yes!
Facebook integration throughout the iPhone 5.
And, IOS 6 will be available on September 19th.
iTunes
With a new iPhone and IOS, Apple is also releasing a brand new version of iTunes. TheIOS version has a beautiful new design. It runs much faster, and integrates tightly with Facebook and Twitter. The Mac and PC versions of iTunes has been rebuilt as well. A new feature called “Up Next” lets you see what songs are coming up next. You can even rearrange them or double-click a song to hear it play.
iCloud is built right into iTunes. Start watching a movie on one device, and pick it up on another device right where you left off. The newly designed iTunes for Mac and Windows will be available in Late October.
iPod Nano
Apple has a fully refreshed iPod Nano! 2.5″ display, 40% thinner, multitouch device. Come in white, black, urple, green, blue, yellow, and red/pink. It has widescreen video as well. A pedometer is built-in so you can track walks and runs. It is also integrated with Nike+. It also has Bluetooth capabilities.
Available in October. $149 for 16 GB, in 7 colors.
iPod Touch
Not to be outdone by itself, Apple is releasing a new iPod Touch. Retina display, 4-inch screen, anodized aluminum construction. It has an A5 processor with dual-core. 1080P video recording, image stabilization, and face detection. Improved wireless and improved Bluetooth. Also, AirPlay Mirroring, and Siri!
The IPod touch, for the first time comes in several colors. Silver, Black, Blue, Yellow, and Red
Available in October. 32 GB is $299, and 64 GB is $399.
EarPod
For years, Apple has shipped uncomfortable headphones with it’s mobile devices. I used them once, and from that point on, they stayed in the box and I buy headphones from companies that really know how to make them.
Well, finally Apple has redesigned the headphone experience. They fit into your ear, but do not create a seal. They look much more comfortable. They will ship as a standalone product as of today, but will also be included with the new iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and the new iPhone 5.