Apple Launches The 4 Inch iPhone 5 – Review, Price and Specifications

Apple finally launched iPhone 5, 2012’s most awaited gadget, at a highly anticipated event in San Francisco. The iPhone 5 is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. It is the thinnest smartphone in the world with a casing made from glass and aluminium, according to Apple. iPhone 5 will run on Apple’s new operating software iOS 6. With a four-inch Retina Display screen, the iPhone 5 allows for five rows of apps — one more than previous versions of the device, which sported a 3.5-inch screen.

Apple iPhone 5 features a retina display and the screen will have a 1136 x 640 screen resolution, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Apple has also unveiled a brand new chipset for the iPhone 5: the quad-core Cortex A6 processor, which Schiller says is a full two times faster than the A5 chip in the iPhone 4S. There are also now three microphones in the mix: one on the front, one on the back, and another on the bottom. It sports an 8MP rear camera with panorama mode, backside illumination, hybrid IR filter, five element lens, and f/24 aperture.

It provides 8 hours of 3G talk time, as well as 8 hours of 3G and LTE web browsing to be precise. Apple iPhone 5 will cost the same as 4S – $199, $299 and $399 for 16, 32 and 64 GB versions respectively. These prices are applicable to the operator-locked handsets in the US market. It is strictly on-contract pricing through partners AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Apple did not give out the prices of unlocked variants.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 will commence on September 14 and it will hit the shelves in US and UK on September 21 followed by a rollout in 20 more countries, including Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, by October. It is expected to arrive in the Indian and Pakistani markets by November. In India and Pakistan iPhone 5 should be approximately priced around Rs 45,000 and 65,000.

The iPhone 5 is also the first Apple smartphone to have 4G-LTE network connectivity, which allows for speeds of up to 10 times faster than 3G, or about the same as the average home broadband connection. In the United States, the iPhone 5 will be compatible with the LTE networks supported by Verizon. During the event, Apple executives took to the stage to show off the latest statistics and figures. Here are the latest numbers you need to know:

• 12 countries with more than 380 Apple stores;
• 83 million visitors to Apple stores between April–June, more than 1 million people per day;
• Six generations of the smartphone have launched since the original iPhone debuted in 2007, despite the “iPhone 5″ name;
• 7 million downloads of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion downloaded since its launch July, the fastest selling OS X release so far;
• 17 million iPads sold between April–June, totalling 84 million iPads sold in total through June;
• 68 percent in worldwide tablet market share thanks to the iPad;
• 91 percent of all Web traffic from tablets come from the iPad;
• 94 percent of all Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPads;
• A6 processor is twice as fast as the A5 chip, also twice as fast for graphics.
• 250,000 apps for the iPad in the iTunes App Store;
• 100 apps is the per-person average for app owning;
• 400 million iOS devices sold to date through June;
• 63 countries where the iTunes Store is available;
• 453 million iTunes accounts with 1-Click purchasing set-up;
• 200 million customers using iTunes in the Cloud, downloading 15 billion songs;
• Seven generations of the iPod range in total after today;
• 350 million iPods sold to date, adding “millions every quarter;”
• 175,000 games and entertainment apps available for the iPod touch;
• 600 million sets of headphones for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod range.
• Only one Foo Fighters who performed at the iPhone launch.

iPhone 5 Specs and Price:

Height: 123.8 mm (4.87 inches)
Width: 58.6 mm (2.31 inches)
Depth: 7.6 mm (0.30 inches)
Weight: 112 grams (3.95 ounces)
Touchscreen: 4in
Pixel density: 326 per inch
Display: 1136×640 pixels
Services: 3G and superfast mobile 4G phone; music player; video player; internet browser; email.
Camera: Smaller, higher spec, faster shutter speed, panorama function
Siri: Upgraded to allow spoken recommendations for films or restaurants. Possible to update Facebook status by voice command
Built in Apps: FaceTime video calls; video editing; Safari internet browser; email; Google maps replaced with Apple alternative including spoken directions; no YouTube as standard.
Processor: A6 chip said to be twice as quick as A5.
Internal Memory: 16GB; 32GB; or 64GB
Other Memory: Purchases stored in Apple’s iCloud servers
Battery: Standby up to 225 hours; Internet use up to 8 hours on 3G/4G; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 40 hours.
Operating System: Apple iOS 6
8 pin ‘lightning’ connector: to power sources and docking stations on speakers, radios and other devices. New adaptor will allow connections to existing 30 pin docking stations.
Prices: 16GB – $199; 32GB – $299; 64GB – $399