Apple will start taking orders for the phone Friday and begin shipments Sept. 21 in the U.S., Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, and said it would be available in 100 countries by the end of the year. Pricing for U.S. customers will start at $199.
Apple Inc. (IW 500/9) on Wednesday introduced its new iPhone 5, a lighter, thinner and more powerful version of its iconic mobile device.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook called the launch "the biggest thing to happen to iPhone since the iPhone."
At a packed launch event in San Francisco, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said of the new iPhone: "It is an absolute jewel. The software and engineering that went into this product is the most challenging our team has ever taken on."
Apple will start taking orders for the phone Friday and begin shipments Sept. 21 in the U.S., Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, and saying it would be available in 100 countries by the end of the year. Pricing for U.S. customers will start at $199.
The introduction has been among the most keenly anticipated in the tech world, with rumors and leaks over several months about the new device from the biggest company in the sector.
Thinnest Ever Made
"It is the thinnest iPhone we have ever made, it's the world's thinnest smartphone and weighs just 112 grams," just under four ounces, Schiller said.
"It is 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S."
Schiller said the new, taller iPhone, made of glass and aluminum, features a new design to nestle in one's palm to naturally align with thumbs and works on the faster mobile Internet networks known as LTE.
"When you carry your phone it should fit beautifully in your hand, that is just how we designed iPhone 5," he said.
"Everything you do looks gorgeous on this beautiful widescreen display," he said, describing the so-called Retina high-definition four-inch (10 centimeter) display used on other Apple devices.
