Apple reveals iPhone 5

Apple has announced the launch of its new iPhone 5 at a special event in San Francisco, confirming what many had expected due to a large volume of leaks over recent weeks.

The new phone is lighter and thinner than previous models, including the iPhone 4S, but has a larger screen.  The screen on the iPhone 5 is 4 inches tall and supports a 1136x640 resolution.

This allows a fifth row of icons to be displayed on the screen, compared to the four rows which appeared on previous models.

Apple's own apps including iWork and iCal have been updated to use this extra space, but other third party apps will display with black borders around their edges until they are updated by their developers.

These applications are set to benefit from faster internet connectivity, as the device supports LTE, better known as 4G services, with a theoretical maximum download speed of 100Mbps.

It will also offer improved WiFi services, with support for 802.11 a/b/g/n.  The 802.11n standard will operate at 2.4GHz, and dual channel at 5GHz, with a download rate of up to 150 Mbps.

"We've updated every aspect of iPhone 5. Everything has been enhanced, re-engineered, re-designed," said Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple.

The iPhone 5 features a new processor, which Apple has termed the 'Apple A6'. It is twice as fast as the A5 processor, which powers the iPhone 4S.

Battery performance has also been enhanced in the new phone, with eight hours of both 3G and LTE talk time and web browsing, 10 hours of Wi Fi browsing and video, 40 hours of music, and 225 hours of standby time, Apple claimed.

A full analysis of the iPhone 5, its business suitability and Apple's other announcements will follow in this site shortly.