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How the iPhone 5 is made

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2012

The iPhone 5 is made with a level of precision you'd expect from a finely crafted watch, not a smartphone, says Apple's marketing collateral. It ain't just marketing talk. From these gorgeous shots to hands-on reports, everyone seems to agree that Apple has outdone itself with this year's iPhone in terms of shininess and smoothness.

In order to avoid being leapfrogged by competition (the Galaxy S III feels pretty solid in one's hand, doesn't it?), Apple really upped the ante on build quality, traditionally its area of expertise. The manufacturing precision and craftsmanship that go into mass-producing these new iPhones is enough to give any gadget maker a pause.

From the handset's lightly textured back to its highly polished chamfered edge with a nice sheen to it, Apple felt so confident in its manufacturing prowess that the company saw fit to brag about the unique production techniques it developed itself in order to build this phone...

Phil Schiller explains why the iPhone 5 doesn’t have NFC

Cody Lee ∙ September 12, 2012

This year, similar to years past, a lot of folks expected to see Apple add NFC to its new smartphone. And even after previous reports all but ruled out the tech, a last minute scoop made it a possibility again.

Alas, the iPhone 5 event came and went, with no mention of Near Field Communications. And the company has since confirmed that the handset does not contain the wireless payment tech. Here's why...

LTE tech forced Apple to produce three versions of the iPhone 5

Cody Lee ∙ September 12, 2012

Apple may have only announced two versions of the new iPhone 5, CDMA and GSM, but some sharp folks have pointed out that there are actually three different versions of the handset.

As it turns out, fragmented LTE technology has forced the company to manufacture not one, but two different versions of the GSM iPhone, in addition to the CDMA one. Here's why...

AT&T confirms iPhone 5 buyers can keep unlimited data

Cody Lee ∙ September 12, 2012

AT&T just pushed out a press release announcing that it will be carrying the iPhone 5. As Apple announced, customers will be able to pre-order it on September 14, or purchase it on the 21st.

But far more interesting is the fact that AT&T also mentioned in the press release that customers that still have unlimited data plans, will be able to keep using them with the new iPhone...

Poll: which iPhone 5 are you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2012

Isn't it funny how no one is bitching about the two-tone iPhone 5 design now? Prior to the announcement, you were pretty divided over the controversial design, with 53 percent upvoting the two-tone thing and the remaining 47 percent saying it looks hideous.

It's here now, it is two-tone and boy does it look great, thanks to Apple's production polish and some top-notch Photoshop work. If there's one thing we can all learn from this, it's not to take blurry shots of engineering samples and leaked shells for granted: the final production units always feel and look substantially smoother and sexier compared to the samples leaking out of Asia.

The two-tone design entails some interesting design solutions: the handset is no longer purely black or white. Instead, Jonny Ive and his team took advantage of two similar colors to subtly accent the phone's trim, not just the glass stripes on the back.

If you'll be getting yourself an iPhone 5, we'd love to hear which one it's gonna be: the white & silver combo or the black & slate one...

iTunes 10.7 is out, get downloading

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2012

Hot on the heels of today's presser that brought us the new iPhone 5, revamped iPod nano, improved and redesigned iPod touch, the new EarPods and other tidbits, Apple has also just released iTunes 10.7. This release represents a minor update to the jukebox software, designed to provide support for iOS 6 (when it goes live a week from today) running on iPods, iPads and iPhones. This isn't the completely re-written, buttery smooth iTunes 11 that Apple mentioned during the announcement - that one is officially due in October...

Feast your eyes on gorgeous iPhone 5 shots

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2012

Apple just wrapped up its media non-event (so much about doubling down on secrecy, Tim Cook!) that saw Cupertino unveil the long-awaited iPhone 5 with a taller four-inch display, the A6 chip, thinner cameras and a bunch of other technological advances, the new iPod lineup and a re-written iTunes.

The company's web site has been updated with new products and promotional videos and I thought I'd create a nice gallery of Apple's press shots that show off the iPhone 5 from all angles. Feast your eyes and feel free to comment on the design...

Watch the iPhone 5 presentation video

Cody Lee ∙ September 12, 2012

Apple's website is now back online with a number of updates regarding today's announcements, including the iPhone 5 presentation video that was played during this morning's event.

So, if you'd like to hear Apple's executive team go over the company's latest handset inch-by-inch, make sure to check it out. You can find it here, but we'll be embedding it here shortly.

Meet EarPods, Apple’s new in-ear headphones

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2012

It is no secret that Apple's in-ear headphones that ship with iPhones and iPods leave a lot to be desired. Sound quality is average, at best, bass is non-existent and highs sound a little too robotic. Of course, we knew Apple would be introducing a brand new headset today. What we haven't known is that the company spent three years designing the new headphones, dubbed EarPods. Yes, three years...

16GB iPhone 4S now just $99, 8GB iPhone 4 is free, 3GS is a goner

Cody Lee ∙ September 12, 2012

As we expected, Apple introduced some new price points for its current iPhone lineup alongside the new iPhone 5. As we just reported, Apple's new handset starts at the usual $199.

This has effectively pushed all of the previous iPhone models down a peg on Apple's list of smartphone models. The 3GS is gone, and the iPhone 4 is now available for free...

iPhone 5 pricing and availability

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Now that Apple's executive team has gone down the list of all of the iPhone 5's new features, it's time to get down to the important stuff. In wrapping up the iPhone presentation, Phil schiller announces pricing and availability.

For starters, the handset will come in the two usual flavors: white and black. And it will also come in the same three storage configurations: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB at the same $199, $299, and $399 respectively...