MacRumors

While the three major U.S. iPhone carriers AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint will be launching the iPhone 5 on Friday, September 21, it will not take long for availability to extend to other carriers. Cricket Communications and C Spire Wireless have both announced that they will begin offering the iPhone 5 one week later on Friday, September 28.

Both of the carriers were pioneers in the U.S. iPhone market, with C Spire being the first regional carrier to begin offering the iPhone last November while Cricket was the first U.S. prepaid carrier to launch the iPhone this past June. The iPhone is now available on 16 different U.S. carriers, but it is unclear when the iPhone 5 will come to the remaining carriers.

Neither Cricket nor C Spire has offered any launch details beyond the September 28 availability date.

Update 8:06 AM: Several of the other regional carriers have also confirmed that they will launch the iPhone 5 on September 28:

- Appalachian Wireless
- Bluegrass Cellular
- Cellcom
- GCI
- Golden State Cellular
- Nex-Tech Wireless
- nTelos
- Pioneer Wireless

Apple has posted a video of the iPhone 5 media event on its website. The video should be made available soon on Apple's YouTube channel, as well as its Apple Keynotes Podcast on the iTunes Store. [Podcast links: Keynotes, Keynotes in HD, Keynotes in 1080p HD]

Apple did not broadcast the keynote live, so the video is an opportunity for viewers to see the introduction of the iPhone 5, the new iPod Touch, the new iPod Nano, and the new iTunes.

Other iPhone 5 Special Event highlights:

- Apple Announces iPhone 5 with 4-Inch Display
- iPhone 5 Photos and Hands on Impressions
- Apple Announces 4-Inch iPod Touch, Multitouch iPod Nano
- Apple Announces September 19th Release Date for iOS 6
- Apple Announces Major iTunes Update Coming Next Month
- Apple Announces New Dock Connector Called 'Lightning'
- Apple Announces EarPods Earphones

- The iPhone 5 Should Again Deliver an Improved Antenna
- iPhone 5 Confirmed to Use New Nano-SIM Standard
- Apple Details iPhone 5 LTE Carrier Compatibility
- Apple Releases iOS 6 Golden Master to Developers
- Panorama Photo Mode Coming to iPhone 4S with iOS 6
- AT&T's Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan Customers Get 5GB on LTE Before Being Throttled
- Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller on NFC, Wireless Charging and the Lightning Connector

AllThingsD's Ina Fried caught up with Apple's Phil Schiller after the introduction of the iPhone 5 this afternoon. She asked him about a number of new technologies that did -- and didn't -- make it into the company's new flagship phone.

It’s not clear that NFC is the solution to any current problem, Schiller said. "Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today."

As for wireless charging, Schiller notes that the wireless charging systems still have to be plugged into the wall, so it’s not clear how much convenience they add. The widely-adopted USB cord, meanwhile, can charge in wall outlets, computers and even on airplanes, he said.

"Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated," Schiller said.

Fried also spoke to Schiller about the new Lightning connector. He noted that it wasn't possible to make devices any thinner with the existing 30-pin Dock Connector, though the company doesn't take changing the plug -- which had been around for 9 years -- lightly. "This is the new connector for many years to come," Schiller explained.

After the media event, Apple allowed the attendees to use the new iPhone 5 in a hands on area. Many of the early impressions seem to be focused on how light and thin the new iPhone feels. Despite the decrease in weight, the iPhone 5 appears to be sturdy due to its aluminum design.

Here are a roundup of some of the early impressions:

TechCrunch
- "Build quality is quite nice and the solid aluminum is quite unique and quite solid. Hopefully this will reduce some damage if it falls on a hard surface."

Telegraph.co.uk
- "The biggest change, literally, is the larger screen. Here, I'm thankful that Apple opted not to go wider. Samsung's Galaxy S3 is too big for my taste and I think Apple is right to say that the width of the iPhone is right for the average hand."

Slashgear
- "Gripping it, your thumb is able to navigate the full length of the display without stretching, just as promised, and while it’s undoubtedly a light handset it doesn’t feel delicate."

Engadget
- "Much like the speed increases between the iPhone 4 and 4S (and before that, the iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3GS), they won't take you by storm right away. But, use it for half an hour and you'll have a hard time going back to a slower chip. The transitions are smoother, switching between apps is a bit quicker and everything just generally feels incrementally faster."

Anandtech
- "The phone feels very thin and light (obviously), and the improvement in performance is very noticeable compared to the 4S."

They shot a nice video showing the speed of the device and features:

The iPhone 5's slight increased in height, combined with Apple's other design changes, should improve signal reception according to Spencer Webb, antenna expert and owner of AntennaSys. Webb wrote extensively about the AntennaGate issues with the original iPhone 4.

Because the iPhone 5 is taller, Webb explained to MacRumors, it has "increased antenna spacing and thus the antenna diversity will work better." Antenna diversity allows both the upper and lower antennas to send and receive signals -- a feat that the iPhone 4S was the first to accomplish. "The probability that one of the two antennas has a better signal is higher."

Ergonomically, the taller phone means the average hand won't be able to cover both antennas. It's harder to hold "wrong". Also, since LTE operates at a lower frequency, 700 MHz, the additional separation is even more valuable.

The aluminum body of the new iPhone 5 will also help the antenna performance, and the hand sensitivity issue will be further diminished. The key word is sensitivity. In other words, changes in performance due to changes in "how you hold it" will be diminished. The antenna will see less change in the "ground mass" of the device.

Webb also noted that LTE support could actually help with network congestion in some cases. "The higher speed may have more to do with relieving network congestion than the requirements in the apps -- it gets the traffic out of the way faster."

Many tasks that are normally performed on the iPhone -- Google searches, fetching email -- will still be performed on the LTE-equipped iPhone, but won't be using the carrier signal for as long. Additionally, LTE gets data users off of the traditional cellular network, so 3G data connections and voice calls may be more reliable.

Apple has seeded the Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 6 to developers today. The GM release represents the final version that will be shipped to customers. Apple will be releasing iOS 6 to customers as a free download on September 19th.

Apple has provided an extensive preview of what's new in iOS 6. This includes Maps with turn-by-turn directions, enhancements to Siri, a new Passbook app, Safari improvements and more.

iOS 6 will be available for the iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and 4th generation iPod Touch.

As expected, Apple announced the iPhone 5 at today's media event. The latest model of Apple's flagship iOS device features a glass and aluminum enclosure that's 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 and weighs in 20% lighter than these previous models at 112 grams. It has a 4-inch 1136 x 640 pixel (326 pixels per inch) Retina Display giving it the same width as the iPhone 4S but a taller form factor.

The display features in-cell technology that was previously rumored that allows the display to be even thinner since the touch sensors are integrated into the display itself instead of requiring a separate layer.

Also as expected, the new iPhone features LTE connectivity using a single chip for voice and data and a dynamic antenna that can switch connections as needed. LTE connectivity will be compatible with all of the major cellular networks in the US plus others in Europe and around the world. The iPhone 5 also gets improved Wi-Fi connectivity with dual-channel 802.11(n) capability.

The new iPhone will have an A6 processor that's twice as fast as the previous A5 processor, and is 22% smaller and more efficient. Regarding battery life, the iPhone 5 will offer 8 hours of 3G or LTE talk time or browsing or 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing or 225 hours of standby time.

The iPhone 5's rear-facing camera doesn't get a resolution bump, keeping an 8-megapixel sensor, though the sensor is thinner and the lens cover is sapphire crystal. The camera function gets a new dynamic low-light mode and faster photo capture. The front-facing Facetime camera will offer 720p HD video capture with the ability to take photos while recording video.

The iPhone 5 gets an additional microphone, bringing the total to three compared to the two present in the iPhone 4S. The microphones will be located on the bottom, front, and rear of the iPhone 5 to improve voice recognition and noise cancellation. Apple's new EarPods earphones are also included.

The iPhone 5 will come in white or black. The black version will have a black anodized aluminum back while the white version will have a raw aluminum back. The iPhone 5 will cost $199, $299, and $399 respectively for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models with a contract. The iPhone 4S will be reduced to $99 and the iPhone 4 will be free with a contract.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 will begin on Friday, September 14 and Apple will begin shipping the new device on September 21 in nine countries including the US and Canada. The iPhone 5 will become available in additional countries next month and in 100 countries by the end of the year.

As is typical for Apple product launch events, the company has posted a video giving a behind-the-scenes look at the development and manufacturing of the iPhone 5. Both Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield make appearances.

By making the screen taller but not wider, you can see more of your content but still comfortably use it with one hand. And yet, even with the larger display, iPhone 5 is the thinnest, lightest iPhone we've ever built.

Today, Apple updated its iPod touch line to a 5th generation model which incorporates the same larger 4" screen as the just announced iPhone 5. At only 6.1mm thin and 88 grams, the iPod touch is the lightest iPod touch they've created. The new iPod touch also contains the A5 processor.

Apple is promising 40 hours of music playback, and 8 hours of video, slightly increased over the 4th generation Touch. The back camera is much improved to a 5-megapixel, backside illuminated, f/2.4, 5-element lens, with the same sapphire crystal lens cover as the iPhone 5. The front camera is also upgraded to a 720p camera. The new iPod touch also supports the new Panaroma feature and also includes Siri.

Finally, there's hidden feature on the back of the new iPod Touch, called the Loop. It's designed to hook to a wrist-strap for added security.

The new iPod touch comes in five colors and will be available in October at $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB). The 4th Generation iPod Touch will remain at $199 (16GB). Preorders for the new iPod Touch begin September 14th.

Apple also announced a radically redesigned iPod nano. The new iPod nano has a 2.5" screen and multi-touch interface. The design shares a lot of cues from the iPhone with the inclusion of a front Home button. The iPod nano includes an FM tuner, widescreen video, pedometer, Bluetooth, and the new Lightning connector.

The new iPod nano comes in 7 colors and will be available in October for $149. Preorders for the new iPod Nano begin September 14th.

The iPod Shuffle was upgraded with new color choices, but the same $49 pricing and 2GB capacity.

At today's media event, Apple announced that iOS 6, which had announced in June at the company's WWDC keynote event, will be available on September 19th.

iOS 6 will offer several new features. Siri will be enhanced to provide movie information, sports scores, and the ability to post to Facebook and Twitter. The new Passbook app will hold tickets, passes, and payment cards for participating businesses. Safari will have a full-screen mode for better browsing and iCloud tabs to save your open tabs and offer immediate access to them on your other iOS devices and your computer.

Maps app will provide turn-by-turn directions and a new 3D flyover feature to show a more realistic view of buildings and land features. Facebook will be integrated into iOS 6, with the ability to post Photo Stream pictures straight to the social networking service  and status updates through Siri.

iOS 6 will be available as a free download for the 4S, 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and 4th generation iPod Touch. The iPhone 5 will ship with iOS 6.

Apple announced a new version of iTunes at today's media event featuring a "dramatically simpler" interface with an edge-to-edge design.

We created iTunes because we love music and we’re going back to our roots with an incredibly clean design that keeps your music at the forefront,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The new iTunes works seamlessly with iCloud, always keeping your entire library at your fingertips, and we’re adding great new features that make listening to your music more fun.

The updated media application will show albums in a grid interface with song listings unfolding below the album cover art when clicked. Searching is improved, showing inline results as you type and the MiniPlayer has been redesigned to show a miniature version of the album cover art and album and song information and playback controls.

The updated iTunes will also get iCloud integration to show all your media content saved in Apple's cloud storage service and save your position in movies or TV shows automatically so that you can pick up where you left off on another device.

The new version of iTunes will be available in late October.

Update: A new version of iTunes, version 10.7, has been released. It "adds support for iOS 6 running on compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models. This update also adds support for the latest iPod nano and iPod shuffle models."

As predicted, Apple today announced that it is replacing the familiar 30-pin dock connector for its mobile devices with a new smaller one. The new connector bears the name "Lightning".

The new cable is described as an all-digital, 8-signal design with an adaptive interface, and improved durability. Users can use it in either orientation (reversible) and it's 80% smaller than the old dock connector.

Making iPhone 5 thinner and lighter required a pivotal change: replacing the 30-pin connector with something newer, smaller, and better. Introducing the Lightning connector. It features an all-digital, eight-signal design that’s significantly more durable than the 30-pin connector. Another brilliant feature of Lightning: It’s reversible. Which means there’s no wrong way to plug in the cable.

Apple will be providing an adapter for existing accessories and companies like Bose, JBL, B&W, and B&O are already working on the new connector. Apple's adapters include a direct plug adapter priced at $29 and one incorporating a short cable for $39.