Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) unveiled its latest iPhone 5 Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco. (See iPhone 5 Arrives With 4G LTE.)
Under new CEO Tim Cook, the Cupertino giant had been trying to "double down on secrecy" and not leak any details about the device ahead of time. A few details snuck out, however, as they tend to do in the mobile world. (See 5 iPhone 5 Features Carriers Should Care About .)
Here's a quick recap of what expected announcements Apple delivered on today and which features didn't make the cut in iPhone 5.
LTE is a go:
The iPhone 5 will include the biggest feature du jour, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE). It will support three different variants, one for European LTE band, one for AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s 4G network in the 700MHz and 1700MHz bands, and one for Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S)'s CDMA and LTE networks. Support for Sprint's LTE network was somewhat of a surprise, because the carrier only has a small network deployed to date. (See Sprint: LTE in 100 Cities in the 'Coming Months'.)
T-Mobile sits out:
T-Mobile USA remains the only Tier 1 U.S. wireless operator without an iPhone. Even regional carriers like C Spire and Ntelos Inc. (Nasdaq: NTLO) have beaten it to the punch on previous generations. The slight has led T-Mobile to encourage users to bring their unlocked iPhones over to its HSPA+ network; the operator even displays the iPhone 4S in its stores, despite not selling it. (See Tobacco Country Carrier Beats T-Mobile to iPhone and C Spire Beats T-Mobile to the iPhone 4S.)
Start the revolution?: Many expected Apple's device to be a revolutionary leap over past versions, which have so far been iterative. But, by in large, that wasn't the case. The iPhone 5 is slightly bigger than its predecessor, weighs less and has a bigger screen, but, otherwise, it's the same iPhone that Apple Fanboys know and love.
NFC is a no-go:
The iPhone 5 won't be replacing your wallet any time soon, as the new device lacked a Near-Field Communications (NFC) chip. Apple announced its Passbook mobile ticketing and loyalty app, submitted patents around NFC and recently acquired mobile payments security provider Autentec, but it looks like the contactless tech is stuck in the labs. (See Apple Could Make Mobile Payments AuthenTec.)
CPU gets revved up:
Along with the faster network, the iPhone 5 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics engine in the A6 that are twice as fast as its predecessor, the A5.
Battery life letdown: Apple didn't make a big deal about the iPhone 5's battery life like Motorola did on its new Droids. The iPhone 5 bests the battery life of the 4S, but not by much. Apple says it will run for eight hours of 3G talk time, 3G browsing and LTE browsing.
HD Voice, but no VoLTE: As expected, users won't be able to talk over 4G on the new iPhone, although they will have better quality for their calls. Wideband audio technology will make voice calls seem more natural, Apple's Phil Schiller said today, according to AllThingsD. Twenty carriers, including Orange SA and Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT), will support this at launch. (See Will iPhone 5 Have a 4G Voice?)
No iPad Mini:
The iPad Mini did not make its debut alongside its iPhone brethren. Instead, the "one more thing" late Apple CEO Steve Jobs made famous was a performance by the Foo Fighters. Apple's expected to hold another event in October to unveil the miniaturized iPad. (See iPad Mini: Wi-Fi Only & Camera-Free?)
— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile
