Apple's iPhone 5: A 'cornucopia' for app developers, says expert
Apple marketing guru Phil Schiller followed CEO Tim Cook on stage in San Francisco for the official introduction of the iPhone 5 yesterday , calling it the "most beautiful device we've ever made."
Phil Schiller shows off the iPhone 5
It is taller - 4 inches instead of the previous 3.5 inches - which allows Apple to add a fifth row of icons to the home screen. It is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S at 112 grams. It will connect with 4G, or LTE, cellular networks as well as HSPA+ and dual-band Wi-Fi-n.
The phone has an A6 chip, doubling the speed of the CPU and graphics. Rob Murray of Redwood City gaming company Electronic Arts took the stage to show off a racing game on the phone .
IDC analyst Al Hilwa said that "the actual level of engineering and design that has gone into it is quite amazing. The power of the chip and the new graphics capabilities alone will prove a cornucopia for app developers in the ecosystem."
The iPhone 5 will have a battery life of 8 hours for 3G talk or 4G Web browsing, less than new smartphones, such as Motorola's Razr line. The iPhone's new camera is 25 percent smaller, works better in low light and can produce large, panoramic photos. The new iPhone will also have a new connector- a smaller, more durable connection called "Lightning."
The iPhone 5 will have a Apple's new mapping app, replacing Google Maps. The audience also saw new capabilities for Siri, the voice-activation system Apple introduced for the iPhone 4S . Siri will now be able to help users post to Facebook, access sports scores and "delve deeper" into apps to perform functions such a booking restaurant reservations and buying movie tickets.