At Apple's corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California CEO Tim Cook took to the stage to launch the company's new iPhone range - 'This is my first product launch since being made CEO. I'm sure you didn't know that,' he joked.
It was Cook's first launch since he took over as CEO from Apple founder Steve Jobs - and seen as a significant test of his leadership.The new iPhone is iPhone 4S, not iPhone 5 - looking very similar to the current model, but voice-controlled and with other hi-tech features (full hands-on first impressions are below). The phone launches on October 14.
Apple's share price plunged 3 per cent after it was revealed that the new phone would be the 4S, not an all-new iPhone 5.
It is a significant upgrade from the old phone, though, even if the casing and the Retina screen remain the same.
The new handset will have a dual core A5 processor like the one in iPad 2, and an eight-megapixel camera - all of which puts it back in competition with rivals such as Samsung.
The new camera will also shoot in full 1080p HD.
The most talked-about feature, though, was the phone's new 'artificially intelligent' assistant.The feature, called Siri, will allow you to 'talk' to your iPhone like you talk to other people - for instance, you can ask the phone 'What is the forecast today?' while holding down the Home button, and it will bring up a weather forecast.
You can also simply say, 'Wake me up tomorrow at 8am,' and the device will set an alarm for you. You can even dictate your messages to the phone. The idea is that you will speak to Siri as if to a human being (see fact box, below). At launch, Siri will work in English, German and French.
But the IPhone 4S looks similar to its predecessor and has few added functions.
A new music sharing service, iCloud, will allow users to 'share' music between all their Apple devices, free - any music purchased from Apple Store will always be available, anywhere.
To use the new iTunes Match service, which also lets users share music they have bought elsewhere, will be a subscription-based service costing $24.99 in the US.
No launch date is confirmed for this service anywhere else in the world.
The battery life has been improved - offering a reported 8 hours talk time.Tech insiders, however, seemed disappointed. There was no redesign, no 4G version, nothing to put Apple as far ahead of its competitors as iPhone 4 was.
Apps such as iMessage - a messaging system that also lets you send picture and video - were confirmed for the new iOS 5 version of Apple's iPhone software, as well as Notifications - an app which pulls system messages such as emails and texts into one message centre.
A new version of Apple's iOS operating system, iOS 5, will release on October 12, Cook recapped some of the features of the new operating system.Notifications brings iPhone into line with Android phones, which have offered a similar 'notification' service for some time.
Likewise, iMessage will enable iOS to compete with BlackBerry's BBM.New 'location aware' reminders will remind you of tasks when you're near the place you have to do them.
Twitter users will also be able to 'Tweet' pictures direct from their photo album on iPhone, and take pictures with one tap from the home screen.None of these features were new, however.
It was Cook's first launch since he took over as CEO from Apple founder Steve Jobs - and seen as a significant test of his leadership.The new iPhone is iPhone 4S, not iPhone 5 - looking very similar to the current model, but voice-controlled and with other hi-tech features (full hands-on first impressions are below). The phone launches on October 14.Apple's share price plunged 3 per cent after it was revealed that the new phone would be the 4S, not an all-new iPhone 5.
It is a significant upgrade from the old phone, though, even if the casing and the Retina screen remain the same.
The new handset will have a dual core A5 processor like the one in iPad 2, and an eight-megapixel camera - all of which puts it back in competition with rivals such as Samsung.
The new camera will also shoot in full 1080p HD.
The most talked-about feature, though, was the phone's new 'artificially intelligent' assistant.The feature, called Siri, will allow you to 'talk' to your iPhone like you talk to other people - for instance, you can ask the phone 'What is the forecast today?' while holding down the Home button, and it will bring up a weather forecast.
You can also simply say, 'Wake me up tomorrow at 8am,' and the device will set an alarm for you. You can even dictate your messages to the phone. The idea is that you will speak to Siri as if to a human being (see fact box, below). At launch, Siri will work in English, German and French.
A new music sharing service, iCloud, will allow users to 'share' music between all their Apple devices, free - any music purchased from Apple Store will always be available, anywhere.
To use the new iTunes Match service, which also lets users share music they have bought elsewhere, will be a subscription-based service costing $24.99 in the US.
No launch date is confirmed for this service anywhere else in the world.
The battery life has been improved - offering a reported 8 hours talk time.Tech insiders, however, seemed disappointed. There was no redesign, no 4G version, nothing to put Apple as far ahead of its competitors as iPhone 4 was.
Apps such as iMessage - a messaging system that also lets you send picture and video - were confirmed for the new iOS 5 version of Apple's iPhone software, as well as Notifications - an app which pulls system messages such as emails and texts into one message centre.
Likewise, iMessage will enable iOS to compete with BlackBerry's BBM.New 'location aware' reminders will remind you of tasks when you're near the place you have to do them.
Twitter users will also be able to 'Tweet' pictures direct from their photo album on iPhone, and take pictures with one tap from the home screen.None of these features were new, however.
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