The fifth generation of Apple’s immensely popular iPhone mobile smartphone debuted in September 2012, supplanting the iPhone 4S as the company’s latest, greatest smartphone device. While the iPhone 5 offers numerous “under-the-hood” enhancements, the most noticeable change over previous-generation iPhones is the iPhone 5’s larger size (4″ display vs. 3.5″ in previous models), coupled with a thinner and lighter profile.
The iPhone 5’s 4-inch Retina Display delivers a 1136×640 resolution, and other new additions include a faster A6 processor chip, improved wireless technology (including 4G LTE support), completely redesigned EarPod earbuds, an 8MP iSight camera (with a new Panorama mode) and support for the new iOS 6 operating system.
iOS 6 offers a number of enhancements of its own, including a completely redesigned Maps app that’s no longer based on Google Maps and that now features turn-by-turn navigation, Passbook (a location-aware digital wallet app for storing things like tickets, gift cards, boarding passes, etc.), improved iCloud integration, the ability to use FaceTime on cellular connections, more sophisticated Siri capabilities, Facebook integration, AirPlay for wireless streaming of iPhone 5 content to an HDTV via Apple TV, Do Not Disturb call management tools and more.
