The Apple iPhone 5 is finally here, with the latest arrival boasting a 16:9, 4 inch screen, new port, thinner, lighter design and 4G LTE.Last year's iPhone 4S always felt like an incremental upgrade rather than a true step change, and although it sold wonderfully for Apple and brought some interesting additions, few would argue against the suggestion that it opened the door for competitors.
As a result, this year's launch was perhaps most important for Apple since the very first iPhone arrived back in 2007.
For anyone following the rumours over the past year, the iPhone 5 will not bring any major surprises, with many of the new features expected – including the new dimensions and the improved A6 chip.
The camera is smaller, hardier and enhanced by the more powerful chip, and the front facing camera is bumped up to a 720p version. WiFi is improved and the inclusion of 4G is a must have in the current phone world.
But it is the size, design and shape that will win the most admiring glances. The all glass and aluminium chassis can claim to be the thinnest smartphone at 7.6 mm 'thin'.
The 4 inch screen keeps the retina resolution despite the added length, which Apple has brought in to make the phone more movie-friendly.
The added real-estate is welcome, especially given the growth of its rivals, and apps will apparently be easy to move onto the new screen size for developers.
In the hand the iPhone 5 certainly feels comfortable. You can see why Apple decided to keep the width the same as it fits the hand nicely – just as its predecessors have.
The added length could have made the phone unwieldy, but the loss of thickness ensures that it maintains its balance and premium feel.
Those people who have got used to the iPhone 4 and 4S will certainly notice the difference that the design brings. It served to make the device more modern feeling, and the materials used keep that premium feel that Apple has put so much stock in.
Thinner, lighter and more screen were always on the cards, and the fans' desires are understandable.
The aluminium backplate feels lovely – just textured enough to feel very different from its predecessors and, to our taste, preferable to the glass.
The screen is bright and colourful, although it's difficult to truly appreciate the small upgrade that Apple has made in the bright lights of the show room.
The camera is also more difficult to test properly, but it certainly seemed faster to take a photo, something that can be a frustration on older iPhones.
From a software perspective, iOS 6 brings with it a wealth of new features that will certainly make a major difference to not only the way the iPhone 5 feels, but also its predecessors the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S when they get the updated software.
Maps, for instance, are significantly altered after Apple ended its longstanding agreement to use Google Maps and pushed forward with its own offering, in conjunction with sat nav giant TomTom.
The new maps certainly look the part, with some beautiful 3D renders and snazzy looking new vector graphics, although we would like to really take some time to tell you just how well the new offering performs in the wild.
The showcased flyover mode was great for the riverside of London, but at you would expect fell flat pretty quickly as you left the tourist districts and got to residential areas.
Early indications elsewhere are good, however, as the Apple designed tag is pushed to the fore. The tilt and rotate view functionality looks gorgeous and the turn-by-turn navigation is likely to attract plaudits with a simple and intuitive interface.
Siri has been given a major, and frankly much-needed, overhaul with the voice 'companion' functionality extended into new languages and new territories in an attempt to turn the iPhone 4S' overhyped and under-featured personal assistant up to a useful level.
It coped better with the noise of the press room than its predecessor – presumably due to the new microphone set up in the new device, and could answer the two or three stock questions we asked it.
Given the obsession with Facebook, the need for better integration was a key addition for Apple in its latest OS, and the iPhone 5 and its older brothers will benefit from a major overhaul of the way in which the social network links up with your handset.
The Facebook (and Twitter) functionality feels much more central to the experience this time around, and having the ability to post form the notifications screen feels like an obvious inclusion that works well.
