Apple's big iPhone 5 reveal (pictures)

The company announces its thinner, lighter, and taller iPhone 5 with LTE. It also debuts a new iPod Touch and Nano. See how Apple's press event unfolded this morning through photos taken at the scene.

CNET News staff

Sept. 12, 2012 2:03 p.m. PT

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Tim Cook takes the stage

Apple kicked off its press event this morning in San Francisco by announcing its thinner, lighter, and taller iPhone 5 with 4G LTE. Also making debuts were a new iPod Touch and iPod Nano. Click on for photos of the event as it unfolded.

Here, Apple CEO Tim Cook greets the crowd by wishing everyone a good morning. "We've got some really cool stuff to show you," he says.

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Getting set up

Here's an early morning shot of the scene outside the Lam Research Theater at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where the action took place.

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Cameras arrive

Apple only allows video outside the venue.

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Crowds emerge

It starts to get busy outside the venue as the one-hour countdown kicks off.

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Crowd settles in

People are packed in like sardines.

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iPad mania

After greeting the crowd, Cook talks iPad, saying it's driving the post-PC revolution at a breathtaking pace. Some 84 million iPads have been sold through June, he says.

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iPads in corporate world

Cook notes that iPads are in 94 percent of Fortune 500 companies.

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App count

Cook says every app seems to have its fans. Ninety percent of apps are downloaded every month, he says. The average customer is using more than 100 apps.

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iPhone 5

Moving on to iPhone. The name of the new device is the iPhone 5, says Apple marketing exec Phil Schiller. The iPhone 5's features include a taller display, LTE, an A6 chip, camera improvements, a new dock connector, and iOS 6.

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iPhone 5, world's thinnest

Schiller says the iPhone 5 is the world's thinnest. It weighs 112 grams -- 20 percent lighter than 4S.

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Taller iPhone 5

Like the old model, the iPhone 5 features Retina Display with 326 pixels per inch. But the screen on the new iPhone offers a taller, 4-inch display.

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CNN app

Apple gave a few companies early access to the iPhone 5 so they could update their apps. One of those was CNN, Schiller says.

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A6 chip

iPhone 5's A6 chip gives it a huge jump in performance, but it's 22 percent smaller than the A5 chip, Schiller says.

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Rob Murray

Up next, Rob Murray, executive producer of EA studios, demos what the A6 can do.

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iSight

Schiller touts the iPhone 5's new "iSight" camera, highlighting its features.

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iSight photo

Schiller shows off some photos taken with the iPhone 5.

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Video features

Video has also been enhanced in the iPhone 5.

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New connector

Schiller says the iPod 30-pin connector, which launched in 2003, has served the company well for almost a decade. "A lot's changed and it's time for the connector" to evolve. The new one is called Lightning.

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iOS6 on iPhone

iOS 6 will run on the iPhone 5.

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Scott Forstall

Scott Forstall, SVP of iOS software, shows off iOS features on the iPhone 5, such as turn-by-turn directions.

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Siri updates

Forstall shows off Siri improvements, such as updating your Facebook status.

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iPhone 5 pricing

The iPhone 5 has the same pricing scheme as 4S: $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. The release date is September 21.

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Talking music

Cook retakes the stage to talk iTunes.

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Eddy Cue

Eddy Cue, Apple's iCloud and music chief, takes over.

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Cue introduces a new version of iTunes, with iCloud built in. The new interface has no source list on the left. Albums expand out like folders in iOS and OS X.

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New iTunes features

The gist of the new iTunes, available in October: simplified UI, iCloud integration, and a new mini player.

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New Nano

Apple's Greg Joswiak takes the stage to talk about iPods. First up is a new Nano, which returns to the big-screen form.

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Nano features

The new Nano is 5.4mm thick, 40 percent thinner than the 6th-gen iPod Nano. And it has the new Lightning connector.

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Nano colors

Nano comes in an array of bright colors. It also features an FM-tuner built-in with live pause.

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New iPod Touch

Like the iPhone 5, the new iPod Touch is longer and thinner. And it's taken the A5 chip from the iPhone 4S. Joswiak says it's seven times faster than the previous model when it comes to graphics.

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Specs for the new iPod Touch. Battery-wise, it gets 40 hours of music and 8 hours of video.

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iPod Touch loop

The new iPod Touch sports a hidden button for a new feature called the "iPod Touch loop," which lets you attach a wrist strap to it.

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iPod Touch in colors

The iPod Touch now comes in colors and features Siri.

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EarPods

Three years in the making, Apple introduces new EarPods, which come with the new iPod Touch, Nano, and new iPhone 5.

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iPod lineup

The full array of iPods.

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Product Red

Apple has contributed more than $50 million to Product Red with these models, Joswiak says. Product Red is a global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

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iPod family

Colorful display of the iPod family.

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Cook back up

"Whenever we have a music event, we like to remind ourselves and our customers of why we do what we do, and there's no better way to do that then to have one of our favorite musical artists to perform," Cook says.

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Foo Fighters

Concert time: Foo Fighters take the stage.

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David Grohl

"One of the great things about being here is beging able to meet all the people, the great people that are shaping our future," lead singer David Grohl says. "And just like when you get to meet someone like Little Richard, or Tom Petty, or Jimmy Page, you realize these are just people who took it upon themselves to do something different and change our world. ... they're just flesh and bone, they're just people, and it's totally inspiring."

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Apple's big iPhone 5 reveal (pictures)

Tim Cook takes the stage

Getting set up

Cameras arrive

Crowds emerge

Crowd settles in

iPad mania

iPads in corporate world

App count

iPhone 5

iPhone 5, world's thinnest

Taller iPhone 5

CNN app

A6 chip

Rob Murray

iSight

iSight photo

Video features

New connector

iOS6 on iPhone

Scott Forstall

Siri updates

iPhone 5 pricing

Talking music

Eddy Cue

New iTunes features

New Nano

Nano features

Nano colors

New iPod Touch

iPod Touch loop

iPod Touch in colors

EarPods

iPod lineup

Product Red

iPod family

Cook back up

Foo Fighters

David Grohl

Discuss: Apple's big iPhone 5 reveal (pictures)

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