To the surprise of roughly no-one, Apple has announced the iPhone 5, which will start shipping on 21 September.
Its a taller, 4G-ready model, 18 per cent thinner and 20 per cent lighter than the iPhone 4S, weighing just 112g.
NFC technology has not been integrated into the device, meaning contactless payments, at least with Apple, are still some way away.
Hundreds of new features were promised in iOS 6, including greater Facebook integration, automated iMessages and FaceTime over your mobile data network.
The iPhone 5 can be bought with either 16, 32 or 64GB of storage, with prices for a two-year contract in the US starting at $199, moving up to $399. The company will continue to ship the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4, but will start to phase out sales of the iPhone 3GS. 
At the announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised that the “iPhone 5 and iOS 6 are the biggest things to happen to the iPhone since the iPhone”.
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