Apple has announced the iPhone 5, the thinnest and lightest iPhone yet. It's been completely redesigned to feature: a new 4-inch Retina display; an Apple-designed A6 chip; and "ultrafast" wireless technology" -- all while delivering even better battery life.

As expected, the iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, an upgrade of the mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: the all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography and turn-by-turn navigation; Facebook integration; Passbook organization; and even more Siri features and languages.

"iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created," says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We’ve packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning 4-inch Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it."

He says the iPhone 5 is the thinnest smartphone in the world, with an all-new 7.6 mm anodized aluminum body that's 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. It combines an anodized aluminum body with diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays.

The new 4-inch Retina display on the iPhone 5 delivers even more pixels than the iPhone 4S. By making the screen taller, not wider, iPhone 5 is just as easy to use with one hand so you can tap, type and scroll the same way you always have, while enjoying even more of your content including amazing apps optimized for the larger Retina display, widescreen HD video, a full five days of your Calendar and more of every web page, Schiller says.

The iPhone 5 supports wireless standards including LTE and DC-HSDPA. To support the latest LTE technology, Apple has pioneered a single-radio LTE solution that provides blazing fast speeds while fitting perfectly into the new remarkably thin design, says Schiller. The latest Apple smartphone features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for a wireless experience up to 150 Mbps.

Schiller says the 8-megapixel iSight camera is the most popular camera in the world and with the iPhone 5, it’s even better. The new camera is completely redesigned with "incredible" optical performance, yet amazingly it’s 25% smaller than the camera in iPhone 4S. The new iSight camera in iPhone 5 features a sapphire crystal lens cover that is thinner and more durable than standard glass with the ability to provide crystal clear images.

The new panorama feature lets you capture panorama images of up to 28 megapixels by simply moving the camera across a scene in onemotion. New video features include improved stabilization, video face detection for up to 10 faces and the ability to take still photos as you record. A new FaceTime HD front facing camera makes FaceTime calls clear and can also be used for self portraits and recording 720p HD video. The iPhone 5 also allows you to share photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.

The new Apple smartphone features a new Lightning connector that, according to Schiller, is smaller, smarter and more durable than the previous connector. It features an adaptive interface that uses only the signals that each accessory requires, and it’s reversible so you can instantly connect to your accessories. The Lightning-to-30-pin Adapter is also available to connect iPhone 5 to legacy 30-pin accessories.

The iPhone 5 also introduces new enhanced audio features including a new beam-forming, directional microphone system for higher quality sound, while background noise fades away with new noise canceling technology. It includes support for cellular wideband audio for crisper word clarity and more natural sounding speech.

Wideband audio will be supported by over 20 carriers worldwide at launch. The iPhone 5 comes with the new Apple EarPods.

The iPhone 5 comes in either white and silver or black and slate, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of US$199for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. It will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

The iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on Friday, Sept. 21, and customers can pre-order their iPhone 5 beginning Friday, Sept. 14.

The iPhone 4S will also be available for $99, and the iPhone 4 will be available for free with a two-year contract. The iOS 6 software will be available on Wednesday, Sept. 19, as a free software update.

The iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on Sept. 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.