Apple has capped a summer of speculation with the launch of two new iPhones - an iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5.
But with most of the pre-launch rumours proving to be true, the two main surprises were the inclusion of a 64-bit microprocessor in the form of the new Apple A7 microprocessor for the new iPhone 5S, as well as the news that iOS 7, Apple's new mobile operating system, has been re-engineered to take advantage of the new microprocessor.
Indeed, while previous Apple launches have often thrown in genuine product surprises, this time there were few: with no iWatch, no new Macs, no new iPads and no Apple television launched alongside Apple's new smartphones.
Furthermore, the iPhone 5 is already being retired, despite only being launch last autumn - although the long-in-the-tooth iPhone 4S lives on - and the 'C' in the iPhone 5C does not stand for cheap, as expected.
The most exciting feature of the freshly unveiled iPhone 5S is that it will sport a 64-bit ARM-based microprocessor, the first mass-market smartphone to do so, and will have a fingerprint recognition "Touch ID" built into the home button.
The 64-bit microprocessor comes in the form of the new Apple A7 chip. This, said Apple head of marketing Phil Schiller, is "the first-ever in a phone of any kind... The PC world took years to go from 32 bit to 64 bit. We're going to do it in one day, with hardware, and all-new applications."
Alongside it on the same system-on-a-chip is an M7 graphics co-processor, while the new iOS 7 operating system has been re-engineered for the new 64-bit microprocessor, with all the built-in apps being re-engineered around it, and backwards compatibility for 32-bit iOS apps. "This is seamless for customers," said Schiller.
The Touch ID scans esub-epidermal skin layers, claims Apple, and is intended to be used to both unlock the device, as well as to authenticate purchases. However, the data behind the finger-print recognition, Apple CEO Tim Cook asserted, will not be stored in the cloud - a move intended to provide reassurance after a summer of revelations over government web spying.
Apple claims that the phone will offer 10 hours of 3G talk, 10 hours of browsing on fast 4G networks or Wi-Fi and 250 hours of standby time. Its eight-mega-pixel camera, meanwhile, will offer a 10-frames a second "burst mode" for taking pictures and a dual-LED flash offering "True Tone Flash", adjusting for ambient light.
At the heart of the camera technology is a new f2.2 image sensor, while the new iOS 7 operating system offers new features such as auto-white balance and dynamic tone mapping (to better capture highlights and shadows), and is capable of taking multiple photos with one-click and automatically picking the best of them to save.
For video recording, the camera is capable of 30 frames per second and 1080p high-definition recording. It has improved video stabilisation, face detection and also enables users to take a photo while recording.
The camera and video features are required to make the iPhone more competitive with Nokia's high-end Lumia phones, which offer 41-mega-pixel images enabling highly detailed pictures to be taken.
The screen will have a fingerprint-resistant "oleophobic coating" on the front
The 'C' in iPhone 5C, meanwhile, does not stand for cheap, but colourful. Its main differentiating feature is a choice of colours, but its pricing will put it above the retained iPhone 4S in the pecking order. Its casing, though, will be plastic and swappable.
It will have a four-inch "retina" display, an eight-megapixel camera and sport an Apple A6 microprocessor. It will also come in more colours: green, yellow, blue, white and pink.
Prices, though, for the iPhone 5S are steep: £549 for the 16 gigabyte (GB) model, £629 for the 32GB model and £709 for the 64GB model. It will be in stores from 20 September - not just the US, UK and the usual territories, but also China, and will come in a choice of black, silver or gold (or "champagne", to put it in the Apple design vernacular).
The iPhone 5C, in contrast, will weigh in at prices of £469 for the 16GB model and £549 for the 32GB model.
In addition to the high prices, other disappointments include a lack of extra battery life in the iPhone 5S and the lack of a genuine entry-level model to compete against the plethora of low-cost Android phones that are taking ever-larger chunks of smartphone market share - especially in emerging markets.
According to analysts, Apple has its eye primarily on the US mobile market where the oligopoly of operators price contracts high and tend to sell smartphones that might otherwise retail at $200-$400 on the open market at the same price.
Hence, if Apple were to offer a budget smartphone, US operators would not sell it for much less than existing iPhones - even though the lack of budget phone is causing Apple to lose market share to Android across the world.
