Today, Apple made official the eagerly-awaited latest version of the world’s most popular smartphone, the iPhone 5. Apple has historically been a trendsetter when it comes to building smartphones, using cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-line materials, but over the past few months, the competition — Samsung, Motorola, Nokia and HTC — have started catching up.

So, spec-by-spec, how does the iPhone 5 stack up? We have compared the specs of the iPhone 5 with the iPhone 4S, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 920, Motorola DROID RAZR HD, Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD, Motorola DROID RAZR M, Samsung Galaxy SIII and the HTC One X. To see how the iPhone 5 fares, check out the comprehensive table below.

Apple’s iPhone 5 keynote just ended with a performance from The Foo Fighters, and now Apple.com has been updated with official images and details surrounding the iPhone 5 itself. The promotional video Apple showed during the event has also been made available for everyone to see.

The marquee features of the iPhone 5 include the new design, 4-inch Retina display, “ultrafast” LTE networking, and A6 processor. There’s plenty of information from Apple on its website now, so take some time to read through the new features of the iPhone 5.

The Apple Store is still down, so stay tuned for more updates throughout the day.

Source: Apple.com

After announcing the new iPod nano, shuffle, and touch, Apple revealed that its newest iPods will be available for purchase come October. The new iPod touch starts at $299 for 32GB and there’s a 64Gb option for $399. Curiously, the fourth-gen iPod touch will remain at its $199 price point for the 16GB model.

The new 16GB iPod nano will cost $150 come October, while the shuffle will sell for $50 with 2GB of storage. Apple’s new EarPods will ship with all new iPods.

Image: The Verge

Apple’s replacing their stock earbuds — those horrific, cochlea-massacring, mass-produced pieces of crap — with new horrific, cochlea-massacring, mass-produced pieces of crap. Meet the EarPods.

They probably suck, given Apple’s track record, but apparently, they’ve been three years on design.

According to Jony Ive, “Making earphones that fit for everyone would be like making shoes that are the same size that fit everyone’s feet. But that’s what we’ve tried to do.”

“EarPods are designed to direct sound into the ear.” O RLY.

“I think music lovers will love these. We’re going to start shipping these as a standalone accessory. Available today,” says Apple.

I’d hold of on some reviews, if I were you. Given how terrible Apple’s earbuds have been for a decade, I see no reason to stop.

Image: The Verge

It’s a lanyard. A fucking lanyard. Push a button on the iPod touch, and it pops out from where it’s hidden so you can secure a lanyard. And they are even color coordinated according to the color of your iPod touch. Is there anything Apple can’t revolutionize?

Image: GDGT

Like most of the iPhone 5, the new camera is a solid evolution rather than the big jump we saw in the earlier iPhones. It keeps the same ƒ2.4 lens aperture as the iPhone 4S and the same great 8MP sensor, but some tweaks to the lens, the new Lightning connector and the new A6 processor all make the iPhone 5 into the perfect new phone for photographers.

Today Apple unveiled the 5th generation iPod touch with Retina display. The new iPod touch is “almost as thin as the nano” at only 6.1mm. Like the iPhone 5, the newest touch features a 4-inch widescreen Retina display with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Unlike the iPhone 5, the 5th-gen iPod touch comes with the A5 processor, not the A6.

Apple just sent out the official press release for the iPhone 5, the thinnest, lightest iPhone ever with an all-new aluminum design, stunning 4-inch Retina Display, A6 chip and LTE Ultrafast Wireless.

You can read the press release below:

Every major iPhone announcement is accompanied with a new iPod touch announcement, and this year is no different. There’s a new iPod touch, a new iPod nano and a new iPod shuffle.

Apple’s starting with a new iPod nano, which they want to reinvent.

“First we want to give it a large display. Give it nice controls. Make it thin and light. And of course, the Lightning connector,” says Eddy Cue.

The new nano isn’t a watch anymore, it looks more like the previous generations: a longer, thinner touchscreen iPod. It’s 5.4mm and 38% thinner.

It has controls on the side, and an iPhone/iPod touch style home button. It also gets Bluetooth and an FM tuner, which are pretty awesome upgrades.

No price or availability yet.

Image: The Verge

Following the iPhone 5, Apple’s Eddy Cue announced the next version of iTunes. The new iTunes borrows heavily from the mobile iOS experience, and iCloud integration is pervasive through the new interface. Search and playlist creation has been improved, along with general interface elements throughout the app’s design. It all looks a lot like the Music app in iOS.

Artists are now able to share photos in users’ iTunes libraries alongside tracks, and there’s plenty of new ways of interacting with your music and the iTunes Store. There’s a sexy new mini-player that can sit on your desktop, which is a particularly nice addition.

The iTunes Store itself has been updated to look more like the iOS 6 interface, and iCloud can be used to download and keep content in sync between devices. Following the onstage demo, Eddy Cue announced that the new iTunes is coming in October.

Apple has announced the official pricing and availability details for the iPhone 5. Keeping in line with previous releases, the base 16GB model will be offered with a two-year carrier contract fro $199. The 32GB model will cost $299 and the 64GB will cost $399. Like always, the iPhone 5 will be available in black and white.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 start on Friday, September 14th. The iPhone 5 will ship on Friday, September 21st, according to Apple.

The iPhone 3GS has finally been discontinued, and the iPhone 4 has replaced it as Apple’s free phone with a two-year contract. The 16GB iPhone 4S now sells for $99.

Apple just announced when iOS 6 is coming out, and it’s sooner than the iPhone 5: it’ll show up on September 19th.

It will support the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch.

If September 19th’s launch day, the GM has to be coming out today. Stay tuned to Cult of Mac: when it’s here, we’ll let you know.

Image: The Verge

This seems new: Apple just announced that in iOS 6, you’ll be able to share photos through Photo Stream with friends, and when you share, you can comment on the photos, have your friends comment on photos and even like photos, with all changes pushed to you by notification. It looks like Facebook integration into Photo Stream, but Apple’s not calling it that. Is this Apple getting into the photography social networking game?

Also, Apple’s right. Alex Heath is a slob. Someone get that poor hobo a clean shirt.

Image: The Verge