After Tim Cook’s usual talk about how Apple is doing, Phil Schiller took the stage to introduce the next generation iPhone. And as expected it’s called iPhone 5 and it looks just like the many leaked images we’ve seen the last couple of weeks. It’s 7.6 mm thick. That’s a thickness reduction of 18%. It’s also 20% lighter at just 112 grams. The iPhone 5 has a 4 inch retina display. This is the thinnest and lightest iPhone yet.

Much more after the break.

The screen only gets longer, so your hand will still easily fit around the phone. Because of the larger screen a fifth row of icons can be added. All software is enhanced to support the 4″ display. And ofcourse all 3.5 inch sized apps still fit, they are placed in the center of the screen, with black borders of both sides. The screen is also thinner due to integrated touch. They basically removed a layer.

There’s room for ultrafast wireless with support for HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and LTE. All on a single chip and radio with dynamic antenna. LTE will now be supported by many carriers around the world, including T-Mobile in Europe. The iPhone 5 is the first iOS device to receive the A6 processor. It’s twice as fast, 22% smaller and much more powerful graphics-wise. The battery lasts 8 hours on 3G talk, 3G browsing and LTE browsing, 10 hours on Wi-Fi browsing and video, 40 hours on music and 225 hours standby.

Unfortunately the camera didn’t get more megapixels. It’s still an 8 megapixel camera, but 25% smaller, with support for next generation ISP. The camera has better low-light performance and captures photos much faster. The new feature is panorama mode. With this new option you can make giant 24 megapixel photos. And when you’re shooting a new video, you will also be able to take photos. Plus the FaceTime camera comes in HD.

A few more tidbits: there are three microphones, bottom, front and back. Speakers are 20% smaller with wideband audio. There’s a new all digital 8-signal design connector, called Lightning. It has improved durability, it’s reversible and 80% smaller. The iPhone 5 comes in black and white, with 16GB ($199), 32GB ($299), 64GB ($399) options. Preorders start on September 14th, with a September 21st launch.

iOS 6

Scott Forstall demoed iOS 6, but didn’t show things we didn’t already know. The next generation of iOS comes with a new Maps with 3D cities. Users will also be able to tap to tweet and post to Facebook via Notification Center. Safari will be in fullscreen and has iCloud tabs. In Mail you can set VIP’s and it’s easier to flag messages. Passbook works with movie tickets, boarding passes, cards from Starbucks etc. And it all works from the lockscreen. With Photo sharing you can share a photo or an entire folder with your friends. They will get a push notification and can comment and like the photo (you too ofcourse). Siri can now display sport scores, show information about movies, find restaurants and post on facebook. iOS 6 launches on September 19th on iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, 5, iPad 2, new iPad, and fifth generation iPod touch. 

More information at Apple.com