One of the most anticipated technology products in recent years was finally launched last week. Apple’s iPhone 5 is the latest version of the popular smartphone but for the time being there is no word on its availability in Malta.

The iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a new 4-inch Retina display, a faster Apple-designed A6 chip and the new iOS 6 operating system which will also be available for download to older iPhone models as from next month. It has an 8-megapixel camera, LTE and fast mobile broadband connectivity, Facetime video communication over the mobile network, and a new, smaller connector named ‘Lightning’.

iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK tomorrow. It will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 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.

The first reactions to the iPhone 5 were mixed given the hype that surrounded it in the last few months. Many see it as an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary step, offering no new ground-breaking technology. However Apple said it was swamped by pre-orders.

Adrian Micallef, managing director at iCentre, Apple’s authorised service provider in Malta, told i-Tech that there is no official communication yet on the availability of iPhone 5 in Malta. However it should be expected before the end of the year.

A spokesman for Vodafone Malta, which is the only Apple authorised reseller for iPhone in Malta, said the company “welcomes the arrival of the new iPhone and Vodafone Malta plans to offer the new device to our customers. Availability of the device will be announced in due course.”

Vodafone is offering the opportunity to customers to register their interest in the iPhone 5.

GO is doing likewise.

The latest iPhone model is also expected to be also available unofficially from other mobile providers and retail outlets in Malta just like with previous models.

Only once was the iPhone immediately available in Malta at launch. This happened in 2008 when the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs himself mentioned Malta by name in his keynote speech at the launch of the iPhone 3G. However, in subsequent launches, both the iPhone and the iPad tablet were officially launched in Malta a few weeks after they were made available in other countries.

Once available in Malta, not all the iPhone 5 features will be immediately accessible. According to the Apple website, Maltese iPhone users will have access to Apple’s new maps that replace Google Maps on iOS6.

The maps available in Malta include standard, satellite, directions, turn-by-turn navigation but no 3-D buildings or local search.

Siri, the voice activated search facility, will also be limited in Malta. Siri sports, Facebook and Twitter integration, local search, restaurant information, movie information and other Siri-enabled searches are not yet available locally, and in fact they are limited to very few countries. Also iTunes TV shows is also unavailable to Maltese users.

Apple will don the iPhone 5 with new earpods and the final version of iOS6. The latter has over 200 new user features. Apart from the Apple-design maps, there is also direct Facebook integration, new Siri features and Passbook, for mobile commerce.

Apple said it will have a Lightning-to-30-pin adapter to connect iPhone 5 to legacy 30-pin accessories.

At the launch Apple also announced a new line-up of the popular iPod music player. The new iPod Touch is almost identical to an iPhone 5 but without the 3g/LTE mobile communication facilities.

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