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Apple's New iPhone 5 Is Thinner, Lighter Than Before

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Apple introduced its newest iPhone today, and it's thinner and larger than the last. The company also introduced a new line of iPods. NPR's Laura Sydell has more.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: The new iPhone has a four-inch screen, and it's about 20 percent lighter. Apple CEO Tim Cook engaged in typical Apple boosting as he spoke about the iPhone 5.

TIM COOK: The thinnest, lightest and best iPhone we have ever shipped.

SYDELL: The new iPhones will range from $199 up to 399 with a two-year contract. But Apple has also reduced the price of the iPhone 4 and 4S. With a contract, Verizon and Sprint users will now be able to get a 4 for free. Forrester analyst Charles Golvin believes this is likely to get a lot more people on iPhone.

CHARLES GOLVIN: And there are a lot of people who are loyal to those carriers who haven't been able to afford an iPhone and now they're going to be able to get one for nothing.

SYDELL: Though the iPhone 5 is the thinnest yet from Apple, it's still not as thin as competitor Droid phones. Apple also released a new operating system for the phone. Jeff Wender, an analyst from Nielsen, also points out this includes software that will make it easier to shop.

JEFF WENDER: With passbook and some of these new software features, more and more people will integrate it in their lives not just for music, not just for using as a phone but really and truly using it for every part of their day-to-day life.

SYDELL: Apple is also releasing a new line of iPod Touch and Nano. Both will have bigger screens, and the iPod touch now has a movie camera and can be used to edit. Laura Sydell, NPR News, San Francisco. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Laura Sydell fell in love with the intimate storytelling qualities of radio, which combined her passion for theatre and writing with her addiction to news. Over her career she has covered politics, arts, media, religion, and entrepreneurship. Currently Sydell is the Digital Culture Correspondent for NPR's All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and NPR.org.