iPhone 5 comes to PH

CUPERTINO, California-based Apple Inc. announced that the new Apple iPhone 5 will hit Philippine shores on Dec. 14, just in time for Christmas.

The world’s most valuable company in a post on its website said the Philippines was included in a list of more than 50 countries where the new smartphone would be launched this December.

The first on the list would be South Korea, where the new iPhone will be available starting Dec. 7.

The following week, the device will become available in countries such as the Philippines, Brazil and China.

Spokespersons from Smart Communications and Globe Telecom, the country’s major networks, declined to release details on availability as of press time.

The new iPhone, the sixth released by Apple despite the name, is thinner and lighter than previous models. It also features a four-inch screen, a departure from the 3.5-inch screens that all previous models had.

Apart from improved hardware, the iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, Apple’s newest operating system for mobile devices. The new software comes with over 200 new features including: Shared Photo Streams, Facebook integration, all-new Maps app, Passbook organization, and voice-based personal assistant Siri.