Apple on Tuesday kicked off this year's holiday with a brand new smartphone, the iPhone 5S, coupled with an emerging market device, the iPhone 5C.
Despite the leaks, and the rumors proven true, Apple still had a few snippets of surprise up its sleeve.
The company's latest smartphone arrives in the same design as its 4-inch predecessor, but with an improved 64-bit Apple A7 chip. It will land later this month with iOS 7, packed with new features, a redesigned user interface, and plenty of improvements..
Also see: All ZDNet iPhone coverage | All CNET iPhone coverage | Techmeme | Apple statement
The device is available for pre-orders on September 13, and consumers in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, the U.K., and other countries, can buy in store on September 20.
Think that's it? Think again. There's a lot to digest in the hour-long media event. Here's a roundup of what you need to know, from ZDNet and sister-sites CNET and CBS News.
Larry Dignan, ZDNet: The iPhone 5C, one of two iPhone 5 replacements, gives Apple a high-low strategy on pricing. A 16GB version is $99 with two-year contract.
Zack Whittaker, ZDNet: Apple announced the much-anticipated iPhone 5S at a media event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Here's the run down of what you need to know.
ZDNet: The premium next-generation iPhone 5S is sharp and refined, much like its predecessor, and comes in three metallic colors. Meanwhile its low-cost budget iPhone 5C retains the curves reminiscent of an older model, yet remains sleek and professional. Here are the first few snapshots of the two highly-anticipated devices.
Zack Whittaker, ZDNet: Amid the unveiling of the next iPhone, Apple executives dished out the latest on financial figures, sales and shipments, and other numerical nuggets.
David Carnoy, CNET: As expected, Apple announced new iPhones at its press event in Cupertino, Calif. But there are plenty of other product refreshes still waiting for a possible October unveiling.
Charlie Osborne, ZDNet: At today's keynote, Apple said that the $5-$10 per app fee for the iWork app suite will be scrapped.
CBS News: Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple, speaks during the new product release in Cupertino, Calif., Sept. 10, 2013.
Josh Taylor, ZDNet: Australians are set to be amongst the first in the world to get the new iPhone 5S and 5C, which will also work on Optus' new TD-LTE network.
Jo Best, ZDNet: U.K. consumers will get a slightly better deal than their continental counterparts when the two Apple devices go on sale next week.
Ellyne Phneah, ZDNet: Japanese mobile carrier has ended its iPhone holdout and offered Apple's latest smartphones, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, after losing customers and market share to rival telcos in the country.
Shara Tibken, CNET: The Cupertino, Calif., giant needs to sell more devices in places like China, but its new "low-cost" iPhone may not be low enough.
Larry Dignan, ZDNet: Wall Street really wanted Apple to go downmarket with an iPhone and grow volume at the expense of profit margins. Apple refrained and whining over the iPhone 5C ensued.
Andrew Nusca, ZDNet: Apple's newest mobile phone carries an improved camera, demonstrating how important this consumer feature has become.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet: Apple takes security on the iPhone 5s to the next level by adding a new Touch ID architecture that incorporates a fingerprint reader directly onto the device. This will please both enterprise users and IT admins managing BYOD.
Seth Rosenblatt, CNET: Apple's iPhone 5S comes with a front-facing biometric reader, the fingerprint sensor Touch ID. Could this be the beginning of the end for the password? Here's what we know so far.
Matthew Miller, ZDNet: Apple revealed a couple of iPhones today with different design elements and very similar pricing. The plastic iPhone 5C is not anywhere close to the value many of us thought it was going to be.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet: Apple has lifted the lid on the new iPhone, so it's time to take a look at what's on offer and see what's right and wrong with these flagship smartphones.
Andrew Nusca, ZDNet: We compare features, specifications and more for Apple, Motorola's, and Nokia's latest flagship smartphones.
Jason Perlow, ZDNet: The most important thing that was heard at the iPhone 5S launch event was talk of a "Desktop-Class" architecture using 64-bit ARM chips of Apple's own design.
Larry Dignan, ZDNet: The iPhone 5S' A7 processor is "desktop-class architecture". But what will developers do with it?