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But those in Jordan have been left confused as to when they will get their hands on the new phone. When contacted by AMEinfo, the Jordan based retailer said: "We're still not sure, when we'll have it in Jordan. Still no idea when it will arrive. It may be here on the grey market soon but we won't have any new information until next week at the earliest."
To add to the confusion, Zain Jordan, the official supplier of iPhones in Jordan, released a statement to AMEinfo regarding the launch, only to retract that statement an hour later with no explanation.
iPhone 5 to ship soon to some countries
Pre orders for the phone start on September 18th and it is set to ship on September 21st to the US, the UK, France, Australia, Canada and Germany. More countries will have the phone on the 28th and Apple says it will be available in 100 countries by December.
The new iPhone 5 boasts a slightly taller screen, which will give users the chance to see more of the features on their phones. "You see more of your email in mail. Your calendar shows more events," explained Phil Schiller - Apple's vice president of worldwide marketing.
The device has a 16:9 aspect ratio, an improved 8-megapixel camera and a 1080p video camera. The FaceTime Camera is now also HD.
New taller screen for Apple's iPhone 5
However, this may cause difficulties for existing apps which are used on the new phone. Until these apps are updated, they will be centred and letterboxed on the screen, rather than stretched to fit it.
The iPhone 5 boats an A6 chip, which is twice as fast as the A5 which was used in previous devices. According to Apple, the batter life "not only matches but exceeds the battery life of the 4S". This means eight hours of 3G talk time, 225 hours on stand-by, 10 hours browsing, 10 hours video and 40 hours of music.
The new 8-megapixel camera, the iSight, has backside illumination, a hybrid IR filter, a 4 element lens and has a maximum resolution of 3264 x 2248. It features a dynamic low light mode and faster photo capture.
The camera is smaller than in previous phones, and has a panorama feature, which can be used to stitch images together to form 228 megapixel photos.
Widely expected dock connector change seen in iPhone 5
One change which was widely expected was the dock connector. The old version has been ditched in favour of the Lightning connector, which is named to match up with the Apple's Thunderbolt data cables. The new connector can be plugged in either way up and is 80% smaller than its predecessor. An adaptor for old accessories will be made available and Apple is working with accessory manufacturers to ensure the new connectors are catered for.
The device was also widely expected to work on 4G networks, and in this regard Apple did not disappoint. Whether the phone will be capable of working on the few 4G networks in the Middle East remains to be seen, however.
Apple also unveiled a new version of its iTunes music, film and TV series store. The new software will be available from October and will use cloud computing to allow viewers to pause a movie, song or TV show on one device and resume it on another from the same point.
iOS6 operating system to be released this month
The latest Apple operating system, iOS6, was unveiled earlier in the year and will be released on September 18th.
The Apple launch lacked the excitement of previous unveilings, partly due to the large number of leaks which meant details of the phone were widely known prior to the details being released officially. For Apple fans in the Middle East, however, this is unlikely to deter them from the mad dash to get their hands on the iPhone 5. For Jordan, however, the length of the wait is still undetermined.
