It’s finally here.

After months of speculation and thousands of blogs – the iPhone 5 has arrived. You can say what you want about Apple but they certainly know how to ramp up the tension and put on a show.

It was worth the wait. Enabled for 4G internet, 20 per cent lighter than its predecessor and offering an improved camera for enhanced iPhone video chat, the new model has wowed critics and fans alike.

And whilst it is a triumph – has it lived up to all the pre-launch rumours? Here we took at some of the main ones that were floating around in cyberspace and whether or not they came true.

Larger screen
With competition in the smartphone market becoming increasingly intense, it was expected that Apple would alter the display of the iPhone for the first time in 3 years. A larger screen would improve the user experience when streaming videos, a growing function for handheld devices.

Verdict = True. Commentators were right in predicting a taller screen, with Apple enlarging it from 3.5 to 4 inches on the iPhone 5.

Near Field Communication
Plenty of commentators seemed to think that the iPhone 5 would come with NFC – where you can use your iPhone to pay for goods by ‘swiping’ it. This e-Wallet technology appears to be one of the next major advances in the mobile phone world, with some of Apple’s rivals already employing it.

Verdict = False. NFC won’t appear on the iPhone 5 although Apple is expected to adopt it in future models.

New charging port
iPhone cables had remained standardised for some time now but it was expected that the iPhone 5 would bring an end to this cross model uniformity. The expected increased power of the new model was rumoured to require a new, improved charger.

Verdict = True. A fresh charger and docking port was introduced, much to the ire of Apple customers who have purchased a range of accessories in the old format.

The name
It might seem minor but Apple fans were even debating what the new model would be called. The proverbial cat had been set amongst the pigeons in online forums and discussion sites when the third generation iPad was called ‘The New iPad’ as opposed to the ‘iPad 3’.

Verdict = True. Apple fans can rest easy – the company stuck to protocol and plumped for the obvious.

What was your favourite rumour about the iPhone 5? Has the new model met your expectations?

Catherine Halsey writes for a digital marketing agency on a range of subjects. This article links back to http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/on-your-mobile/download/iphone-for-skype/