"They not only jazzed up Siri, which I think is more popular than the press thinks, but the microphone and noise suppression changes are there to improve the experience with Siri."

Milanesi echoed Gottheil. "If Siri can hear me better, that's important," she said.

Apple also launched a fifth-generation iPod Touch that closely resembled the iPhone 5, with prices ranging from $299 for a 32GB device to $399 for a 64GB model.

The iOS 6 upgrade -- which will be available to owners of iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S smartphones, as well as the second- and third-generation iPads and the fourth-generation iPod Touch -- will debut Sept 19, two days before the iPhone 5 reaches customers.

"There are two types of buyers, those who care about specs and those who care about experience," said Moorhead. "Apple expertly addressed both. They upgraded what they needed to upgrade to stay competitive and improved the differentiators that are Apple's hallmarks."