None of it was much of a surprise, analysts said after the 90-min. presentation, which took place in San Francisco.

"It was an hour to tell a five-minute story," said Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research, referring to the first 60 minutes where talk of the iPhone 5 dominated. "They essentially said, 'It's all you thought it was, no surprises, have a good time,'" said Gottheil.

The Apple rumor mill had, as Gottheil noted, nailed all the high points of today's unveiling -- the most important new features, the look of the iPhone 5 -- weeks before.

But analysts still had things to say about the new phone.

"What really strikes you about the iPhone 5 is how light it feels in your hand," said Carolina Milanesi, a Gartner analyst who covers Apple, comparing it to the older iPhone 4S's heft. "But it still retains a quality feel to it. That was the most surprising to me, that when you touch it, the quality is obvious."