SAN FRANCISCO, USA (AFP) — The new iPhone 5 unveiled by Apple will go on sale September 21 in the United States and six other countries, starting at US$199, the company said Wednesday.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said pre-orders would begin Friday and shipments would start a week later in the US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, and in 100 other countries by year-end.

Apple has sold some 244 million iPhones since the first one launched in 2007, and has also sold more than 84 million iPads since the device's 2010 debut.

The iPhone5 will have a taller screen and can work with faster, fourth-generation, or 4G, cellular networks, the company said. 

The iPhone5 will be available in black or white and offers16 gigabytes of storage.

It’s thinner and lighter than the previous model, even though it has a bigger screen Schiller said, adding that the phone is 20 per cent lighter.  The screen is taller than on the iPhone 4S, making room for another row of icons.