Apple Announces iPhone 5S and 5C

[Michael Epstein]

Apple Announces iPhone 5S and 5C

And then there were two. Apple will release both the spec-intensive iPhone 5S, and the long-rumored budget-conscious iPhone 5C.

Apple unveiled two new iPhones at a special announcement event today at their Cupertino, CA headquarters. For the first time, Apple will release two separate versions of the iPhone simultaneously: The new and improved iPhone 5S, and the comparatively cheaper iPhone 5C. Both phones have been the source of a multitude of rumors for the past few months. In both cases, the phones seem to be exactly what pundits and fans expected.

The iPhone 5S is the next iPhone, in the plainest sense. Building on the features of iPhone 5, the 5S features a new A7 chip, and a M7 " motion co-processor" to handle data from the phone's gyroscope, accelerometer and compass. The result is a phone with "56x" graphical processing power. The 5S' signature feature is the "Touch ID" fingerprint scanner built into the phone's home button. The 500-point scanner can be used to authenticate app store purchases, among other things.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 5C is a scaled-down version of the iPhone 5. Though the camera and battery have been improved over the 5, the 5C sports an A6 processor - the same one as the iPhone 5 - and a smaller, 4-inch retina display. The most noticeable difference, however, is the colorful plastic back. Available in five colors - green, white, blue, red, and yellow - Apple has also created first-party silicon rubber cases specifically for the phone. (There's a black case, so you don't need to be colorful if you don't want to.)

And of course, there's the price. Being the "budget model" The iPhone 5C is $99 for the 16GB model with a two-year carrier contract, and $199 for the 32GB version. The iPhone 5S sticks to the standard iPhone pricing model: $199 for 16GB on contract, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB.

In addition to the new hardware, Apple announced that the next version of the iPhone operating system iOS 7 will be available for consumers September 18. The update is a major step forward for the OS, not just because of its substantial aesthetic changes, but because it finally add controller support to iPhones and iPads.

Both the iPhone 5S and 5C will be available for pre-order this Friday, September 13, and in stores on September 20.

Source: The Verge [http://live.theverge.com/apple-iphone-5s-liveblog/]

Permalink

 

[Aeshi]

Well I guess all those fans know what they were actually waiting for now

 

[Yopaz]

Now that it has been announced it finally makes sense to get my camping equipment ready.

Yeah, I don't really want a new phone. I am quite happy with the one I've got and I intend to keep it until it's no longer functional.

 

[schrodinger]

Really. They had to make brand new models for just a few new options and more GBs. People are still getting excited for these announcements.
Send me off STIG

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Just the word Apple makes my eyes roll now. They used to release one product. It would work, it would be reliable and it was all you'd need. Then they made fifty different iPods ever month and now they vomit out phones with different licks of paint every seven days. Few companies so perfectly represent blind consumerism.

Hopefully I live long enough to witness the Apple crash. I'll send an email to their marketing team with nothing but my laughter.

ill join in this.

I don't know what the prices are off contract, but i'm perfectly fine with my phone now until it dies out, these apple updates are getting worse than COD updates.

 

[ephesus64]

A 64 gigabyte class 10 SDHC card costs 50 bucks, yet a 64gb ipoon is $200 more than the 8 gig. It's industry standard pricing, there are different levels of customer need, it's marketing, they are a business, blah blah blah. I still call BS on the pricing.

 

[OZAuCkn7J28sHLCv]

5S is a reasonable upgrade, given apple's tic-tock upgrade pattern. Definitely better than the 4S in terms of advancement.

the 5C is for lunatics. Mad madmen and people who think they are onions.

 

[DiamanteGeeza]

Just the word Apple makes my eyes roll now. They used to release one product. It would work, it would be reliable and it was all you'd need. Then they made fifty different iPods ever month and now they vomit out phones with different licks of paint every seven days. Few companies so perfectly represent blind consumerism.

Hopefully I live long enough to witness the Apple crash. I'll send an email to their marketing team with nothing but my laughter.

I have to agree with you. I sometimes wonder whether we'd see Apple having gone in the direction it has if Steve Jobs were still around? I can't help thinking not - he was all about doing one version of a product extremely well. While I understand the commercial reasons for the 5C, I feel that it cheapens the iPhone brand a little, and isn't actually cheap enough to make a dent in third world emerging markets, which is what I thought the point of it was.

It feels like Tim Cook lacks the focus and conviction that Jobs had, and is feeling pressure (probably from investors) to try to take market share away from the glut of cheaper smart phones on the market.

Or perhaps I'm seeing it all wrong!

 

[InterrogationBear]

Yeah, the "budget" iPhone 5C costs 599? (16GB) and 699? (32GB). Try again Apple.
I could buy a Nexus 4 16GB for 249? right now.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Wow. Original iPhone 5 came out last september. One year later they have two more. What they gonna do with the iphone 6? Release 6 more varients? Soon it will be iPhone 8 versions A all the way to Z.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

So every single rumor turned out to be true. The finger print scanner is kinda cool. I heard other phones did it before but it wasn't done very well

budget-conscious iPhone 5C.
...
And of course, there's the price. Being the "budget model" The iPhone 5C is $99 for the 16GB model with a two-year carrier contract, and $199 for the 32GB version.

This is Apple's version of budget conscious? I bought my 32 gig HTC One with a quad core and a 1080p screen for $200 on contract. Apple makes fine stuff (see any android drop test compared to the iPhone 5) but it's pretty hard to defend people who will pay so much more and get less in return

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Is there really any need to keep upgrading your phone every 11 months? The top model's the same price as a PS4!

A 64 gigabyte class 10 SDHC card costs 50 bucks, yet a 64gb ipoon is $200 more than the 8 gig. It's industry standard pricing, there are different levels of customer need, it's marketing, they are a business, blah blah blah. I still call BS on the pricing.

Whenever I get the bug to go hunting online for the cheapest, most powerful laptop I can find I always get a shock when I scan down the spec lists and see a new laptop with a standard processor, tiny amount of RAM and weak graphics card worth about $500 selling for around $1000. Then I realise it's a Macbook pro.

"Pro" indeed.

 

[frobalt]

The fact that the 32GB 5c is approximately twice the price of the 16gb one shows just what sort of audience apple targets; Those that have no idea about technology.

Memory is so cheap these days that doubling the memory should not double the price. Certainly not at these prices. What a joke.

 

[Glaice]

Looks like more of the same from Apple, nothing interesting or worth investing in this. Hell, I don't even care about Apple's phone selection and don't see the hype over an expensive brand name cellphone to begin with.

 

[FootloosePhoenix]

The fingerprint scanner is pretty cool, but overall definitely not something I would shell out money for even if I were rich, considering I have a still perfectly capable iPhone 5 sitting right next to me that I received as a generous gift not quite a year ago. Honestly, unless you haven't upgraded your phone in several years or had an unfortunate accident rendering it a brick, buying a new model just seems wasteful to me.

 

[Grimh]

Man, and we thought those crazy guys who were already standing in line were crazy.
Well who's laughing now huh?

 

[EeveeElectro]

I heard about this a week or so ago and how the screen is supposed to be the biggest around at 6 inches or something.

All I could think was "It's probably a man who said that and it's really only 4 inches if you're being generous!"

Srs face, I'm glad they offer a budget option. Hopefully they improve the screen so it can survive a 1.5 inch drop onto carpet without shattering.

 

[soren7550]

Now, what is it that makes the 5c so much cheaper? From what I understand, it's an iPhone 5 that has plastic backing instead of metal.

Whatever the reason, should I ever be able to get a phone, I suppose that'd be a good option for me.