Apple unviels the new iPhone 5C and 5S

With so many leaked photos and iOS7 information available ahead of yesterday’s launch, you could be forgiven for thinking that Apple had no tricks left up their sleeves. However, the conference revealed a whole host of exciting features, as well as confirming a few of the rumours that had been circulating the web, and reinvigorated the iPhone image. Last night, I liveblogged the event for The Boar, and here’s the long and short of what Apple will be bringing to the smartphone market over the coming weeks as the iPhone 5 disappears from shelves forever, and is replaced by its two successors.

iPhone 5C

The iPhone 5C was long-rumoured to be the budget iPhone, appealing to both developing countries, and those smartphone users on tighter budgets (like us students). The launch event clarified the specifications – in terms of speed, it’s very much the same as the iPhone 5. The main difference is the appearance – it comes in 5 colours (white, pink, yellow, blue and green) and is made of ‘hard-coated polycarbonate’, or ‘plastic’ as most of us like to call it. Not only does the plastic keep the price down, but it’s more durable than the traditional glass-casing. This is great news for those of us who have a tendency to drop our phones and smash the fragile screens, but less good news for those who love the sleek, sophisticated look of the older models. However, the phone is the same size as the 5S, and not much thicker at all, so the colourful façade may still be appealing to die hard Apple fans. The graphics are being touted as console standard, the battery life is described as ‘impressive’ and of course, all 5C handsets will come with iOS7. All new iOS7 devices will be offering the mobile version of the Apple productivity suite, iWorks, for free.

However, the price was probably the most shocking thing about the new mobile (and not in a good way). The phone, which is being sold as a truly international phone aimed particularly at the burgeoning Chinese market, was made for those on a budget. However, at £469 off contract, that budget appears to be a large one. It is the same price as the iPhone 5 (and has very similar specifications), so current iPhone 5 holders are unlikely to fork out for this ‘budget’ phone. If this is Apple’s attempt to compete with other brands of basic smartphone handsets, then they haven’t really done their research, which implies that Apple aren’t looking to sacrifice quality for cost. It looks like us students may have to wait for an iPhone which is truly affordable. The iPhone 5C will be available for pre-order on the Apple store from 13^th September.

Pros

1. More durable
2. Comes in a wide range of colours
3. Improved battery life

Cons

1. Not as ‘sleek’ as older models
2. Essentially a colourful iPhone 5
3. Very expensive when weighed up against the 5S

iPhone 5S

The iPhone 5S was pretty surprising, as the ‘S’ upgrades have tended to offer little in the way of improvements. This reveal, however, was a pretty big step up from the iPhone 5, which was important for Apple after complaints about the lack of innovation in recent updates. The handset will feature an A7 chip, and will hence become the first ever 64-bit mobile phone in the world. This will deliver desktop power onto a mobile device, something that could change the way we use our phones in terms of gaming and productivity. The graphics on the 5S have also received a major overhaul, but as the screen is no larger than previous models, it is still not a real gaming machine. It also includes the M7 chip, a motion co-processor that tracks the user’s movements and will be a huge boon to health and fitness apps. Nike will be releasing an app alongside the handset to make use of the device’s new chip.

More and more, our data is becoming less private, and Apple have grabbed hold of that concept with both hands. The iPhone 5S will feature ‘Touch ID’, a fingerprint scanner built into your phone that will allow you to unlock it and even make purchases. You can even set up profiles on your phone so that other people can have limited access – great if you’ve got younger members of the family who like playing games, but who you’d rather keep away from your Facebook. There were fears around the security of the new system, especially with personal data being leaked to government agencies, but Apple have ensured that your fingerprint data is stored only inside the phone and not on any external servers. The system even scans sub-epidermal layers of skin, so that superficial burns or cuts on your fingertips shouldn’t stop you from accessing the phone. The camera has received a major upgrade as well, with slow motion video, burst mode and a feature that takes multiple pictures at once and selects the sharpest one for the user. It also has bigger pixels, which according to Apple, means better pictures. Other companies, like HTC, have also made use of this particular idea. There’s even a square picture mode for the Instagrammers amongst us. For those of us who’d like to get our 5S handset ASAP, our only choice is to queue up outside the Apple store for the release on the 20^th September – there are no pre-orders for this phone, and there are already reports of dedicated fans outside some stores in the US.

Pros

1. Very powerful A7 chip
2. Touch ID security
3. Powerful camera

Cons

1. Minimum of £549 price tag
2. Same battery life as previous models
3. No pre-order

Last night’s launch certainly brought a few surprises, both good and bad, to the table, and this may be the reinvigoration that the iPhone needed. Whilst many fans will be disappointed with the 5C’s high price tag, the 5S has generally been met with approval. It seems that Apple may have a few tricks left after all. There was no mention of the rumoured iWatch or the Mac Pro during last night’s event, but chances are we’ll see a few of Apple’s new toys making another appearance then.