iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C Unveiled

APPLE has launched two new iPhones, along with an operating system upgrade that will radically change the user experience on most existing iPhones and iPads. The event took place in California.

In the event that offered few surprises but a lots of detail, Apple announced a new flagship iPhone 5S which will supersede the current iPhone 5, along with a cheaper plastic iPhone 5C.

The iPhone 5C is part of Apple's bid to counter the flood of low-cost smartphones from rivals, most of which use the Google Android operating system. Apple designer Jony Ive said that despite the low cost, the polycarbonate iPhone 5C with a steel frame "is beautiful." "We took the same fanatical care with how the iPhone 5C feels in your hand," Mr Ive said.

Missing however from this generation of models is Near Field Communication or NFC - the protocol that enables phones to be used for making contactless payments.
Analysts were keenly focused on the promise of an iPhone 5C to win over buyers in China and other developing markets where there is fierce competition from low-priced smartphones powered by Android.

The top-line iPhone 5S "is the most forward thinking phone we have ever created," said Apple vice president Phil Schiller. "It is the gold standard in smartphones." The 5S will also have improved battery life, with some 10 hours of talk time, or 40 hours of music listening, Mr Schiller added.
Apple also introduced a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S, as a new security measure in place of passwords. "You can just press the home button to unlock your phone," Mr Schiller said. "You can use it to authenticate iTunes purchases."  Apple also broadened its colour palette, announcing the low-cost phone in blue, white, pink, yellow and green, and the top-line model in silver, gold and a new "space grey. Apple's Tim Cook announced that the iPhone 5 will not be sold at a lower price. It will be discontinued entirely however the older iPhone 4S will remain as a discounted model.

The cheaper iPhone 5C contains much of what was available on the iPhone 5. This includes its fast A6 processor. It has a plastic case available in five colours - blue, pink, white, yellow and green and is steel-reinforced. Users can buy coloured silicon and micro-fibre lined cases to change the colour again and users can match the wallpaper with the colour of the case. It’s a feature we’ve seen on some Nokia Windows phones already.

Mr Schiller said the 5C featured a larger battery, an 8 megapixel camera along with 3 x video zoom. Apple users can zoom in when taking video for the first time. To accommodate faster networks, the 5C is capable of downloads of up to 100 megabits per second.

The new flagship, the iPhone 5S, features fingerprint recognition. Users can register up to 5 fingerprints on their phone and recognition is incorporated on the home button. You just press it a little longer than you would otherwise for fingerprint recognition to occur.
The home button contains a sensor which is 170 microns thick and handles finger print resolution of 500 pixels per inch. Around it is a stainless steel detection ring and the lens is made of sapphire.
However the big differentiator with earlier models is the new A7 processor on the iPhone 5S. It brings faster 64-bit processing to the iPhone. Gaming performance has been ramped up with the 5S supporting the new standard for embedded, accelerated 3D graphics, known as OpenGL ES, which recently also launched on Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.

Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi went through some of the features of the new iOS7 operating system that were first detailed at the Apple Worldwide Developers’ Conference in June.
This included a reformatted notification centre accessed by gesturing down from the top, and a control centre from gesturing upwards from the bottom. Search is available universally as a pull down from the top. Voice command system Siri has been revamped with new male and female voices, there’s Twitter integration so if you asked what Lady Gaga was saying, you’ll get a list of her latest tweets, he said. These and many more.

What are the specifications of iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S

iPhone 5C:
- Capacity: 16 gigabyte model for $US99 and 32 gigabytes for $US199, all with two-year service contract.
- Size: height: 4.90 inches; width: 2.33 inches; depth: 0.35 inch (124.4 x 59.2 x 8.97 millimeters).
- Weight: 4.65 ounces (132 grams).
- Display: 4-inch (diagonal) with a resolution of 1136 by 640 pixels at 326 pixels per inch.
- Cameras: 8-megapixel camera on back, 1.2-megapixel on front.
- Video recording: high-definition (1080p - comparable to the resolution of a 40-inch flat panel TV) up to 30 frames per second with audio.
- Battery life: Talk time is up to 10 hours on 3G. Internet works for up to 10 hours on LTE and up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi. Up to 10 hours of video playback. Battery can be replaced by service personnel only.
- Colour options: white, pink, yellow, blue or green
- Release date: Sept. 20, 2013.

 iPhone 5S:
- Capacity: 16 gigabyte model for $US199, 32 gigabytes for $US299 and 64 gigabytes for $US399, all with two-year service contract.
- Size: height: 4.87 inches; width: 2.31 inches; depth: 0.30 inch (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 millimeters)
- Weight: 3.95 ounces (112 grams)
- Display: 4-inch (diagonal) with a resolution of 1136 by 640 pixels at 326 pixels per inch.
- Cameras: 8-megapixel camera on back, 1.2-megapixel on front.
- Video recording: high-definition (1080p - comparable to the resolution of a 40-inch flat panel TV) up to 30 frames per second with audio
- Battery life: talk time is up to 10 hours on 3G. Internet works for up to 10 hours on LTE and up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi. Up to 10 hours of video playback. Battery can be replaced by service personnel only.
- Colour options: Silver, gold, gray
- Release date: Sept. 20, 2013.

Apple has done it again. With all these new features of iPhone 5S and 5C, they seem to have more functions than most of the laptops and tablets in use. The choice of which one to go for will now depend on the price and extra functions of iPhone 5S, compared to iPhone 5C. Which of the two phones will you like to have? what's your say on the two new phones? If you have any contribution, please the comment box below.