So all the rumors turned out to be true. Yesterday, to no one’s surprise, Apple officially announced the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. This is the first time they have ever released two new phones in the same year. Now that they have though, as with the iPad Mini, we can and should expect two new phones every year going forward. But that also depends on how well the 5c sells, particularly in China. I believe it will sell very well here in the U.S.-$99 on contract and a choice of color will be important to a lot of people, not to mention the fact that it is by no means a “cheap” phone-internally, it’s essentially an iPhone 5, which is a very good thing. The high-end 5s should sell as well as the 5 did last year, although with two choices now, it’ll be interesting to see which phone wins the most votes.
The obvious and most interesting part of the 5s is, of course, the fingerprint sensor. Now I’m sure all of the Android fans out there are already calling it a gimmick. But those people aren’t thinking big enough. Don’t forget-this is an Apple product. Never has the company created anything that could be considered a gimmick. They are clearly very confident in this technology, and have a future in mind for it, and if it works as advertised (i.e. efficiently and securely) they may well have another game changer on their hands. While it will be cool to unlock your phone and make app and music purchases with your fingerprint, it will be even cooler if and when 3rd party apps begin utilizing the sensor. Some analysts are already saying this could be the gateway to a real, true mobile wallet. Only time will tell.
As far as the reaction to the announcements yesterday, as usual, Wall Street is disappointed, this time mainly because Apple is pricing the iPhone 5c higher than expected, particularly off-contract. And considering their target market with the 5c is China, it’s a valid complaint, to an extent. But I’ll remind you again that this is Apple-they don’t create cheap products! When is Wall Street and all the other naysayers going to learn this? Apple’s philosophy is all about creating PREMIUM products that seamlessly integrate hardware and software. You will never see them release a new phone that could really ever be considered cheap. Doing so would be going against everything that makes Apple Apple. Are they taking a chance with the 5c? Maybe. Apple is showing that it cares more about its reputation than about market share. Some analysts may be thinking that the “c” stands for “crazy”. Well, it sure doesn’t stand for “cheap”.
Hello there! Thanks for visiting our blog. My name is Greg Walker. I am a lover of all things technology, but I do have a soft spot for Apple, Nintendo (hang in there!), and Xbox. I also enjoy writing, so I figured blogging would be a natural cohesion of the two.