Plastic fantastic: Apple hopes iPhone 5C will crack international markets
APPLE CEO Tim Cook told the audience at Apple’s live-streamed launch that the company was thriving and looking forward to shipping their 700 millionth iOS device next month.
But South Korea’s Samsung is leading the way with around 30 per cent of the market share worldwide. Apple is lagging behind in second with around 18 per cent.
But the iPhone 5C, released at the same time as their top of the range 5S model, is their attempt to truly capture the global market by offering a cheaper alternative for growing economies.
Some analysts worry it is not quite cheap enough with the 16GB handset costing £469 and a 32GB model priced at £549.
One thing’s for sure though – the 5C looks the part. It will be available in five eye-catching shades; green, blue, yellow, pink, and white.
It is also the biggest iPhone on the market weighing in at 132 ounces and 4.9 inches – 0.07 inches taller than the 5S and a quarter of an ounce heavier than its older rival, the 4S.
This is mainly due to its robust polycarbonate casing, which inspired Apple to describe its newest creation as “beautifully, unapologetically plastic.”
The main difference between the 5S and the 5C will be the speed and the security.
The 5C runs off a lower A6 chip but with the same processer as previous generations instead of the newer M7 motion co-processor.
It will be helped along by system upgrade iOS 7 which is available for free from Wednesday 18 September, but don’t expect the 5S’s chirpier cousin to carry the futuristic fingerprint sensor either.
The 5C may not ooze sophistication like its new partner, and it may not be as cheap and cheerful as some were expecting, but it’s a unique addition to the iPhone family that’s very much in a class of its own.