Today was iPhone announcement day and Apple once again has done a good job of selling to its customers. Two new models were introduced the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5S as well as iOS 7. Here are the best and worst features of the new Apple mobile phone ecosystem.
Apple appears to have divided its buyers into two crowds, the regular mass crowd and the high tech crowd. As the iPhone has become main tream and known for its "old-iFartness" or as a grandma phone for the masses, it has developed the iPhone 5C for the general colorful ease-of-use loving crowd. The improvements of the iPhone 5C are not technical but cosmetic. Apple saved money by using plastic. The tech and business crowd who like to show off their power modes with the iPhone 5S have a 64-bit processor and the security of a fingerprint scanner, along with new camera features.
Both the iPhone 5c and 5S will run iOS 7 which has some new features.
Best iOS 7 Features for iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S.
- iOS 7 lets you make audio-only FaceTime calls for the first time.
- The new Control Center let you set Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, airplane mode, brightness, volume, flash light and music.
- Siri now has a male voice, if you want to change her into a him.
- New photography features include filters, Instagram built-in, Air Drop streams and photo album.
- Apps show up all the way to the edge.
- The new free iTunes radio offers radio stations to match your music style.
- iCloud Keychaining - iCloud can remember your account names, passwords, and credit card numbers for you. And Safari will enter them automatically whenever you need to sign in to a site or shop online.
- Find my iPhone helps you find it when it is lost.
- Turning off Find My iPhone or erasing requires your Apple ID and password.
- Apple ID and password are required before the iPhone can be re-activated.
Where the iPhone 5S really shines in its hardware improvements which are:
- New 64-bit A7 processor and OpenGL Es framework for gaming. Apple claims it has up to twice the the CPU and graphics performance.
- Fingerprint scanner for security. The 550 ppi fingerprint scanner image is stored only on the iPhone 5S itself. The laser cut sapphire crystal and capacitive touch sensor take a high-resolution image of your fingerprint and offer 360 degree accuracy.
- M7 motion coprocessor which gets information from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. It can also be used for fitness/activity apps. It measures motion even when the iPhone 5S is asleep.
- Faster iTunes purchases with TouchID.
- Larger 1.5? pixel camera for better sensitivity and low-light performance.
- Two LED flashes that change color according to environment conditions.
- Gold, silver and space gray color options
- Optional leather cases in beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and red—with matching microfiber lining.
iPhone 5c Best New Features
- 13 LTE bands.
- New iOS update.
- New colors.
- Antenna enhanced by steel under case.
Worst Features of iPhone 5c/5S
- The screen remained the same 4" size. Those who want a phablet as primary device, will have to wait for the iPhone 6?
- Battery life may not be good when the faster processor is used on the iPhone 5S.
- Unlocked pricing without carriers subsidies is still high- the 16GB iPhone 5C costs $550 unlocked and $649.00 for the 16GB iPhone 5S, therefore the prices have not gotten much cheaper. The "c" definitely does not stand for cheap iPhone.
- iPhone 5c/5S are not rugged devices, they may or not withstand drops or dips into water.
- It's not as cool as it used to be to use an iPhone.
- After the announcement, prices of Apple stock went down -2.28% showing a meh-like reaction to the news.
- Moto X fans will say there aren't enough colors and the iPhone 5 series does not come in wood tones.
Readers, please let us know what you think are the best and worst features of the iPhone 5c/5S and iOS 7 in the comments below.
It looks like the iPhone 4 is gone from U.S. offerings in the U.S. Also we strongly advise that if you are able to, before you give up your old iPhone model, be sure to unlock from your carrier, legally, first.