It wouldn’t be the fall season without a new line of Apple products rolled out like the red carpet of a superhero sequel nobody is that excited to see. Only this time, Apple is finally inviting more than just the rich kids to the par
ty. With two new iPhones, the 5S and 5C, and a new operating system, iOS 7, the usual question arises, “Should we stay or should we go?” Read on and decide if you’ll take another bite of the Apple. (Photo credit: Glenn Chapman/AFP/Getty Images)
iPhone 5S
It was with clear expectation when the September 10 event took place that there would be at least one new iPhone, typically at the same high-dollar amount, $199 with contract for its 16 gigabyte model, and the speculations were anything from fingerprint identification features to a personal Siri manicurist. With Apple you really never know, so, like every Christmas morning, we always hope for a few surprises.
Fans, bloggers and investors alike were optimistic with its flying rumors and market share up 11 percent leading up to its announcement, but the event itself left folks in disdain for what is considered by Apple to be the new “gold standard” of smartphones, the 5S. One of its three color schemes coincidentally involves gold slate, along with its grey and stone colors, an improved camera with true-tone flash, high-speed “burst mode,” larger pixels and bigger aperture for more light. Its new A7 chip, supposedly twice the speed of the iPhone 5 chip, is made to make the old model seem slower than grannies in a wheelchair race. But are these marginally tiny advances enough to win over the crowd, or did Apple hurt itself more than help?
With the greatest decline in stocks held by Apple following their event, the tech giant’s loyal consumers have little incentive to jump on the 5S bandwagon, besides the fact that the iPhone 5 is being taken off the shelves.
iPhone 5C
In fact, the announcement of the new iPhone 5C, a risky, not-so-Steve Jobs move by Apple gives people the incentive to pay less and skip the 5S altogether. Or maybe it’s just a cheap way of stealing thrifty customers away fr
om the more affordable brands, depending on how durable the phone turns out to be. The pretty plastic phone, which comes in five enthralling colors, was Apple’s answer to its second seed market share behind Samsung. Assuming that their lower-priced, brightly colored innovation would close the gap between the high rolling Apple spenders down to the younger, fun-loving, money cautious crowd, Apple may be assuming a lot. And China, of course, like a family discount to the people who make the phone itself, are the target market for this model.
Despite its lower asking price, most professionals consider the price-point of $99 to still be too high. Although the 4S model is still available, despite the removal of the iPhone 5, and will be free starting September 20, the option of getting a deal only on an old device from two generations ago may still leave a generous portion of the frugal crowd leaning away from Apple, especially when they realize it’ll be obsolete in a year.
iOS 7
One of the biggest horns that Apple has been tooting is the upcoming arrival of its new operation system, iOS 7, on September 18, a line-up of new features, redesigned layouts and what Apple considers to be the strongest operating system that ever existed. With big newcomers like iTunes Radio down to small adjustments like better photo organization and improved calendars, Apple assumes people will be stoked to try out the new features on these new devices. Or…people could just upgrade to the new features on the phone they already have for free.
Even those who invest and review these gadgets and software for a living are having a hard time understanding Apple’s strategy here, providing a new expensive iPhone with fingerprint access, along with a less expensive but still pretty expensive flimsier version beneath it, all of which is wrapped up in a new operating system that anybody can get for free before those phones even come out.
With little incentive to upgrade or switch over, it will be interesting to see what people’s reactions will be, if any reaction at all. Chances are they’ll continue going to work everyday, taking pictures of the sky and humming along to our favorite Clash song, “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” without a second thought to the new Apple appliances.
