At today’s press event we had high expectations for Apple to debut a slew of new products, including a new iPad Mini and the iWatch. Instead Apple did little more than announce the release date for iOS 7 and premiere the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s. The 5c is replacing the iPhone 5 in Apple’s lineup and comes in five colors. The iPhone 5s comes with a 64-bit A7 processor, an improved camera, and a fingerprint sensor embedded in the Home button. Though today’s press event did little more than announce the release date for iOS 7 and introduce two new iPhones, the new offerings will be plenty to bide fans over until the next Apple product announcement.
iOS 7 Coming September 18
For those iPhone users excited about their upcoming software upgrade, you’ll be happy to know iOS 7 is coming soon. The new software will be available starting September 18, for free.
iPhone 5c: Put Some Color in Your Life
The iPhone 5c is replacing the iPhone 5 in Apple’s lineup. It turns out rumors about the 5c were true, as the phone will be available in five colors: white, yellow, pink, green, and blue. Despite its playful look, the iPhone 5c is no toy; it is equipped with an A6 processor and an 8MP iSight camera. With a two-year contract, the 16 GB model will be available for $99, and the 32 GB for $199.
You can preorder the iPhone 5C beginning on September 13. The phone will be available in stores starting September 20.
iPhone 5s, Complete with Fingerprint Sensor
A big question that arises each time Apple debuts a new iPhone is this: is it worth trading in my current iPhone to splurge on the new one? Certain features available on the iPhone 5s might make it worth your upgrade.
Touch ID
The iPhone 5s comes equipped with a fingerprint sensor, called Touch ID, embedded in the Home button. By simply placing your finger on the Home button, Touch ID will unlock your iPhone. You can also use Touch ID to make secure purchase from the iTunes Store, the App Store, and the iBooks store.
Touch ID can read fingerprints form 360 degrees, so it doesn’t matter which angle you place your finger at. The scanner can also log multiple fingerprints so you can give others access to your device.
Apple pointed out at its event today that Touch ID does not upload your fingerprint to Apple’s servers or store your print in iCloud, so you can be sure your fingerprint will remain securely on your device.
A Faster Processor
The new iPhone will be the first phone to run on a 64-bit chip and will sport the A7 processor, giving you CPU and graphics performance two times faster than that of the A6. A7 supports OpenGL ES version 3.0, great for graphics-intensive games and a faster Camera app.
The M7 Coprocessor
The M7 Coprocessor takes a load off the A7 processor’s shoulders by measuring motion data from the phone’s accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. The M7 can also decrease battery drainage by reducing networking pinging, for example, when you haven’t moved in a while.
Fitness apps that track your physical activity can access data directly from the M7, which requires less battery power than accessing that data from the A7 chip. The M7 can also tell when you’re driving, so your phone won’t ask you to join nearby Wi-Fi networks as you pass them by.
Improved iSight Camera
The new iPhone is designed to take better photos, even in low-light settings. Between the new iSight camera and new software features, the iPhone 5s will feature the following improvements:
- Designed to bring in more light, the new iSight has a 15% larger sensor, bigger pixels measuring 1.5 microns, and an aperture of ƒ/2.2
- Continuous burst mode lets you instantly capture multiple shots and supports up to 10 photos per second. After you record images in burst mode, the phone suggests which photos you might like best
- True Tone flash puts a white LED and an amber LED to work intelligently adjusting the flash intensity and color temperature. This allows for over 1,000 unique color combinations to light your picture
- Auto image stabilization
- Slow-motion video allows you to play back any section of video shot on your iPhone at quarter speed for a dramatic effect, and share the slow-mo video with friends
- Live video zoom
- Square photos
- Panorama photos
- Photo filters
New FaceTime HD Camera
The iPhone 5s uses a new HD camera for FaceTime, featuring larger pixels and an improved backside illumination sensor so your picture will show up be clear in almost any lighting.
With a two-year contract, the iPhone 5s will be pried at 199.99 for 16 GB, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for the 64 GB version. The phone will be available in stores starting September 20.
iWork and more Coming to iOS – for Free
iPhoto and iMovie, along with the iWork suite of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, are great productivity apps for creating and editing photos, movies, documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and more. Now all five apps will be available for free on iOS devices.
What do you think of the new iPhones? Are they worth trading in your current iPhone or transiting from Android? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
