# What's your opinion on iPhone 5C?



## Briani (Apr 26, 2011)

If the rumors are reliable, both iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C will come out soon. What's your opinion on the two coming phones? If someone is planning to buy an iPhone, would you recommend this cheaper low-end iphone 5C？


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## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

You probably want to wait till this afternoon.. for the announcement.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Was hoping for $400-500 for the C, slightly disappointed. At only $100-120 less than the 5S, I'd skip the C and get the S.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

dona83 said:


> Was hoping for $400-500 for the C, slightly disappointed. At only $100-120 less than the 5S, I'd skip the C and get the S.


I think that was Apple's plan, dude ... 

(well for those who can spare it, anyway ...)

But this is always how Apple has operated ... when they make a mid-price option, they always come out with a higher-end option that is SO MUCH BETTER you suddenly have a lot of motivation to cough up the extra dough. :love2:


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## whatiwant (Feb 21, 2008)

the plastic vs aluminum is a dealbreaker for me. 
definitely going with 5C. I can wait another year for a 6C to get the new features when they come out with 6.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

chas_m said:


> I think that was Apple's plan, dude ...
> 
> (well for those who can spare it, anyway ...)
> 
> But this is always how Apple has operated ... when they make a mid-price option, they always come out with a higher-end option that is SO MUCH BETTER you suddenly have a lot of motivation to cough up the extra dough. :love2:


But the cheaper model still has production costs so if the cost differential is so narrow that people end buying only the higher-end item then the more moderate cost item ends up becoming a loser.

I think a $150 dollar price differential would have been better, but time will tell.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

jawknee said:


> *the plastic vs aluminum is a dealbreaker for me. *
> definitely going with 5C. I can wait another year for a 6C to get the new features when they come out with 6.


So you prefer plastic to aluminium? (The plastic one does have a metal frame though.)


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## whatiwant (Feb 21, 2008)

screature said:


> So you prefer plastic to aluminium? (The plastic one does have a metal frame though.)


For sure. i'd prefer to have something with the durability of the 3G/3GS. I never ever dented or shattered one of those. Gouges, and scrapes. but ya.


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## John Griffin (Jan 4, 2002)

Only one reaction. 

Come on Apple! Most Droid phones have had quad core processors for awhile and here is Apple rolling out yet another Dual core phone. When did Apple slip so far behind?


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

John Griffin said:


> Only one reaction.
> 
> Come on Apple! Most Droid phones have had quad core processors for awhile and here is Apple rolling out yet another Dual core phone. When did Apple slip so far behind?


I have to disagree here, multiple cores are little more than additional battery drain on a phone as very little of what is typically done on on a phone benefits from parallel processing. Much better to have 1 or 2 higher performance cores in my opinion as seen with the iPhone 5.


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## Garry (Jan 27, 2002)

John Griffin said:


> Only one reaction.
> 
> Come on Apple! Most Droid phones have had quad core processors for awhile and here is Apple rolling out yet another Dual core phone. When did Apple slip so far behind?


From what I understand talking to Android users, Android phones with Multiple Core processors don't use all cores at once. Apple going 64 bit from what I understand is more efficient and results in more speed.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

Apple iPhone 5C isn't cheap enough and upmarket 5S is gimmicky, claim industry experts | Mail Online


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

rgray said:


> Apple iPhone 5C isn't cheap enough and upmarket 5S is gimmicky, claim industry experts | Mail Online


I tend to agree it should be at least $150 less than the 5s IMHO.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Paul82 said:


> I have to disagree here, multiple cores are little more than additional battery drain on a phone as very little of what is typically done on on a phone benefits from parallel processing. Much better to have 1 or 2 higher performance cores in my opinion as seen with the iPhone 5.





Garry said:


> From what I understand talking to Android users, Android phones with Multiple Core processors don't use all cores at once. Apple going 64 bit from what I understand is more efficient and results in more speed.


I agree here as well. How much multitasking is one really going to do on a smart phone especially when it is at the cost of battery life?

A smart phone isn't a computer after all.

For tech nerds who are only interested in "specs" the Android may be impressive, kind of like how they are impressed with the specs of PC boxes but in the real world how often do they actually use all that "power".

In my experience those who only look at "specs" get tech that is impressive on paper but under-whelms in reality.


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## shoe (Apr 6, 2005)

Looks wise I hate the 5C not a fan of the pastel colours at all maybe if I had a job as the easter bunny that would be ok but look more like toys than phones to me.

The target market for the 5C I dont think is adult male.

kids, soccer moms, girls with hello kitty socks if you have a rear windshield full of stuff animals this phone has your name all over it.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

Apple's choices of colours in all of the iDevices have been terrible for years. The only colours I've ever liked were the ones they used for the 4th/5th gen iPod Nanos. Everything else has been butt ugly, and the 5C is certainly no exception. The decision makers really have awful taste in colour palettes.

Considering the 5C is nearly identical to the 5 in terms of performance and functionality, I wouldn't think twice on getting the 5 over the 5C.

I wonder if these polycarbonate plastic housings are going to suffer the ridiculous cracking issues the 3/3G had.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

John Griffin said:


> Only one reaction.
> 
> Come on Apple! Most Droid phones have had quad core processors for awhile and here is Apple rolling out yet another Dual core phone. When did Apple slip so far behind?


Assuming this is serious, I'm sure you must also know that not all quad cores actually use all four cores:

Samsung revising Exynos 5 Octa firmware, boosting multiprocessor use | Electronista

And also that just because a chip is quad-core doesn't automatically make it faster than one that isn't:

iPhone 5 Performance Benchmarks Detailed: It's The Fastest Smartphone Available Today | Redmond Pie

(the above compares the iPhone 5 to the Galaxy S III; the former using a dual-core chip, the latter a quad-core chip)

Certainly we don't have independent benchmarks on the A7, but I'm willing to bet good money it surpasses whatever's in the Galaxy S4.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

shoe said:


> Looks wise I hate the 5C not a fan of the pastel colours at all maybe if I had a job as the easter bunny that would be ok but look more like toys than phones to me.


From reports of friends who have actually held the thing, the colour choices make more sense in combination with iOS 7. I'm not challenging your view, just pointing out a consideration that may not have come into play in your thinking.



> The target market for the 5C I dont think is adult male.


I concur. And so does Apple -- pretty obviously, by the look and marketing of the iPhone 5s.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

Apple shares drop 5% after new iPhone because investors fear cheap handsets are too expensive | Mail Online


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## jhuynh (Mar 21, 2011)

Apple shares always drop after their announcements. It's nothing new.


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## garf1108 (May 30, 2006)

Still too expensive to attract the market in China.


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## makuribu (Oct 26, 2005)

garf1108 said:


> Still too expensive to attract the market in China.


Have you been to China lately? Ever?


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## Adguyy (Jun 11, 2008)

I love it! Apple did a great thing! I'm buying one for my mother


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## joltguy (Apr 15, 2005)

Looks like Samsung wants to let everyone know that they'll have 64-bit phones too!

THE NeXT BIG THING

:lmao:


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Considering the internals, it was never going to be cheap. What they did with the new colorful polycarbonate body makes it seem like a new phone rather than lasts year's phone. I think it was a smart move. It makes last year's hardware appear to be new and makes the 5s look really premium.


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## MacUnited (Nov 1, 2009)

So now that apple won't be making iPhone 5, would that make the re-sale value of it go up?

Another issue would be, what if and according to apple care service plan I broke my iPhone 5 and wanted to get the 50 dollars replacement, would they give me iPhone 5c or 5s? Or would they keep an inventory of 5?


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

MacUnited said:


> So now that apple won't be making iPhone 5, would that make the re-sale value of it go up?




No.


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## MacUnited (Nov 1, 2009)

kloan said:


> No.


Buzz kill


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## garf1108 (May 30, 2006)

@ makuribu: Just came from a month visit to China.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

They keep an inventory of older, refurbished phones. That's what you'd get for your $49 replacement. So, don't break your phone :/



MacUnited said:


> So now that apple won't be making iPhone 5, would that make the re-sale value of it go up?
> 
> Another issue would be, what if and according to apple care service plan I broke my iPhone 5 and wanted to get the 50 dollars replacement, would they give me iPhone 5c or 5s? Or would they keep an inventory of 5?


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

joltguy said:


> Looks like Samsung wants to let everyone know that they'll have 64-bit phones too!
> 
> THE NeXT BIG THING
> 
> :lmao:


Yup, because Samsung is the innovator! (As long as Apple tries it first)


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## whatiwant (Feb 21, 2008)

Got mine via fedex yesterday. Love it. Wish the insides were the same as 5s but it's a great upgrade from my 4s still. And the plastic feels great in the hand.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

You know who makes the major chip inside the iPhone 5s right?



fjnmusic said:


> Yup, because Samsung is the innovator! (As long as Apple tries it first)


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

HowEver said:


> You know who makes the major chip inside the iPhone 5s right?


Hard working hobbits! A wizard on a hill! They're made off-planet by a bevy of aliens with very small hands! Jesse Pinkman chained to a dog run! Or all of the above!


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## kkapoor (Jan 17, 2006)

HowEver said:


> You know who makes the major chip inside the iPhone 5s right?


Manufacturing is not the same as 'design'. Samsung makes the chip in a fab. Apple designs it.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Let's not confuse "contract manfacturer" with "maker." ARM makes the core, Apple makes the chip design, Samsung is just fabbing and inserting.

Moving on to the actual subject: I was not impressed with the iPhone 5c until three things happened:

a. I saw the TV ads (should have paid more attention to them in the keynote)
b. I held one
c. The Ghost of Christmas future visited me No, I mean someone shared a good insight.

So, first: the TV ads and other marketing make it CLEAR that I'm not the target demographic for the iPhone 5c by lets say 10-20 years. It's a youth phone. Once you grasp that, the choices Apple made make much more sense. What they could have done (following the last three years tradition) was simply keep the iPhone 5 as-is and make it the $99 phone. But that wouldn't have distinguished the models very much, now would it? So they needed to make the two models more PRO and CONSUMER if you will. I think the solution they hit on is nothing short of brilliant, really. The iPhone 5c is, to quote Apple, "for the colourful." It's trendy, it's youthful, it's fun.

The iPhone 5s is a work of art, it's executive, it's powerful, it's adult and it's a MAJOR step up. Very clear distinctions.

Second: looking at the photos and marketing materials, the plastic looks soft. This is something else that put me off. Actually holding it was another matter altogther: it's more like plastified steel (did I just invent a turn of phrase?). It feels GREAT in your hand and you wonder why anyone would buy a case. As I say, I'm not the target market and sure enough, I'm not buying one. My wife (we both have iPhone 4 at present) would be THRILLED to get one however.

Finally: Since it's not for me for a variety of reasons, I had trouble understanding why anyone would buy one when you could have a 5s for $100 (presuming they're available). 

I was chatting with someone about it and he said that he and a lot of people just won't/can't fork out more than $100 for new phone. He's upgrading to one from the 3GS, and a friend of his is switching from Android (both are "dudebros" in their early 20s). He said "the iPhone 5c isn't as great as the iPhone 5s, but its the best $99 smartphone on the market."

<foom>

Well there you go. He's right, it arguably is (it is, at least in marketing terms, the newest one at the very least). It's a premium phone for $99. It's a great entry to BB/Win/Android switchers. It's perfect for 4 and 3GS upgraders. And it's a youth phone.

In short, I think as time goes on and people actually get their hands on it, the iPhone 5c will turn out to be more popular than us power-nerds think. I doubt it will ever be more popular than the 5s, but I wouldn't bet my life on it: I'm the guy who thought the iPad mini seemed like a cool idea but why give up the extra screen real estate when that is arguably the iPad's biggest advantage over phablets and phones?

And look what happened to that line of thinking: by most educated guesses, the iPad mini outsells the full-size iPad 2:1 or more.


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## Pat McCrotch (Jun 19, 2006)

I just think its great marketing. Apple isn't letting on that the 5c is identical to the 5 except in some measurements. It's the new and improved iPhone 5c! As seen on TV  !

I still know some people that rather save the 33.33$ a year (100$ savings over the span of a 3 year contract) and get last year's phone so this addresses this market and girls that have just gotta have a pink iPhone for Xmas.


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