he
iPhone 5C, stylized
iPhone 5c, is a
touchscreen-based
smartphone developed by
Apple Inc. It is one of two successors to the
iPhone 5, along with its higher-end counterpart, the
iPhone 5S. Apple held an event to formally introduce the iPhone 5C and 5S on September 10, 2013, and they were released on 20 September 2013,
[citation needed] therefore discontinuing sales of the previous iPhone 5.
The 5C uses much of the same hardware as the iPhone 5, lacking new features from the 5S: it uses the previous
A6 chip from the iPhone 5 instead of the
A7, does not include
fingerprint recognition, and lacks the Burst iSight camera mode and Slow-motion video recording mode. It uses a
polycarbonate casing (in blue, green, pink, yellow, and white colors) instead of the metal used by the 5 and 5S.
[2]
Software[edit]
Main articles:
iOS and
iOS 7
The
iPhone 5C features
iOS, Apple's
mobile operating system.
[3] The
user interface of iOS is based on the concept of
direct manipulation, using
multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements consist of sliders, switches, and buttons.
[4] Interaction with the OS includes gestures such as
swipe,
tap,
pinch, and
reverse pinch, all of which have specific definitions within the context of the iOS operating system and its multi-touch interface. Internal
accelerometers are used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it vertically (one common result is switching from portrait to landscape mode).
[4]
The iPhone 5C ships with iOS 7, which was released on September 18, 2013.
[5] The phone can act as a
hotspot, sharing its internet connection over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB, and also accesses the
App Store, an online
application distribution platform for iOS developed and maintained by Apple. The service allows users to browse and download
applications from the
iTunes Store that were developed with
Xcode and the
iOS SDK and were published through Apple.
[6]
iOS 7 adds AirDrop, an ad-hoc WiFi sharing platform. Users can share files with any Mac with
Lion or above, iPhone 5 onwards,
iPod Touch (5th generation),
iPad (4th generation), or
iPad Mini.
[7][8] The operating system also adds
Control Center, which gives iOS users access to commonly used controls and apps. By swiping up from any screen–including the Lock screen–users can do such things as switch to
Airplane mode, turn
Wi-Fi on or off, adjust the display brightness and similar basic functions of the device. It also includes a new integrated flashlight function to operate the reverse camera's flash
LED as a
flashlight.
The
iPhone 5C can play music, movies, television shows, ebooks, audiobooks, and
podcasts and can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos,
playlists,
genres, composers, podcasts, audiobooks, and
compilations. Options are always presented alphabetically, except in playlists, which retain their order from iTunes.
[9] Users can rotate their device horizontally to
landscape mode to access a collage of album covers. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen. Alternatively, headset controls can be used to pause, play, skip, and repeat tracks. On the 5, the volume can be changed with the included Apple Earphones, and the Voice Control feature can be used to identify a track, play songs in a playlist or by a specific artist, or create a
Genius playlist.
[9]
The 5C includes Siri, an
intelligent personal assistant and
knowledge navigator. The application uses a
natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of
Web services. Apple claims that the software adapts to the user's individual preferences over time and personalizes results.
[10] iOS 7 adds new male and female voices, new system setting functionalities, a redesign to match the rest of the operating system, and integration with Twitter, Wikipedia, Bing, and Photos.
[11]
The
iPhone 5C features
Apple Maps and
Passbook. It uses Apple's vector-based engine that eliminates
lag, making for smoother
zooming. The mapping application includes
turn-by-turn navigation spoken directions, 3D views in some major cities and real-time traffic.
[12] iOS 7 is able to retrieve documents such as
boarding passes, admission
tickets,
coupons and
loyalty cards through its new Passbook app. An iOS device with Passbook can be scanned under a
reader to process a
mobile payment at locations that have compatible hardware. The app has context-aware features such as notifications for relevant coupons when in the immediate vicinity of a given store.
[12][13]
Facebook comes integrated through Apple's native apps. Facebook features can be directly accessed from within native apps such as Calendar which can sync Facebook events, or use Facebook's
like button from within the
Apple App Store.
[14]
Specifications[edit]
The colors of the iPhone 5C
The iPhone 5C makes use of Apple's previous generation A6 processor, the same processor that powered the iPhone 5. Apple announced during the keynote that the iPhone 5C uses most of the same internals as the iPhone 5,
[15] except the battery, which has increased in capacity,
[16] and antennas, which have been redesigned for the plastic body and now cover more LTE bands than any other smartphone according to Apple.
[15] The iPhone 5C does not make use of the iPhone 5S'
Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The device is made up of hard coated polycarbonate body with the steel reinforced frame which also acts as antenna. For the first time ever, Apple has decided to launch iPhone in various colors.
[17] It features a 4-inch multi-touch display, which has 1136×640 pixels resolution, however, it is cheaper than the higher-end 5 and 5S models. It is available in 16 GB and 32 GB capacities, and in the
U.S., it costs $99 and $199 on a 2-year contract, or $549 and $649 off-contract, respectively.
[18]
Product positioning[edit]
The iPhone 5S becomes the new flagship of the iPhone range, the 5C is designed as a mid-range model, and the
iPhone 4S continues in production but has been relegated to the entry-level of the iPhone series. The iPhone 5S 16 GB retails in the U.S. for $199 on contract or $649 off contract, the 5C 16 GB goes for $99 on contract or $549 off-contract, and the price of the iPhone 4S 8 GB has dropped down to free with a two-year contract or $449 off-contract.
[19][20]
Unlike past iPhone releases, where the previous generation model continues to be produced but sold at a lower price point alongside the newest model, the iPhone 5 does not move to a lower price point as it has been discontinued in favor of the 5C. It was believed that Apple's old strategy of using older iPhone iterations, while still successful, would not have sparked as much demand as a new iPhone would.
[21] As Apple expected most iPhone loyalists and power users to upgrade to the flagship 5S, the 5S was not the focus of the marketing campaign, instead the 5C was aimed at revitalizing attention to the iPhone brand by attracting new users who were otherwise turned off to the company's practice of using "last year's" iPhone as the cheaper option.
[citation needed] The polycarbonate 5C is expected to be considerably cheaper to produce than the metal iPhone 5, so that Apple can retain its high profit margins per device.
[citation needed]
The iPhone 5C was rumored to be the long-awaited inexpensive iPhone, however it is actually a mid high-end smartphone which competes with the
HTC One Mini and
Moto X.
[22] Like previous iPhones it does not compete in the
feature phone segment nor the unsubsidized/prepaid category.
[19][20]
Apple-branded accessories[edit]
Announced during the iPhone event keynote, Apple made a case for the iPhone 5C that is available in 6 colors; Black, White, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green. Holes are cut out of the case to show the color of the iPhone's back through the case, making for an almost 2-tone looking device. The cases and phone colors make for 30 different color combination.
[23] The inside of the case is lined with soft microfiber, with the outside being made of silicone. This is the first time Apple released a case for an iPhone since the iPhone 4 with the
iPhone 4 Bumpers.
Apple also released an unannounced dock for the iPhone 5C,
[24] the first time Apple has made a dock since the iPhone 4.
Controversy[edit]
It was regularly a topic of discussion through the day of its launching that
Apple Inc. imitated the design of
Nokia's
Lumia series for their latest version of iPhone 5C.
Nokia all but accused the Cupertino firm of copying its Lumia, which features a similar design and comes in blue, green, yellow, red and orange. Nokia also tweeted from its official page
‘Thanks, #Apple’ the company posted, along with a winking emoticon and the words
‘Imitation is the best form of flattery’.
[citation needed]
