Durban - There was much anticipation ahead of Apple’s launch of its new iPhone on Tuesday night – and it appeared most of the rumours about what to expect were true.
Apple launched two products at a media event at its Cupertino campus in California.
The iPhone 5C and 5S will replace the current iPhone 5.
The iPhone 5C is the cheapest iPhone Apple has ever released and will help the company “serve more customers”.
Its case is made of “hard-coated polycarbonate” and will come in five colours: green, white, blue, coral and yellow.
Apple’s Sir Jonathan Ive said the iPhone 5C was “beautifully, unapologetically plastic”.
Other features included a 4-inch screen with retina display, widescreen video, integrated touch, an A5 processor and a slightly longer battery life than the iPhone 5.
In the US it will cost $99 (R990) for the 16GB model and $199 (R1 999) for the 32GB version on a two-year contract, significantly cheaper than previous versions. It is highly unlikely that it will be this cheap in South Africa.
The high-end iPhone 5S was described by the developers as “the most forward-thinking phone we’ve ever created”.
It comes with a 64-bit A7 chip which will make it the first 64-bit smartphone and, according to Apple, it will be up to 50 percent faster than the previous model. The battery life will also last longer.
The iPhone 5S will not be available in silver, gold or “space grey”.
A new security feature called “Touch ID” will allow users to unlock their device using their fingerprint. The iPhone 5S also comes with a new camera. In the US the 5S starts at $199 for 16GB on a two-year contract.
Both phones will be available on September 20 in the US, Australia and Canada.
Apple said it planned to have the phones in 100 countries by December. - The Mercury