I get so tired of people calling the C models "cheap."
For the most part I love it that Apple is quiet and doesn't waste time refuting every dumb rumor that comes around. Sometimes though this passive style allows the media to really control the narrative. That's exactly what happened with the 5C. Analysts, bloggers, and pundits in general, started telling everyone that Apple was releasing a "cheap" phone that could be priced as low as $300 without a contract. They said this so frequently that it became the expectation. When Apple announced the 5C everyone knew it was the lower end model and then when the price hit it was shocking to so many. In reality Apple released a great phone with the 5C, but it still can't get away from the "cheap" narrative that the media implanted. The 5C was much much better than just keeping the 5 around like Apple had done previously, but it didn't matter.
Not that I'm saying that the 5C has been a flop or anything. I'm just making the point that sometimes Apple should step in front of the media and control the narrative before a mentality gets set in stone.