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First iPhone 5c Reviews: Color is a 'Breath of Fresh Air', Will 'Sell Like Hot Cakes'
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indeed.
I'm sure it will sell to those with 4S or younger, but existing 5 owners won't give a damn
Of course it will sell like hotcakes. It's not a product in the conventional sense. It's a promotional tool. It is merely an iPhone 5 re-dressed, and re-targeted at a different audience, which just happens to be people who have never bought an iPhone before. This includes children, women, the Chinese, Lumia owners and perhaps the odd fandroid.
The iPhone 5c is a triumph of style over substance, which is why absolutely nothing of substance is said in Apple's video. It is not "more essential" and "more capable" than the iPhone 5. These are just words from Jony Ive's anus. I'm just going to say it. The man is a ****ing pseud.
The iPhone 5c is a triumph of style over substance, which is why absolutely nothing of substance is said in Apple's video. It is not "more essential" and "more capable" than the iPhone 5. These are just words from Jony Ive's anus. I'm just going to say it. The man is a ****ing pseud.
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The 5C is definitely more capable than the 5 in several ways: bigger battery, better FaceTime camera, LTE support for more channels.
No, it's not "faster", but it is an improvement in those ways. Also, the 5C is way more comfortable to hold than the 5. The better ergonomics are not simply style over substance.
I think it is a little bit more to the story. I went to the store and looked at the 5c and 5s in person. The 5c plaster shell does not feel like plaster at all. It feel like some kind of laminated steel. The shell is very rigid and has a very good feel when I hold it.
By definition once we get pass the few top end smartphones that was launch within the last few months, all other smartphones are developed with prior technologies. 5c target audience is the middle to high end user who want brand name product, distinctive design, good packaging, but not necessary the latest technology. Last year 4s sold about 1/2 as much as 5 in the same part of product cycle (so may be 12M unit in 4q12). There is definitely a market for "not the latest technology" smartphone. Apple just launch the in store trade-in program a couple week also. Someone can walk in Apple store, hand in their old Iphone 4 (trade in is about 140 in Amazon now), and walk out with a 5c and an itune gift card. 5c is really not for developing market like everyone thought. It is target for the vast majority of subsidized customers in the developed world whose next subsidy is available and they want a cheaper but good Iphone. The fact that 5c is branded as a new product this year (and look very different from other Iphone) will help a lot. Just look at clothing, handbag, shoes or any other consumer product categories. Brand design and packaging are as important as the technology behind the product once we get to mid market. I think 5C will do extremely well. The bar should be set against the current - 1 generation of Iphone that Apple carry every year. If 5c can outsell 4s of last year in the same part of the cycle, Apple would have a very successful product.
I saw a white 5C at the store today and fell in love with it. It feels like a mini white macbook. I might order this for fun.
People don't buy new phones for a single-digit percentage increase in battery life. The Facetime camera is not a selling point, and neither are the LTE bands. The real selling point is 'colors, colors, colors!'
And if I concur with your point about the ergonomics, then I don't think there is anything about the 'very good feel and build quality' that can't be achieved by putting the iPhone 5 in a well-designed case.
So you don't think the people who were operating on 3GS, 4, 4S phones are possibly a target for the 5C? I beg to disagree. It's a perfectly fine upgrade option, coming from the specs on those phones (even if I'm hanging on to my 4S as a great WiFi device)..
The 5S and 5C are both worthy products. My choice was the 5C. By time my contract comes up again, I'll be interested in seeing what Apple has come up with in the interim, and happy to have a choice again if they're still doing two-tier offerings.
To me, the common suggestion to compare only the specs of the two models and go for the higher end smartphone because as some say "it's only a hundred bucks more" is a non starter. That very limited context does not take into account what model I'm upgrading from, never mind my preference in matters such as early adoption of new chip specs, choice of storage options, color and finish, or the feel of the device in hand, etc.
As for the 5C not being a "product in the conventional sense," or the 5C being "a promotional tool", heh. Half right anyway. Of course it's not conventional. When did Apple release something conventional anyway? Maybe back in the beige box days now and then. But the 5C is a full-fledged iPhone, and its associated promotional gigs are the usual ones: ads, word of mouth after personal experience, hands-on at retail, etc.
Of course it's true that once someone has a 5C in hand, then --just like the 5S or any other device-- its options for becoming a promotional tool in and of itself certainly do expand. I notice everyone around here that I bump into now definitely wants to see my green 5C, feel the case, laugh at the "non" / "hon" peeking out of the back, and then try it out! (A French-speaking buddy admired the back and said "Oui, baby.")
