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You Know What? Screw the 5c

Lol there was no way I would've bought a 5c in the first place, because they don't come in Black. Really Apple? No Black?


Hahaha. Only half serious-- But if I was going to buy a 5c, and they did have a Black version, I would probably get the Black version over the rest TBH.
 
I thought the whole point of the 5C was affordability. Apparently not.
 
Velin said:
iPhone 5c: cheaper materials, cheaper build, cheaper components
Click to expand...

Every single launch this happens. And every single time I say:
Go get your hands on a 5C and you'll change your mind!

Ask yourself (everyone!) how many times have you gone to the Applestore, picked up the device you were way skeptical about and thought quietly, "Hey this isn't so bad".

RELAX!!!
 
I'm not real keen on the 5C pricing. For that reason I'm not going to even consider getting one. I think if they would have been in the 300/16GB and 350/32GB price range they would have blown anything Google come out with out of the water and owned that range of the market. Who knows, maybe the Apple faithful will roll with it? Personally no way!
 
I'm in the exact same situation OP. Was holding off buying two Nexus 4 8GB phones waiting for today's announcement.

I don't need anyone to try to tell me why the 5C does or doesn't make sense. All I know is that the last years tech now put in a cheaper plastic housing is still way more than I was expecting this off-contract iPhone to be.

Not only am I beyond disappointed with what Apple has done today, I'm actually a bit angry and feel like Apple has totally abused my loyalty to them.

Yeah I could get out of the ecosystem, but it would be a hassle. I'd much rather stay, but today felt like Apple basically grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and bent me over the kitchen table. I need a new phone now, off-contract, so I can either fight back (and go to Android) or let them have their way with me. Neither is appealing.
 
The 5C is just one giant insult to everyone's intelligence. Clearly they're aiming for gullible, low information consumers who see the contract price of the phone as the entire price of the phone and don't realize there are options to phone contracts.
 
5c=china

The 5c was never intended to be low-cost, but to get into china and other emerging markets the iPhone 5 was not compatible with.

The iPhone 5c is the iPhone 5 with 4 new LTE cell chip sets: http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/, that works with more carriers than the iPhone 5. The polycarbonate back makes it less expensive to produce, so they can introduce a mid-range model, instead of dropping last year's model into the middle range position like they have for years (my guess).

5c is priced where iPhone 5 would have been, had they only come out with the 5s. Instead they have discontinued iPhone 5. (Get on ebay, quick;)).

4S=$0 on contract ($450) edit: reminder: 4S does not have LTE
5c 16/32GB =$99/199 on contract ($550/650)
5s 16/32/64GB = $199/299/399 on contract ($650/750/850)

If you wait, Tmobile may have their discount available after Sept 20th, but you'd have to go through Tmobile, not Apple to get it.
 
Last edited:
benji888 said:
5c=china

The 5c was never intended to be low-cost, but to get into china and other emerging markets the iPhone 5 was not compatible with.

The iPhone 5c is the iPhone 5 with 4 new LTE cell chip sets: http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/, that works with more carriers than the iPhone 5. The polycarbonate back makes it less expensive to produce, so they can introduce a mid-range model, instead of dropping last year's model into the middle range position like they have for years (my guess).

5c is priced where iPhone 5 would have been, had they only come out with the 5s. Instead they have discontinued iPhone 5. (Get on ebay, quick;)).

4S=$0 on contract ($450)
5c 16/32GB =$99/199 on contract ($550/650)
5s 16/32/64GB = $199/299/399 on contract ($650/750/850)

If you wait, Tmobile may have their discount available after Sept 20th, but you'd have to go through Tmobile, not Apple to get it.
Click to expand...

I get the China strategy but how is $550 cheap enough for China? Most were expecting $300-400 for the 5C.
 
SJism23 said:
View attachment 432466
Click to expand...

Shame you missed the point, that the new 5c looks like the lumina.... But hey maybe some people use the iPhone just as a MP3 player , so in that case joke is on the people spending a fortune, when they can just buy a nano ;)

----------
benji888 said:
5c=china

The 5c was never intended to be low-cost, but to get into china and other emerging markets the iPhone 5 was not compatible with.

The iPhone 5c is the iPhone 5 with 4 new LTE cell chip sets: http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/, that works with more carriers than the iPhone 5. The polycarbonate back makes it less expensive to produce, so they can introduce a mid-range model, instead of dropping last year's model into the middle range position like they have for years (my guess).

5c is priced where iPhone 5 would have been, had they only come out with the 5s. Instead they have discontinued iPhone 5. (Get on ebay, quick;)).

4S=$0 on contract ($450)
5c 16/32GB =$99/199 on contract ($550/650)
5s 16/32/64GB = $199/299/399 on contract ($650/750/850)

If you wait, Tmobile may have their discount available after Sept 20th, but you'd have to go through Tmobile, not Apple to get it.
Click to expand...

5c is higher profit margin.

They could have updated the 5 to support more bands. Aluminium costs less then plastic, and no more annoying returns cause apple was so tight they did not spend enough anodising the existing iPhone 5. Scuff gate must have hurt with returns
 
Dmunjal said:
I get the China strategy but how is $550 cheap enough for China? Most were expecting $300-400 for the 5C.
Click to expand...
I don't know who started that price range, I saw $350-450, but, wasn't too sure about that, ...if it included LTE, that would be too low.

As I said, it was never intended to be low-cost/entry level, just so that Apple has two options for iPhones in countries it couldn't before. If they had simply come out with 5s, then they would have only one phone working in China, 4S does not have LTE, iPhone 5 has a different cell chip set that doesn't work there.

5c replaces iPhone 5, not the entry-level iPhone 4S...which IS priced at $450. They couldn't have a non-LTE iPhone priced higher than an LTE iPhone! ($450 is as low as Apple has gone).

Someone spreads a rumor of low-cost iPhone and people think it's reality.

But, guess what? A year from now, iPhone 4S will be dropped and the polycarbonate back iPhone 5c will be "cheap" $450 instead of $550. :D

2014: iPhone 5c $450 iPhone 5s $550 iPhone 6 $650 (starting prices)
 
Apple is not only selling the 'best' mobile phone ever(their words not mine), now they are also selling the most expensive mobile phone EVER.
Why make the flagship model more expensive AGAIN?! Again 20$ more....my god i remember when the 16GB started at 650.
 
OP if you really do want an iPhone, a used iPhone 5 in good condition for $400 is so much more of a better deal than a stupid new 5C!! :)
 
Poly said:
Apple is not only selling the 'best' mobile phone ever(their words not mine), now they are also selling the most expensive mobile phone EVER.
Why make the flagship model more expensive AGAIN?! Again 20$ more....my god i remember when the 16GB started at 650.
Click to expand...
? it is $650? same as iPhone 5 last year :confused: http://store.apple.com/us/buy-iphone/iphone5s

----------
Minhimalism said:
OP if you really do want an iPhone, a used iPhone 5 in good condition for $400 is so much more of a better deal than a stupid new 5C!! :)
Click to expand...
As long as it works with your carrier (pre-April 2013 iPhone 5 does not work with all Tmobile GSM data standards).
 
MH01 said:
They could have updated the 5 to support more bands. Aluminium costs less then plastic, and no more annoying returns cause apple was so tight they did not spend enough anodising the existing iPhone 5. Scuff gate must have hurt with returns
Click to expand...
The back of iPhone 5 is actually in 3 sections, glass (or ceramic) & aluminum, tight manufacturing process...it took a while to get production up to speed because of how tight everything is.

I'm not claiming to know all about manufacturing, but, I'm pretty sure that polycarbonate back is much easier to tool than what it would have taken to change out the cell chipset in iPhone 5 as it is. Plus, the biggie, that polycarbonate back will be much, much easier to produce quickly. It should be much easier to keep up with demand...and it's available for pre-order on 13th, 5s is not...I'm sure it's because of the manufacturing & production process.

The biggest issues getting the iPhone 5 out had to do with LTE. I think what Apple appears to have done is made 4 new modular LTE chipsets that they can put in 5c or 5s. So, out with the old, in with the new & improved.
 
This was a strategic move by Apple. You don't like the 5C? Then you're not their target market. Go buy the 5S or a 5 on clearance and call it a day.

1. Profit margin. Cheaper to produce than an iPhone 5, but selling for the same price an iPhone 5 would have been if they kept it in the lineup. Brilliant.

2. Forcing more sales of the high end model. I'm sure with the 4/4S, there were droves of customers that looked at both, and went with the 4. It looks the same. They don't care about specs, didn't care about Siri, so they went with the cheaper option because to them it's the same thing. Apple loses. The 5C eliminates that scenario. $100 difference for a much more premium quality device that doesn't look like a toy? Uh, yeah...no brainer. I'll take the 5S please. Apple wins. Even if they pick the 5C, Apple still wins (see #1).

3. Teens/tweens/hipsters/whatever. Complaining because the 5C colors are not professional looking and you wouldn't be caught dead with one? Well it's not for you. Business people, adults, professionals, what have you...they already have an iPhone. They have money. They're going to get the top of the line model because they know the extra $100 up front is peanuts in the long run. Young people getting their first phone or first smartphone are the target for the 5C. Middle school kids. High school kids. Trendy college students. Maybe a handful of hip/trendy people in their late 20s and early 30s. Parents will be buying them for their children. People that follow tech blogs and are interested in the specs of the phone are definitely NOT the target market. At all. Remember that we are only a very, very small subset of the consumer market.

The 5C was never meant to be a budget iPhone. The full retail price doesn't matter to people that are looking for midrange or low end smartphones anyway, so stop balking about it. If you're bitching about the price, it's not for you. Just buy the 5S and be done with it. People that shop for a midrange or low end smartphone only care about the subsidized price, and Apple has been playing that market with the $0 and $99 on contract models very well. There's no need to create a whole new, dedicated "cheap" model. Apple doesn't do cheap.
 
Poly said:
Hm....in Germany the 4S was 650€. The 5 got up to 680€ and now for the 5S we have to pay 699€!
Sorry didn't know that the price in the US is still the same.
Click to expand...
Oh, I didn't realize you were outside the US. Did the 4S go down in price?

US prices now:
4S $450 (8GB)
5c $550/650 (16/32GB)
5s $650/750/850 (16/32/64GB)

until today iPhone 5 was $650/750/850 16/32/64GB
and iPhone 4 has been discontinued, was priced at $450 (8GB)
 
I have to agree with the OP on this one. There was a necessity to add carrier compatibility to the 5C but it's obvious apple also took advantage of higher profit margins on a last gen device put inside a cheaper body. I'm hoping the average consumer will see it that way. I don't see any added motivation on their end if the products they make are selling well across the board. The 5S for instance will surely sell well. I want apple to succeed but at the same time I badly want to see something better than what they've been doing. I guess we wait until next year.
 
mlg1998 said:
I never understood why people say this. Whether you pay full price or subsidized price, you're still paying the same amount for wireless service, are you not? And for those that have no problems fulfilling a contract, they have saved hundreds of dollars in the end, unlike what is said above.
Click to expand...

I can only speak for Belgium. But think this is the same in many countries:
the contracts without phones are a lot cheaper than contracts with subsidized phones.

For example I have an unlocked phone with a contract for €15 a month. You can get about the same (two year) contract with a subsidized phone for €45 a month.

So let's to the math:
about €700 for an unlocked phone + 24 x €15 = €1060
or €200 for your phone on contract + 24 x €45 = €1280

So who payed more for his phone in the end? Plus you have to stay with the same carrier for 2 years in the second case (or you have to pay the remaining price of the phone). In my case: If suddenly another carrier offers a better deal. I'm free to change when I like.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

Pleas feel free to correct me if this isn't the case in other countries.
 
benji888 said:
Oh, I didn't realize you were outside the US. Did the 4S go down in price?

US prices now:
4S $450 (8GB)
5c $550/650 (16/32GB)
5s $650/750/850 (16/32/64GB)

until today iPhone 5 was $650/750/850 16/32/64GB
and iPhone 4 has been discontinued, was priced at $450 (8GB)
Click to expand...

He was talking about the price at release; the 4S was 629,- EUR (or 649,-), the 5 went to 679,- EUR and now the 5S is up to 699,- EUR...

And the prices for the 5C are even more disappointing... 599,- EUR for a plastic iPhone5.

You guys in the US pay even more for iPhones anyway; sure you just pay 199,- (or 99 for 5C) at first, but about 1800 to 2000$ over a 24 months plan, that's ridiculous.
 
Bremel said:
I can only speak for Belgium. But think this is the same in many countries:
the contracts without phones are a lot cheaper than contracts with subsidized phones.

For example I have an unlocked phone with a contract for €15 a month. You can get about the same (two year) contract with a subsidized phone for €45 a month.

So let's to the math:
about €700 for an unlocked phone + 24 x €15 = €1060
or €200 for your phone on contract + 24 x €45 = €1280

So who payed more for his phone in the end? Plus you have to stay with the same carrier for 2 years in the second case (or you have to pay the remaining price of the phone). In my case: If suddenly another carrier offers a better deal. I'm free to change when I like.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

Pleas feel free to correct me if this isn't the case in other countries.
Click to expand...

In the USA people tend to go with the subsidized 2 year contract model because the alternative is not up to par in terms of coverage, speeds, device compatibility etc... T-mobile is the only(?) carrier of the big 4 that offers (recent) a competitive month to month option.
 
VTECaddict said:
This was a strategic move by Apple. You don't like the 5C? Then you're not their target market. Go buy the 5S or a 5 on clearance and call it a day....
Click to expand...
Yeah, people need to realize they believed rumors about low-cost iPhone, this has nothing to do with what Apple was actually doing.

Yes, what you said, but, also, and most people may not realize this, it's a global market these days. The iPhone 5 was limited as to how many countries/cell carriers it could do, as it was Apple's first LTE phone. They have 4 new LTE cell chipsets, I'm thinking are modular, can be put in 5c or 5s...perhaps, unlike the iPhone 5, can even be updated next year, update the modular cell chipset, without changing the whole innards of the phone. (Can't wait for ifixit to get these dissected and show us.)

With all these new markets, they have a polycarbonate shell that will be easier to produce and keep up with demand. They had a big problem with this last year with the tight iPhone 5, and now they have more markets they will sell in (China will be big). It's not just about profit margin, but being able to sell to all smart phone markets. Good business if you ask me.

Only thing is, without actually seeing it, we don't know if it looks or feels cheap just because of the material. I see no problem with adults buying it up, I'm sure apple made it nicer than the iPhone 3G/3GS era iphones.
 
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