iPhone 5c dodges emerging markets

Apple last night unveiled a lower-cost, plastic-cased version of the iPhone 5, but the “c”” fell short of expectations that it would target emerging markets.

Apple last night introduced its first variation on a new iPhone, with the 5c, featuring a new design, and a range of five colours‚Äîblue, green, pink, yellow and white. It features a 4-inch Retina display, fast performance from an A6 chip, and the same 8 megapixel iSight camera as on the iPhone 5. As with its big brother, it also comes with more LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world, a new FaceTime HD camera, and iOS 7, “”the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone””.

However, it falls short of market expectations that it would be a phone targeting lower-income users and emerging markets. Out of contract, the upfront cost is $549, which will probably translate to between R6500 and R7500 in South Africa.

This means it competes at the upper end of the mid-level smartphone market, and will not give the likes of the Huawei Ascend P6 a run for its money.

‚””iPhone 5c is everything iPhone 5 was and more, in an all-new design packed with great features,‚”” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. ‚””iPhone 5c is designed with a beautiful polycarbonate enclosure that looks and feels so solid in your hand.‚””

iPhone 5c features a new design crafted from a single, hard-coated polycarbonate body with a steel reinforced frame for a solid, sturdy feel. The steel frame holds the internal components and also doubles as the iPhone 5c’s multiband antenna. The enclosure is one continuous and seamless structure that is finished with a hard coat for a durable and incredibly glossy surface.

To complement the all-new iPhone 5c design, Apple created soft, matte, microfiber-lined cases in a very intentional contrast to the glossy, hard coat finish. These sleek silicone cases with unique circular patterns let splashes of colour show through, and with five iPhone 5c colours and six cases to choose from, you can mix and match for dozens of fun combinations.

Pricing & Availability iPhone 5c comes in blue, green, pink, yellow and white. iPhone 5c cases will be available in blue, green, pink, yellow, black and white. iPhone 5c will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on Friday, September 20. It will probably arrive in South Africa in December. iOS 7 will be available as a free software update starting on Wednesday, September 18 for iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and iPod touch (fifth generation). Some features may not be available on all products.

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