iPhone 5S Release date, Photos: is it Apple’s new hope?
Apple will be making the announcement about its next iPhone tomorrow evening. We’ll be covering the event and updating our Apple iPhone launch event: Live blog page as the news breaks.
When it comes to smartphones, the first few months of 2013 moved the proverbial goalposts. Android handsets flourished with Full HD screens, aluminium or glass unibodies and every feature under the sun.
Apple’s iPhone 5 has been on the scene for a while now but its thunder is in danger of being stolen by the Android Army.
The question we all want to know is what will Apple do next? With Cupertino updating the iPad 3 just months after releasing it, there are reports that an iPad Mini 2 or even an Apple TV could be on the way.
What we know for sure though, is that the company will want to reclaim its smartphone crown. So, T3 has gathered together everything we know about the rumoured iPhone 5S.
The notoriously secretive company that started the new era of touchscreen mobile phones faces criticism that it has lost its ability to innovate and is failing to address the burgeoning Chinese market. It is also under growing pressure to fight back against Samsung’s ever-growing range of products that now includes a smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, and an improved tablet featuring handwriting recognition.
The latest data about the iPhone reveals a mixed picture, however, with Kantar WorldPanel reporting that Apple’s iOS market share in Europe is up 3.1pc year-on-year, while Google’s rival Android operating system rose by 2.9pc. The UK saw iOS market share increase by 7.8pc, while Android declined 3.8pc, even in as several flagship Android devices launched, including Samsung Galaxy S4.
Fred Huet, of Greenwich Consulting, claimed “The focus is now on Apple’s future in China, as current signs suggest that tomorrow’s launch will target value-conscious consumers in the East rather than go all-out for innovation.”
He warned, however, that Apple faced a challenging new business model if it tackled Chinese consumers. “Winning on price against Chinese manufacturers will be an uphill struggle for Apple, especially since the iPhone is manufactured in China. A budget iPhone may also have serious repercussions on Apple’s carefully managed image. As a brand that has always set itself apart from others by its innovation and by the quality and price of its products, this change of strategy could be Apple’s undoing unless it manages to win over China Mobile with the new ‘5C’ model.”
Price
While we still don’t have a price for the iPhone 5s, we do have a rough idea how much its budget brother, the iPhone 5c will set you back. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 5c will retail for between £230 and £320 SIM free.
Interestingly, he also believes that the iPhone 5c won’t be the budget phone we’re all expecting. Rather it will replace the iPhone 5, with the iPhone 5s taking up the mantle of Apple’s flagship handset and the iPhone 4s becoming its true budget smartphone.
