A new, cheap iPhone is here for your consideration. The Apple iPhone 5C went from plasticised dream to hard and fast reality at Cupertino's international press events today.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stood up on stage and said that Apple is "really excited" about the new, cheaper (by Apple standards) iPhone.
Available in a smattering of colours - green, white, red, blue, and yellow - the phone is "made from all the incredible technology of the iPhone 5," Cook said.
Along with the iPhone 5S, also made official today, the iPhone 5C is replacing the current iPhone 5.
'Beautifully, unapologetically plastic'
Apple spent a while justifying the iPhone 5C's body, saying it's "beautifully, unapologetically plastic," but considering the lower price of the new iPhone, many people probably won't complain.
The 16GB version will be $739, and the 32GB iPhone 5C will be cost $869 SIM-free in Australia.
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are all promised to range the new handset as well.
Apple described the iPhone 5C as being entirely one part, with no seams or joints along the back and sides, and made of denser hard-coated polycarbonate than is typical on mobiles and featuring an inner frame made of steel.
The cheaper iPhone 5C sports essentially the same specs as the existing iPhone 5, including the A6 chip (unlike the new iPhone 5S's A7), a 4-inch Retina display, an 8-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth 4.0. It can support up to 13 LTE wireless bands and runs dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with speeds up to 150Mbps.
The front camera is new and improved, though, allowing for higher-quality FaceTime chats in low light.
There are also new software additions with iOS 7, including a new camera app, live photo filters, and 3x video zoom - and the new OS will even match the color of your iPhone 5C.
