Apple’s iPhone release event yesterday showcased two new flagship smartphones and a new mobile operating system. The iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, and iOS 7 were all put on display giving insight into what makes these devices tick, a notion that none of us have been able to capture through leaked photos and specs alone.
The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will both be available for pre-order on September 13, hitting the retail shelves on September 20. For an iPhone 5S, the 16GB will cost an industry norm $199 with a two-year contract subsidy on all major U.S. carriers. The 5C will be slightly more affordable at $99 for two-years and while a formidable device in its own right, isn’t quite on the same level as the iPhone 5S. iOS 7 will be available as a free download for mobile Apple users on September 18.
iPhone 5S
Though not boasting the colorful spectrum of neon of its low-cost iPhone 5C brethren, the iPhone 5S will come in gold, silver, and slate option. We’ve already witness what many were calling the champagne and graphite options, but it seems Apple is dropping white from this version. The shell is made of high-grade aluminum with chamfered edges and offers an overall better mobile computing performance that Apple users are used to.
A7 & M7
As expected Apple’s iPhone 5S will run on the Cupertino-based electronics giant’s latest A7 processing chip in tandem with what’s being dubbed the M7 chip. The A7 is the first 64-bit SoC of its kind, coming complete with a modern instructions set, 2x general purpose registers, 2x floating point registers, and 1 billion transistors.
The seamless developer transition forced all built in apps to be completely re-engineered for the better as the A7 runs roughly 56 times faster than the original iPhone and 5 times faster than the iPhone 5.
M7 works alongside the A7 as a motion co-processor, measuring motion data continuously via accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass support. This will help to enable new fitness apps like Nike’s Nike+ Motion to GPS track and monitor user movement based on contextual awareness with the help of the new CoreMotion API.
All that’s missing is an iWatch…
Camera
One of the main focuses for Apple was in the imaging technology department. Apple designed and created a better and smarter camera using its 5-element lens with f/2.2 aperture or a 15% larger active sensor area. As noted on stage, bigger pixels mean for a bigger picture.
iOS 7 automatically sets the white balance, exposure level, and creates a dynamic local tone map. Further, the mobile operating system also picks the sharpest image from a series or photos or an album. The new True Tone flash tempers any clashing color temperatures and provides automatic stabilization.
Burst Mode can snap up to 10 frames per second while the shutter button is continuously held won, and conversely Slo-Mo supports shots and video at 120fps and allows for customization. For example, a user can break down a video frame-by-frame and decide which he/she wants in regular motion and Slo-M0. That video can be shot in HD 720p.
Fingerprint Sensor
As rumored Apple will be including a fingerprint sensor as an authentication measure in favor of a homescreen password lock. Using the 170 micron thin Touch ID sensor, the iPhone 5S can sense 500ppi and scan sub-epidermal skin levels to make sure the 5S is secure to the user.
The sensor is built into the sapphire home button to prevent any scratching and is surrounded by a detection ring to activate the Touch ID sensor.
Simply touching the sensor unlocks the handset. As I predicted, users can employ the sensor for aspects like buying apps in the iTunes store, but the user’s fingerprint isn’t saved to a single piece of software, server, or iCloud. It can also handle multiple fingerprints for those who share a device.
Battery Life
The 5S, in part to the A7 chip, comes with great battery life that includes 10 hours of 3G talk time and 250 hours of standby.
iPhone 5C
As expected the iPhone 5C carries a polycarbonate shell, though we now know it’s a single piece for the both the back and the sides secured under the hood by steel reinforcements. There are absolutely no seams, lines, or joins, creating a consistent feel for the user. The single piece affords Apple room for color options and the device will be made available in green, yellow, blue, white and red. Custom silicon-rubber cases will also be available, tailored around the camera and flash.
Specs
The colorful iPhone 5C will boast a 4-inch Retina display with integrated touch and supports full sRGB widescreen video. The entire device will run on Apple’s A6 processing chip, and the 8MP iSight camera comes with BSI, hybrid IR filter, and a 5-element lens. A new FaceTime HD camera works well in lowlight with tis 1.9micron pixel lens.
The 5C will come with support for LTW bands, dual-band Wi-Fi, and BlueTooth 4.0.
For the green at heart out there, the iPhone 5C is completely arsenic, mercury, and Android free (Apple’s joke, not mine).
Launch date & Price
As is the case with the iPhone 5S as we’ll see in just a bit, the iPhone 5C will be available for pre-order on all major carriers in the U.S. on September 13, hitting the retail shelves on September 20. The 16GB variant will cost an easily affordable $99 with a two-year contract.
iOS 7
Tim Cook and the Apple execs took the stage and announced iOS 7 before the two smartphones which will be running it. Though we’ve heard most of this already, we now know how seamless and even color coordinated iOS 7 will be with its devices which certainly adds to the user-friendliness and overall pristine feel of Apple’s products.
The lock screen creates a parallax effect on the wallpaper, shifting the axis of the entire UI so that the user can have a clear vantage point despite the angle its being held at.
Also from the lock screen the user can access the Notification Center and Command Center by simply using basic swiping cues. Users can swipe down for the Notifications Center and conversely swipe up for Command Center. You can also use the pull down gesture from any home screen panel use the Search feature to scour your device for certain items.
Siri is also improved. Now with both male and female voice options, Siri is able to access social media feeds like Twitter. Craig Federighi used the example of asking “What is Lady Gaga saying?” and Siri subsequently pulled up the pop diva’s feed.
Also put on display were five iWork apps, making the feature one of the most powerful productivity suites this side of Microsoft Office. All of the apps– Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iPhoto, and iMovie–are all free for download today.
