Apple needs multiple differentiators to sell the phone, if it looks like the iPhone 5

Jul 31, 2013 14:34 GMT  ·  By

Apple this year is on track to launch not one, but two new iPhone models, this being the consensus among pundits and analysts alike. Some say the company might even launch “a family” of new handsets, but even two is a bit over the top, some would say.

Nevertheless, all the hardware leaks are supporting the two-iPhone rumor, and common sense tells you that not even Apple can pull a hat trick at a single event.

Let's say the rumors are true and Apple does announce the iPhone 5C and an iPhone 5S this fall. What will they look like? How will you differentiate them, both from a specs point of view, and price-wise?

The iPhone 5C is said to be housed in a polycarbonate plastic shell, which allows Apple to keep production costs down. Inside, it’s basically an iPhone 5, rumor has it.

Any Foxconn employee assembling Apple’s aluminum iPhone 5 will agree that it’s a nightmare to make these things with metal. A plastic shell might be more welcome than some speculators will have you believe.

But Apple won’t just settle with a plastic iPhone this fall. The company needs to impress, and word on the web is that it’s got an iPhone 5S upgrade prepared as well. This one is said to be made of metal.

Additionally, the 5S is said to have a powerful new processor, multiple color options, and an improved camera. The screen size will stay in place, according to financial analysts who checked with Apple’s part suppliers.

But this isn’t enough to wow the Apple fanbase, whose demands grow with each passing year. This time around, they’ll want more than just a color upgrade, more storage, and that rumored fingerprint sensor no one seems very excited about.

So it makes perfect sense for Apple to flip the switch on that newly-found slo-mo code in iOS 7 beta – which reportedly enables a 120 FPS recording rate – only on the iPhone 5S.

Play it back at normal speed and you get slow motion footage like the stuff out of Nat Geo Wild, with cheetahs chasing impalas and such.

That’s one differentiator I wouldn’t mind clinging on to forget that I’m still holding an iPhone 5 chassis in my hand.

Disclaimer

This is a Personal Thoughts piece reflecting the author’s “personal” opinion on matters relating to Apple and / or the products associated with the Apple brand. This article should not be taken as the official stance of Softpedia on Apple-related matters.