On Sept. 9, Apple announced the arrival of the much-anticipated follow up to their popular smartphone. The iPhone 5S and its cheaper, more colorful little brother, the 5C will be released for sale on Friday.
The 5S will start at $199 for the 16GB model and tops off at $399 for the 64GB model. The 5C starts at $99 for the 16GB and tops off at $199 for the 32 GB model.
The 5S, which will be available in gold, silver, and space gray will feature the new iOS 7 operating system, fingerprint recognition technology that will be used to lock and unlock your phone, and the A-7 chip. The 5C is a little cheaper and will be available in white, green, blue, pink and yellow and will also run on iOS 7.
The A-7 chip makes the iPhone 5S the first smartphone to run on a 64-bit processor. This means the phone can run multiple programs at once at faster speeds and without draining the battery.
“It’s supposed to run something like 50 percent faster,” senior Craig Griffis, a simulation, animation and gaming major and a senior technician at the help desk, said. “I’m really excited about it.”
Griffis recently upgraded to the iPhone 5 and said he regrets not waiting for the 5S release.
“I knew when I bought the 5, I would regret it when the new ones came out,” Griffis said.
Senior and biochemistry major Kathleen Miglia said that she is planning to buy the 5S when it is released on Friday because of the promises of a longer battery life.
“I’ve had the 4S for a while, and the battery just isn’t what it used to be,” she said. “I’ve heard the 5S has way better battery life, so I’m excited.”
In addition to the excitement surrounding the A-7 chip, techies everywhere are buzzing about the fingerprint recognition feature on the 5S.
“I’m really excited about fingerprint scanning,” Griffis said.
He said he feels it’s not only futuristic and cool, but also a safer way to protect your phone.
“The data from your fingerprint scan is saved only on the A-7 chip on your phone, so no one else can access it,” Griffis said. “I also think it’s great that you can add other people’s fingerprints to the memory.”
The colorful iPhone 5C has also created a wake of its own. For less than the price of the iPhone 5, the 5C offers the new iOS 7 operating system, as well as LTE wireless and the A-6 chip featured in the iPhone 5.
“I think the 5C is trying to reach a broader audience with the option for color,” Griffis said.
Senior Kayla Trombley is less impressed with the release of the iPhone 5S and 5C.
“My dad forced me to get an iPhone for the Internet,” Trombley said. “I don’t really care about the new features because they wouldn’t make a difference to me.”
Freshman Gina Brooks shared Trombley’s lack of excitement.
“I’m not really planning on buying it,” Brooks said. “I can’t say I’m that excited about it.”
Despite the naysayers, Apple has once again managed to create a stir in the smartphone community.
Brooks admitted that some of the new features on the iPhone 5S impress her and features like the battery-saving A-7 chip and the fingerprint recognition draw her towards the new iPhone.
“Maybe in the future I will invest in one,” Brooks said.
