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Apple goes plastic and colorful with new iPhone line
CNBC ^ | September 10, 2013 | Cadie Thompson , Eli Langer

Posted on 09/10/2013 12:50:07 PM PDT by Hojczyk

But the most significant news to come out of the event is a new security feature on the iPhone 5S called Touch ID, which is an app that allows users to use their fingerprint to access information in their phone.

The new function is essentially a fingerprint identity sensor in the home button on the phone that enables users to unlock their device. However, it can also be used as a substitute for passwords when making purchases, including in Apple's iTunes Store.

"Your fingerprint is one of the best passwords in the world. It's always with you," said Dan Riccio, Apple's senior vice president of hardware, at the event.

Apple broke tradition and rolled out two new colorful iPhones models, the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, at its Cupertino event on Tuesday.

As expected the iPhone 5C, which features a plastic casing and starts at a subsidized price of $99, is cheaper than the iPhone 5S, which starts at $199. The iPhone 5C comes in multiple bright colors including green, pink, yellow and blue, while the iPhone 5S comes in gray, silver and gold.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: biometrics; fingerprint; google; iphone; password; passwords; privacyrights
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To: Azeem
I’m glad my wife and I switched to the Galaxy S3.

My S2 is still just fine for me after a few years of use. Samsung makes nice stuff. I love my Galaxy Tab 10.1" too.

41 posted on 09/10/2013 8:16:21 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Hojczyk

STILL no Pay-As-You-Go plans for ANY iPhones? Seriously?


42 posted on 09/10/2013 10:55:05 PM PDT by montag813 (NO AMNESTY * ENFORCE THE LAW * http://StandWithArizona.com)
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To: Hojczyk
Not only has innovation slowed after steve jobs passing, it seems apple can't even keep a secret. Everything was leaked leaving no surprises today.

The ultimate judgement, apple stock fell after the announcement.

43 posted on 09/11/2013 12:47:40 AM PDT by quimby
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To: Swordmaker

Thanks SM.


44 posted on 09/11/2013 3:45:38 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's no coincidence that some "conservatives" echo the hard left.)
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To: montag813
STILL no Pay-As-You-Go plans for ANY iPhones? Seriously?

Not if you want the subsidy. If you buy an unlocked iPhone at full price, you can use pay-as-you-go. I'm pretty sure T-Mobile has a no-contract option, as well as several of the lesser-known entities.

45 posted on 09/11/2013 5:15:26 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: quimby
Not only has innovation slowed after steve jobs passing, it seems apple can't even keep a secret. Everything was leaked leaving no surprises today.

Innovation has slowed? By whose metric? Bringing a usable biometric sensor system that integrates with the API and seamlessly in the form factor is pretty innovative, considering we're talking about a new model of an existing product. They're also making the jump to 64-bit CPUs before anyone else - maybe that isn't "sexy", but it will likely keep them in the lead over their competitors for some time.

With so many people involved in the supply chain, it's practically impossible to keep hardware secrets.

The ultimate judgement, apple stock fell after the announcement.

Apple stock falls after every announcement. It has no bearing on what future sales or success will be. (Classic case of "buy the rumor, sell the news, IMO.)

46 posted on 09/11/2013 5:21:12 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: Swordmaker
What happens when you get a cut on your finger, or have on a band-aid? That CHANGES your fingerprint! You might be locked out of your own phone. And in an emergency, no on else could use it, either.

You can program multiple fingers . . .

And I'd be shocked if it didn't have passcode or apple ID + password options to override in case there's a problem with the sensor or your finger.

47 posted on 09/11/2013 5:22:52 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: justlurking
But, there's only a $100 difference between the 5C and the 5S, and you give up a lot of features and performance.

$200 difference, if you're looking at the same storage capacity.

The 5C is simply an iPhone 5 in a different case, with the extra dimension required for the plastic vs. the metal casing used to slightly increase the battery size. I don't see what everyone would be expecting otherwise - this is simply going to take the place of the original iPhone 5 (which is now discontinued) as the entry-level phone for people who, frankly, are bad at math, forgetting how much of their monthly bill is going to pay for that "cheap" phone. (This isn't Apple-specific, of course, it's how the cell companies do business - a "cheap" phone that costs several hundreds more over two years...)

48 posted on 09/11/2013 5:26:35 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: kevkrom
$200 difference, if you're looking at the same storage capacity.

No, it's $100:

$99 for a 16GB iPhone 5C, $199 for a 16 GB iPhone 5S.
$199 for a 32GB iPhone 5C, $299 for a 32 GB iPhone 5S.

That's with a two-year contract. Without a contract:

$549 for a 16GB iPhone 5C, $649 for a 16GB iPhone 5S.
$649 for a 32GB iPhone 5C, $749 for a 32GB iPhone 5S.

The 5C is simply an iPhone 5 in a different case, with the extra dimension required for the plastic vs. the metal casing used to slightly increase the battery size. I don't see what everyone would be expecting otherwise - this is simply going to take the place of the original iPhone 5 (which is now discontinued) as the entry-level phone for people who, frankly, are bad at math, forgetting how much of their monthly bill is going to pay for that "cheap" phone.

There are some slight improvements in the iPhone 5C over the iPhone 5, but not significant. The entry level iPhone will actually be the iPhone 4S with 8GB, at $0 with a 2-year contract, and $450 with no contract.

The hope was that Apple would get the manufacturing cost down low enough and set the price so that the 5C would be the true entry level phone (at no cost with a contract). It would also have made it more affordable in the rest of the world where contract subsidies are not typical, and buyers have to pay the full price upfront (or finance it).

49 posted on 09/11/2013 5:50:46 AM PDT by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: justlurking

Thanks for the correction - for some reason I had it in my head that was straight $100 increments from 5C-16 to 5C-32 to 5S-16.


50 posted on 09/11/2013 5:53:14 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: itsahoot

Appl stock down 20 pts overnight on the news. I think investors were hoping apple was going to be more aggressive in opening emerging markets.


51 posted on 09/11/2013 5:57:30 AM PDT by dangerdoc (see post #6)
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To: kevkrom
Thanks for the correction - for some reason I had it in my head that was straight $100 increments from 5C-16 to 5C-32 to 5S-16.

If it had been, I think it would have been better received:

5C-16: $0
5C-32: $99
5C-16: $199

It will be interesting to see how many people buy the 5C, given the small price differential. The only thing going for it is the color, but there may be enough people that buy on that basis -- then cover it all up with a case. :-)

52 posted on 09/11/2013 5:58:05 AM PDT by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: longtermmemmory

This is not the same tech as you saw on csi


53 posted on 09/11/2013 6:01:14 AM PDT by dangerdoc (see post #6)
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To: Hojczyk
The new function is essentially a fingerprint identity sensor in the home button on the phone that enables users to unlock their device. However, it can also be used as a substitute for passwords when making purchases, including in Apple's iTunes Store.

I'm reminded of this 2005 incident in Malaysia. Carjackers took a guy's $75K Mercedes. The car had a fingerprint anti-theft system. So the carjackers cut off the guy's finger and took it with them.

54 posted on 09/11/2013 6:02:02 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: justlurking

I honestly thought they would ditch the 4S altogether to get off the 30-pin connectors once and for all. The “free” phone being an 8GB 4S is pretty much for the person who wants an “iPhone” but really doesn’t want to use it as such. (I say this as a 4S user who likes his 4S very much, but who also uses a lot more storage than that for apps alone, let alone music, movies, photos, etc.)

As someone likely to upgrade this winter/spring, I’ll certainly take the 5S over the 5C - I agree I don’t see the appeal of it, but then, I never saw the appeal of buying the “lesser” phone available at any given time. Still, the 5C is the least expensive LTE option in the lineup.

I, for one, welcome the fingerprint scanner in the 5S - I have to use a passcode in order to enable push email from my office, and the scanner would be easier and quicker, and likely allow me to set the lock timeout to a shorter values (I use the longest possible time right now, just so I can meet the requirement.)

As for the cases, certainly if you’re going to just put it in a concealing case, there’s little point to caring about color, or even plastic vs. metal. Apple’s case, though, will likely spawn a variety of “cutout” style cases, allowing the underlying color to come through to produce different visual patterns.


55 posted on 09/11/2013 6:11:47 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: dangerdoc
I think investors were hoping apple was going to be more aggressive in opening emerging markets.

I think that no matter what Apple does, it is never enough.

56 posted on 09/11/2013 9:51:20 AM PDT by itsahoot (It is not so much that history repeats, but that human nature does not change.)
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To: itsahoot

Apple is a victim of their own success. Their products are so good....people are in no hurry to upgrade from the Apple products they bought several years ago. They are still “good enough.”


57 posted on 09/11/2013 9:52:50 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
I plan on upgrading from the 4S to the 5S for LTE capability when my contract is up this winter. The rest of the upgrades are just a plus. If I already had an iPhone 5, I wouldn't bother with the upgrade, but especially in the U.S., most folks are on a 2-year contract cycle anyway, so iPhone 5 owners would be waiting for next year.

Of course, that assumes I stay with the phone. I rarely use my phone as a phone, but more as a mobile computer that occasionally makes/takes calls. I might switch to an iPad with cellular data and use some form of VOIP for my limited "phone" use, depending on the service plans my wife an I can work out with one of the major carriers.

58 posted on 09/11/2013 11:53:44 AM PDT by kevkrom (It's not "immigration reform", it's an "amnesty bill". Take back the language!)
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To: Hojczyk

... and we mean literally!
59 posted on 09/11/2013 11:56:36 AM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: dfwgator
They are still “good enough.”

I just cranked up 2005 model of Mac Mini G4 processor to run HyperCard and AppleWorks 5.0, bought it on eBay for $95.00, similar systems still sell for up to $200.00, or about the price of a new commodity PC.

60 posted on 09/11/2013 1:27:45 PM PDT by itsahoot (It is not so much that history repeats, but that human nature does not change.)
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