back to article Apple prepares to unleash iPhone 5S, 5C for the GREAT BRAWL OF CHINA

Apple will launch an assault on the booming Chinese smartphone market tomorrow with the announcement of two new iPhones. As well as the expected iPhone 5S, Apple is more or less certain to introduce a cheaper mobe thought to be called the 5C, which is aimed at China and developing markets. China is now the world's biggest …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I have it on great authority...

    ...that, in a surprise announcement tomorrow, Apple is going to kill off the iPad (a 'source' close to Tim Cook quoted the great man possibly saying 'I know when I'm beaten, and, with their Surface tablet, Microsoft have really shown us how it's done. I am humbled') and bring the Newton Messagepad back in its place (another 'source' close to Tim Cook, a similar distance, but standing on the opposite side to the first source so as to not cramp the great man too much on one side, states that Tim Cook may have meant to have possibly said, 'Listen, I told the first source that I know when I'm beaten etc... etc..., but the Newton has that cool puff of smoke when you scrub something out, and that makes both me, the investors and the world a happier place').

    I think that's the news pretty much covered for the next 24 hours or so.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I have it on great authority...

      That I won't be buying the 'new' iPhone, I will settle for the iOS update and wait till next year and get a proper 'new' phone and not an incremental upgrade.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I have it on great authority...

        You say this without knowing what they are releasing...?

      2. Otto is a bear.

        Re: I have it on great authority...

        Then again, if you have a 4S you might well be considering a 5S. My 4S has a tiny scratch on the screen so I simply must get a new phone.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I have it on great authority...

          I went from a 3GS running iOS6 to a 5 running ... iOS6. Neatly cutting out the entire "4" generation. Both phones were "work supplied".

          Apple has a very big installed base now, and I suspect very few people actually buy every model, most upgrading every couple of models or so (as I did) for whatever reason might be applicable (missing app, contract renewal, the macarena etc.)

          I will be interested to see how iOS7 runs, but probably will avoid it because I have a few jailbreak tweaks I like and want to keep them. I suspect jail breaking iOS7 might never happen.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I have it on great authority...

        All phones these days are incremental updates.

        A major change is when they change form, add something completely new to the mobile world.

        Most tech firms have given up thinking of what to add to phones. They're just like laptops now, ticking over, getting bigger or smaller. Better CPUs etc.

        That's why firms are tinkering with watches and other stuff.

      4. davemcwish

        Re: I have it on great authority...

        Not sure I agree, given the cycle IMHO it appears that an upgrade based on the 'S' releases seems to be a better option taking the form factor change and adding additional technical upgrades (camera mainly).

    2. Michael Thibault

      Re: I have it on great authority...

      >the Newton has that cool puff of smoke when you scrub something out

      Actually, that's still around: it's now known, in OSX, as the Dock poof (drop it, cousins across the water!).

  2. johnnymotel

    I bet he never 'actually' said this...

    David Webber, managing director of Intelligent Environments, a financial services software provider, said this would encourage fanbois to access bank accounts using their fondleslab.

  3. craigj

    A recent report found that Apple had a paltry 4.6 per cent share of the massive Chinese smartphone market.

    Sounds reasonable. But last week El Reg posted an image showing 22.4% share http://regmedia.co.uk/2013/09/03/smartphones_all_markets_small.jpg (Which sounds less likely)

    At least keep your BS consistent El Reg :)

  4. Frankee Llonnygog

    And one less thing ...

    Tin Cook: "I am very pleased not to be announcing a flat-screen TV, or a wristwatch-format device"

    1. Frankee Llonnygog

      Re: And one less thing ...

      Tim Cook, even. A Tin Cook, alongside a robot butler? I'd buy that for a dollar

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    New iPhones and god knows what else - it's like Christmas comes early this year <lol>.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does this mean

    we can laugh at iphone owners even more now, when they get all upset when we mistake their £800 status symbol for the £80 chinese variant?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Does this mean

      Or like every other year, when we mistake their £800 status symbol for last year's £800 (currently £300) status symbol. It IS an 'S' year, after all...

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Does this mean

        There's not a hope in hell you'd be able to buy a new 4S for £300. They remain in massive demand - hell even a 4 is still pretty pricey unless you buy a used 2nd hand one.

        1. Mark .

          Re: Does this mean

          Whatever the exact prices, it's still already the case that Apple already sell cheaper phones, because of the older models going at lower prices (e.g., iphone 4 now on £15/month contract), and it's not clear that releasing several models will change that. All it'll do is make it more obvious that iphones can be cheap products, as well as making it even harder for developers, after years of "It's better that there's only one model to develop for".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Does this mean

      I can fit 100 5C iphones in my luggage and sell them at Heathrow for £600 each ?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Does this mean

      £800? they're around £529.

      Yes if you take out a contract it works out more, but you're getting line rental with calls, texts and data too.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    iPhone 5S

    Note to self: Must not care.

  8. Paul 164

    Fingerprint scanner?

    If the fingerprint scanner is introduced it would be of great interest to the NSA and GCHQ as the fingerprint data would no doubt be stored in "the cloud" and accessible by them.

    Hey presto, fingerprint data on millions of previously unknown people.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Re: Fingerprint scanner?

      I have one on my HP laptop. It is the most useless POS I've ever seen.

      got a dirty finger? won't work

      got a sweaty finger? won't work

      etc etc

      Not a USP topic for me on any device. If I decide to buy a phone then the USP for me is being able to turn the dammed thing off/disable it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Fingerprint scanner?

        Maybe consider cleaning your hands - guess an iris scanner with your eyes shut or wearing sunglasses may not work either ;)

      2. Magnus Ramage

        Re: Fingerprint scanner?

        Same here with my Lenovo laptop. Sometimes the fingerprint scanner works, sometimes it doesn't. I could never rely on it (and don't).

        1. Otto is a bear.

          Re: Fingerprint scanner?

          Funny that, never had a problem with my Lenovo, or the IBM before that.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Fingerprint scanner?

        It may have escaped your notice that Apple isn't HP.

        They don't shove technology into their products unless it works well.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Fingerprint scanner? - technology must work well

          I guess I must have been holding it wrong.

    2. Only me!

      Re: Fingerprint scanner?

      My gym has just deployed finger scanners to get in and out.....works on the way in.

      On the way out when I am a little more heated up and about to run home it does not play ball!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. Steve the Cynic

        Re: Fingerprint scanner?

        "My gym has just deployed finger scanners to get in and out.....works on the way in.

        "On the way out when I am a little more heated up and about to run home it does not play ball!!!!!!!!!!!!"

        Take one Lack-Of-Originality point, sorry.

        http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Cracking-your-Fingers.aspx

    3. Philip Lewis

      Re: Fingerprint scanner?

      I have entered the US previously - they already know me

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Fingerprint scanner?

      NSA quips are a dime a dozen here. Most are at most funny.

      Your remark? Unfortunately too close for comfort, potentially.

      Someone else remarked they'd gotten fingerprinted at the US border. Good, but that's tied to a passport, which is "just" tied to an official real world ID. And it is limited to people crossing the US border.

      With access to a device fingerprint match, they can tie your online activities back to that passport, potentially.

      And as we know now, "meta data" is not considered private. Wanna bet that fingerprint-related data (such as who was where) will be off limit to the spooks?

      Watch that space :-(

  9. This post has been deleted by its author

  10. Enrico Vanni
    Windows

    Cheaper Option?!?!

    Obvious diversification of the products into top and lower end, rather than just spec levels of the same product?! The rot is setting in as Apple start to lose utmost confidence in their brand. Jobs would never have allowed it.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Cheaper Option?!?!

      What about the iPod Shuffle then?

      1. Enrico Vanni

        Re: Cheaper Option?!?!

        iPod Shuffle is a markedly different product from iPod Touch (as is nano from both), and the sliding down of previous model iPhones into lower price points is fine as the models had their 'day' as the premium offering.

        This iPhone launch is going to be marked as the first with a 'Grade A' and 'Grade B' spec version on the same podium, which can be taken as an admission that Grade A isn't whizz-bang enough to tempt those on the cusp to part with their cash.

        The message is clear - Apple is declaring they are going down market (which is different to actually going down market while not saying you are).

        Other companies work like this all the time, but Apple is (or was until this) all about premium.

        1. Philip Lewis

          Re: Cheaper Option?!?!

          "is going to be marked as the first with a 'Grade A' and 'Grade B' spec"

          and your source of this knowledge is?

          Maybe they will only release the 5C"heapo" for that Chinese mob with the "own brand" network so it won't work anywhere else. Geographic market segmentation is a widely practised and profitable strategy for many companies in many industries and Apple might just like to join the crowd.

      2. Mark .

        Re: Cheaper Option?!?!

        Anyone remember what an ipod shuffle is?

        Exactly.

    2. Otto is a bear.

      Re: Cheaper Option?!?!

      Sorry third post on the same subject, but iPods have been that way for a number of years, in fact you could say the whole iThing range is a range from premium, big 4G iPad to iPod mini, and don't forget you can still get the iPhone 4 (Just) and iPhone 4S new from suppliers, which could be seen as entry level models. 99$ for a 4S.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bet many AT&T customers won't be upgrading this time around

    Now that AT&T doesn't have any sort of early upgrade any longer there is absolutely no benefit to being a long term AT&T customer like there used to be (since 2000 for me) So I'm keeping my 5, letting my contract run out then buying one next year for full price and going with an MVNO and figure to save about $30/month.

  12. A 31

    about time !

    My iphone 5 was already starting to play up, battery running out in a couple of hours, power button needs pressing 6 times to be sure , screen scratches if you just look at it ... most excellent .... oh ... its the same thing ? or probably worse than the previous one ... non apple phone... here I come

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    China already sewn up with 90% Android domiance.

    Sorry Apple, just like Windows Phone outside of China, you are several years too late to the party, and no doubt several thousand RMB too high also.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    5S and 5C

    Server and Client editions??

    A nod to Microsoft perhaps. Sell the same thing but with some features disabled in software.

  15. blasty

    Release date set at 20th September according to this..

    http://www.wirezy.com/iphone-5s-release-date/

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