(Photo : REUTERS/Stephen Lam)
Â
Apple has kicked off a new offer that allows customers to grab an iPhone 5S without a SIM card on its website, giving customers who frequently travel abroad or don't like being tied to carrier contracts a new opportunity to become an iPhone owner.
Apple is currently selling the SIM card-free iPhone 5S for $649 (16 GB), $749 (32 GB) and $849 (64 GB). The new iPhone 5S version is compatible with GSM networks, which includes AT&T and T-Mobile. With no carrier contract plans tied to the phone, consumers can sign up for a short-term plan and switch to a carrier whenever they want.
Apple also struck a deal with China Mobile, the world's largest carrier by subscriber count, thsi week that would give the carrier the chance to launch the iPhone 5C and 5S on its new 4G network. Mizuho Securities analyst Marvin Lo in Hong Kong told The Wall Street Journal that he believes "a deal with China Mobile would give Apple a big boost in the China market as the largest local carrier has the most wealthy subscriber base.
"I estimate that among China Mobile's more than 700 million mobile subscribers, at least 10% or 70 million wealthier ones would be potential customers for iPhones," he added.
In related news, a new Apple patent for a Touch ID-related feature that covers the circuits and packaging for fingerprint sensors has been published by the US Patent & Trademark Office. Touch ID debuted in the iPhone 5S. The full breakdown of the new patent is available at Patently Apple [2] .
iPhone 5S vs. iPhone 5C: apps crash on 5S two times more than on iPhone 5C, 5
That shiny gold, quick new iPhone 5S flagship isn't working as efficiently as Apple's low-cost smartphone and older flagship smartphone, according to new research from Crittercism, reported by AllThingsD.
Apps on the iPhone 5S crash at a 2% rate, whereas apps on the iPhone 5 and 5C crash only 1% of the time, most likely due to developers' unpreparedness to Apple's new 64-bit or M7 coprocessor packed into the 5S. Apple is aware of the issues developers are experiencing, having already released two new iOS 7 updates. The increase in app crashes shouldn't be a long-term problem, anyway, as Crittercism CEO told AllThingsD that "inevitably, over time, those issues get resolved."
Check out this comparison video review of the iPhone 5C vs. iPhone 5S.
The colorful iPhone 5C has been revealed to cost between $173 and $183 to build after $7 worth of assembly. In comparison, the 16GB variant of the iPhone 5S costs Apple $199, with the 64GB option at $218 itself. The cost breakdown was completed by IHSÂ "during a device teardown," according to CNET. IHS claims that it costs Apple $8 to assemble the 5S units, with the rest of the cost going to its parts.
The IHS report also adds that Apple's displays are the most expensive piece at $41.
Pricey to build means more pesos coming out of your pockets too of course. Apple is pushing the iPhone 5S for between $649 and $849 and the iPhone 5C will cost you between $549 and $649 without a contract.
No comments:
Post a Comment