So early this morning, Apple finally unveils the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S together with the announcement of iOS 7 availability in an Apple event held at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The announcement came as no surprise to many Apple fanboys (just like me) who have been following closely on the development news.

Now I’m not gonna go thoroughly through all nitty-gritty specs, but I’m definitely gonna go through some of the interesting bits that excites me the most. Yeah yeah, there is only this much of things you can expect from this event since we’ve got most of the juicy bits from the leaked photos earlier, but I must admit that Apple is still pretty much leading the innovative race with a few tricks left up their sleeves.

 

Apple iOS 7

Now the iOS 7 is not exactly breaking news, we’ve heard pretty much about it in June this year.  With its new colour palette and a ‘brand new’ flat design, the iOS 7 is much prettier than its previous releases. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the iOS 7 is the Command Centre, a one-stop area where you can control most of your iDevice’s functions. Some Droidboys may not fancy it that much but many others loves it to bits. Other new features are Notification Center and multitasking view and some new ringtones for the operating system and new system alert sounds.

Another thing that many Apple fans (in US for now) are looking forward too is the iTunes Radio which will also launch with iOS 7 on Sept. 18.

 

iPhone 5C

So it’s true that Apple is releasing a budget iPhone 5C but the ‘C’ doesn’t represent cheap. In fact, I feel that Apple is trying to bring back the classiness and fun in technology just like what Steve Jobs did with the colourful iMacs back in late 1990s.

The 5C has many of the same capabilities as the iPhone 5 (including the A6 chip) but the back is replaced with a polycarbonate body, not plastic, but in a single piece of colourful polycarbonate. With the introduction of iPhone 5C, the iPhone 5 will be discontinued.

The iPhone will come in vibrant green, blue, pink, yellow and white, and will be priced at $100 less than the current iPhone 5, starting at $99 for the 16GB version and $199 for the 32GB version. And if you’re looking at the unlocked and non-contractual version, it starts at $549 for the 16GB and $649 for the 32GB version. Yep, you guessed it right – the budget iPhone 5C isn’t that cheap at all!

Apple also introduces a lineup of colourful perforated cases for the 5S so you can mix and match with it. The cases are going for $29 and it comes in Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green, White and Black.

The iPhone 5C is available for pre-order from September 13 onwards.

 

iPhone 5S

The epitome of the event would definitely be the iPhone 5S. As waves of leaked photos swept the internet, it still gives many fanboys goosebumps to see the unveiling of iPhone 5S. Right about this moment, I’m sure some Droidboys reading this would be saying, “like dafuq? It’s exactly the same as iPhone 5, you moron!” Well, I have news for you Droidboys out there, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it! Scramp! I’m not particular excited with the design because I’m already expecting it to be the same. But you cannot deny the fact that the 5S still packs a little surprised that even the Android giants are dying to find out.

First of all, the 5S runs on the latest A7 chip, and it is 64 bit! The world’s first 64 bit mobile phone to date! Well, if you don’t know much about A7 or 64 bit thingy, just know that it’s supposed to make your mobile phone more complicated stuff and enhanced its capability to do more great stuff, okay? Again, it may not be all that great of an impact to the PC industry, but 64 bit on a smartphone is gonna shake a few things up for sure… especially the Samsung boys.

Now there’s also another good reason why Apple is going 64 bit. As Apple is also introducing the TouchID security system for the 5S and upgraded its camera app, Apple needs 64-bit for fingerprint authentication as well as the camera features the company has added to the latest iPhone. In other words, 64-bit is an enabler to features that may matter to the masses.

So with TouchID, there’s no more unlocking your iPhone 5S with a swipe lock. Just place any of your fingers on the home button and your phone will unlock itself. Sure, the TouchID raises a few issues on security and privacy but it’ll soon be sorted out.

The 5S also boasts an improved camera with a f/2.2 aperture for taking better photos in low light as well as a dual-LED flash for creating the perfect natural color balance in shots. A panorama mode can take a 28-megapixel shot, and a new burst mode snaps 10 still pictures in one second.

The iPhone 5S will be available in silver, gold and space gray (not gunmetal). There no changes from the previous pricing -16GB at $199. 32GB at $299 and 64GB at $399. Yes, that’s on-contract and as for the unlocked and non-contract version – 16GB at $649. 32GB at $749 and 64GB at $849.

The iPhone 5S will roll out from September 20 onwards to US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and UK. And also will be available for 100 countries and 270 carriers in December, before the end of the year.

Do you like the new iPhone 5C and 5S and plan to make a purchase? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, would love to hear from you… and the haters too.