Apple’s new iPhone 5c is a plastic-backed replacement for last year’s aluminum-cased iPhone 5. It’s a lower-priced alternative to the higher-end iPhone 5S.
For a company that prides itself on creating products that last a long time, this is a bold move. Historically, iPhone buyers with $99 to spend have been quietly directed to the iPhone leftovers, but this year, the company’s marketing team is making a big splash.
Color
Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone 5c, comes in a rainbow of colors and has a starting price of half that of its flagship 5S. The 5C is a radically updated version of the previous iPhone 5 that has a shiny new shell of hard-coated polycarbonate.
It’s not the first phone to use colored-through machined polycarbonate; Nokia, HTC and other mobile makers have done so before with their Lumia handsets. But the 5C takes it to a whole new level, using a glossy, ultra-smooth finish that makes the device look like enamel on a metal surface.
Color has long been a part of Apple’s product design strategy. They’ve had a black iPhone for years now, but the 5c is the first one to come in a full range of bold colors – blue, pink, green, yellow and white.
In some circles, color is a very important factor in the buying decision. Some people will choose a color based on what they want the phone to represent, while others will go with a color that suits their personality. Regardless, there’s nothing wrong with picking a color that you love or finding a case that suits your style.
The 5c’s vibrant color options have given it the opportunity to appeal to a new group of customers. These customers aren’t interested in spending a lot of money, but they’re also not going to be interested in getting something that looks exactly like a traditional phone.
While these customers don’t have the same type of relationships with Apple that the high-end iPhone owners do, they do have a deep appreciation for the company’s commitment to quality. The bright colors of the 5C are an attempt to communicate that Apple cares about these customers and wants them to have a device they’ll be proud to show off.
It’s an extremely effective marketing move from Apple, and it should make its mark on the company’s stock price. As Apple continues to lose ground to Samsung, it’s important for the company to find a way to reintroduce itself to its customers.
Cheap
Apple’s phones have usually been more expensive than the competition, but Cupertino does occasionally release budget options – the iPhone 5c was one of those devices. It was introduced alongside the premium 5s, but it opted for a plastic shell rather than a metal one.
This was a big gamble and it worked out well for Apple. The lower price helped it attract more consumers who wouldn’t otherwise have considered buying an iPhone, and some of them have been loyal customers ever since.
The iPhone 5c was also a success because it essentially put all the top features of Apple’s flagship handset at a much more affordable price. While it still didn’t have all the features that the premium 5s did, it did include a lot of the key components like the A6 chip and a 4-inch Retina display that made it more than an average phone in 2013.
However, it’s important to note that the iPhone 5c is hardly a cheap Android rival and won’t cause any issues with top-flight handsets from Google or Samsung – it’s an iOS device optimized for work within Apple’s ecosystem.
It’s a great phone that performs as you’d expect and has a fantastic camera, so if you want something a little more budget-friendly that is still a very good choice. Its coloured design may be a bit cheeky for some people, but it’s not a bad choice in the right hands, and its price point is surprisingly low compared to some of the high-end phones on the market today.
The biggest disappointment with the iPhone 5c is its storage. You can only buy it with 16GB or 32GB of storage and it’s not possible to expand the memory via microSD cards. This limits the phone’s potential, and most users will fill up their phone’s storage fairly quickly.
The new phone will help Apple prevent share loss in Europe and Asia, where unsubsidized prices are typically around $450. It will also help the company regain some market share against Android, which is currently a big threat in those regions.
Choice
The newest member of the Apple family vying for the crown of iPhone king is the iPhone 5c, a plastic-backed brew that’s as light on your wallet as it is on your ear. Compared to its predecessor, the 5c stands out for several reasons, most of which center on performance and battery life. As such, the 5c is a good fit for many iPhone enthusiasts. The aforementioned mobile marvel is only the start of a plethora of new iPhone models to be released by the time you read this, with the latest and greatest to follow in the months to come. Choosing the right one for you is as much a matter of personal preference and a little research as it is a matter of which device aficionado you are and what your needs are.
China
One of the key determinants of success or failure for global handset makers is the China market. With one-third of all smartphone sales now made in that country, China is a huge $80 billion market that makes or breaks many global brands.
The big announcement Apple made this week, introducing the iPhone 5C and 5S lines at an event in Beijing, was a bold move to show that it was serious about Chinese business. The new phones will be sold through China’s two dominant mobile networks, China Telecom and China Mobile.
Having a phone compatible with those networks will make a lot of money for Apple in the long run. It’ll also give Apple an edge in the marketplace, and allow it to tap into hundreds of millions of potential customers.
Another major shift in Apple’s strategy is its focus on the mass market rather than just a select few snobs. The iPhone 5C is the company’s first entry into this area. It’s a cheap iPhone that’s meant to attract a broad range of users.
As a result, the phone will be available in a wide array of colors, including pink, blue, green, yellow and white, a move that could help Apple make more money in China by attracting more people. The company is betting on the colors’ popularity with Chinese consumers, who associate different hues with specific things.
In the United States, for example, black is associated with elegance and power and white with purity. In China, red and gold are considered status symbols for wealth and happiness.
But, as it turns out, these aren’t strong associations with most Chinese consumers. In fact, only 12% of respondents to a recent survey by Umeng, a Chinese analytics firm, said they associate purple with prestige.
It’s unlikely that Apple would try to market a purple iPhone to the majority of its Chinese customers, however. If it does, I doubt that the company will sell very many of them at all.
The fact that the iPhone 5C is selling poorly in China compared to the iPhone 5 and 5S suggests that people are rejecting its colorful design. That may explain why the phone is stalling in China, despite its popularity elsewhere.
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