iPhone 5S hands-on: September 20 release date, 3 colors, new specs Low Cost
iPhone 5S hands-on: September 20 release date, 3 colors, new specs Low Cost | New
Apple pulled back the curtain on its buzzy iPhone 5 successor at a Tuesday launch event held here at the company's headquarters. Physically, the gold, "space gray," or white aluminum iPhone 5S
closely resembles the iPhone before it (bye-bye, basic black), but Apple has bulked up its flagship smartphone with a fingerprint scanner, a faster 64-bit A7 processor, and high-end camera features. What the 5S doesn't have, though, is a larger screen: The technology giant announced the premium iPhone 5S and low-cost 5C in the US on Tuesday and China yesterday.
The iPhone 5S costs the same on contract as the iPhone 5 did at launch: $199 for the 16GB version, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. Protective cases that Apple made specifically for the device will cost $39 each, and you had better believe there will be a flurry of third-party cases.
Along with the cheaper, riotously colored iPhone 5C ($99 for 16GB for a two-year contract), the iPhone 5S goes on sale September 20 in various countries like the US, UK, China, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and Singapore. Both phones will come to 100 countries and 270 carriers in December.
Fingerprint scanner
The optional fingerprint scanner rescues Apple's reputation as a smartphone maker with cutting-edge features that actually influence how people use their phones. The new scanner, called the Touch ID sensor, is integrated into the home button and adds some classy materials with its sapphire crystal topper and "stainless-steel detection ring." Now you tap to activate your phone, instead of pressing the button (but the button still depresses for normal navigation actions.
The optional fingerprint scanner rescues Apple's reputation as a smartphone maker with cutting-edge features that actually influence how people use their phones. The new scanner, called the Touch ID sensor, is integrated into the home button and adds some classy materials with its sapphire crystal topper and "stainless-steel detection ring." Now you tap to activate your phone, instead of pressing the button (but the button still depresses for normal navigation actions.
Touch ID scans subepidermal skin layers, Apple says, and has "360-degree readability," meaning it should be able to recognize your fingerprint regardless of orientation.
In addition to the Touch ID sensor doubling as your security key instead of a four-key password, you can also purchase apps and other iTunes content with a tap of your finger. Fingerprint information is never available to other apps, Apple says, nor will it be stored in the cloud.
As for guest profiles, yes, you can store details for multiple fingers -- yours and someone else's.
In classic Apple style, Touch ID is easy to set up as you tap and circle your finger to capture multiple fingerprint angles. In fact, setup is a bit like a video game that collects more prints the more you tap. After that, you scan your fingerprint and voila, you're in. The entire setup process takes a minute or less. Log-in is as quick as clicking.
How did it feel during a brief hands-on session after Apple's event? Surprisingly easy and fast. We were able to have Touch ID scan our fingerprint after about a dozen or so tap-clicks. After the process is done, the scan happens instantaneously: it feels just like clicking a home button. The scan becomes unnoticeable. There is a little adjustment, though, to getting used to how the button now works capacitively and as a click button.
If you don't want to use the fingerprint scanner, you don't have to. There's still the option to use the four-digit PIN password or no password at all. The benefit? No longer having to enter your iTunes ID in order to make purchases.
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