by 
Updated on December 10, 2021
On Saturday, I went to the Apple Store to see for myself the iPhone 5S and 5C in person. The Apple Store I went to have been decorated for the big iPhone debut.
As for the iPhones themselves, I only have brief thoughts to offer. For a more in-depth review, try Engadget’s reviews of the 5S and 5C.
Both phones felt comfortable and sturdy, even though the 5C felt (of course) like plastic. The 5S felt faster than the 5C, as expected. The speed of the 5S felt nice, and would well be worth the extra $100 (on contract) for the model for power users, or those wanting to avoid obsolescence sooner (as the 5C is pretty much the same specs as the 5). However, I expect the 5C’s cheaper price and multiple colors to make it popular among younger buyers, those looking to save a few dollars, and/or those who aren’t power users.
The revamped iOS 7 user interface looks flat as expected, but looks cleaner than the older versions. The skeuomorphism seems to have been given the heave-ho, as many have been demanding Apple do, so I suppose they’ve gotten what they asked for. (It never bothered me on OS X.) The icon changes and some of the UI revamping, including increased use of slide-down drawers, makes it feel more like my Android devices in some ways.
As for the future, I’d like to see Apple release an iPhone with a bigger-sized screen, which might help it go against the size inflation smartphones are undergoing.
For those upgrading, iPhone 4 users will be well served upgrading to the 5C or 5S, while 4S users will probably want the 5S. iPhone 5 users, in my opinion, will want to wait until the iPhone 6 (or whatever it’s named) comes out next year. Buyers of the 5S or 5C will likely want to skip the new “Connect 4”-like holed cases Apple’s offering, and buy a conventional one instead.
