iPhone 5s

First iPhone 5c/5s unboxing video and photos arrive

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

With less than three days left until the iPhone 5s/5c general availability, Apple this morning posted a reminder that both handsets are scheduled to go on sale on Friday, September 20 at 8:00am local time at Apple retail stores and at 12:01am PDT at the online Apple Store in the United States, United kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico and Singapore.

The company promised to release iOS 7 for public consumption on Wednesday so we think first iOS 7 and iPhone 5s/5c reviews will be hitting the web real soon. In the meantime, folks who pre-ordered Apple's cases for the new iPhones have reported receiving their shipment early.

And over in China, a few lucky customers who seem to have gotten their hands on the first iPhone 5s and 5c units posted photographic and video evidence of the unboxing as proof...

Apple (again) announces iPhone 5s/5c go on sale on Friday

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 17, 2013

It may not be the press release Wall Street has been keeping its fingers crossed for, but Apple in a newly published media statement on Tuesday nevertheless reminded us that the new iPhone 5s and 5c are scheduled to go on sale on Friday, September 20 at 8:00am local time at Apple retail stores and at 12:01am PDT at the online Apple Store.

Both handsets will be available from day one in the United States, United kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico Singapore and - for the first time - in China, where Apple used to deliver new iPhones months after they'd launched in the United States...

Missing iPhone 5c presale announcement causing Wall Street worries

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

It doesn't take much to spook investors. For instance, concern over Apple's silence on iPhone 5c presale numbers prompted a 2.5 percent dip in the Cupertino, Calif. company's stock Monday. At issue is whether a lack of a preorder announcement signals less demand for the inexpensive iPhone or supply problems for the flagship iPhone 5s.

Although Apple didn't announce presale figures for the first iPhone, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS, starting with the iPhone 4 the company has issued a press release touting a newly-broken presale number. Is Apple just waiting until sales of the iPhone 5s (which isn't available for preorder) launches to make an announcement for both iPhones?

One answer could come from China, where a carrier yesterday announced how many of the new iPhones have already been reserved...

Apple begins taking iPhone 5s reservations in China, most models already sold out

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple took some criticism yesterday for not announcing any iPhone 5c sales numbers from its pre-order launch weekend. Many pundits took the PR silence as a sign that the plastic handset isn't selling very well.

But that doesn't seem to be the case with the company's flagship iPhone 5s. The phone just became available for advanced reservation in Hong Kong and mainland China, and several models have already sold out...

Sprint taking $100 off iPhone 5c and 5s models for new customers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

With both new iPhones coming to Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile this week, expect to see providers put in a little extra effort to lure in new customers. After all, this is the first time ever that Apple's popular handset will launch on all 4 major US carriers.

Sprint, for example, announced today that it will be offering a $100 instant credit to folks porting in their number to their network from another carrier. And that credit can be used toward the purchase price of the iPhone 5c or 5s, essentially knocking $100 off...

Apple to devs: we want your 64-bit apps ASAP

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 22, 2017

With its new flagship iPhone 5s, Apple is ushering in an era of 64-bit computing on smartphones, an unexpected move which has left rivals such as Samsung scrambling to release mobile devices running 64-bit processors at some point in 2014 - with absolutely no clear idea of how the hardware and software will work together to improve their apps.

In the meantime, Apple is now asking its registered iOS developers to optimize and submit their warez for the device's 64-bit A7 chip...

US carriers to open at 8 am Friday for iPhone launch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

With Apple not offering pre-orders for the iPhone 5s, folks hoping to score the handset on launch day will have to make their way to a local retailer. A number of outlets will be selling the new iPhones on Friday, including Walmart and Radio Shack.

What time should you get there? Well some folks have already been in line for several days now. But if you're not that committed, we recommend getting there as early on Friday morning as possible. It looks like most retailers are opening at 8 am...

China Unicom announces taking 100,000 iPhone 5s/5c reservations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 3, 2017

As Apple fans in Japan batter the storm camping out in front of the local Apple Store ahead of Friday’s launch of the new top-line iPhone 5s and the colorful plastic iPhone 5c, journalists have been playing somewhat of a guessing game regarding iPhone 5c pre-orders (the 5s isn't available for pre-order).

What's the new milestone going to be and will it shatter previous iPhone pre-orders are the questions occupying the collective minds of Apple watchers as pundits have been holding their breath for an Apple press release. In the meantime, China Unicom has released some cold hard numbers...

Japanese typhoon can’t stop fans waiting for new iPhones

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 16, 2013

Would you brave a tornado or hurricane to be first in line for Apple's newest iPhones? That was the situation in Japan, where Tokyo consumers camped out in front of the local Apple Store ahead of Friday's iPhone 5s/5c launch. Luckily, Apple employees let the fans inside just before a typhoon struck.

Along with shelter from the storm, drenched fan boys and girls were given complimentary water, according to a local report. Customers were "so moved" by Apple's gesture, according to a YouTube user who uploaded a video of the weather. Japan's largest carrier NTT DoCoMo becomes the latest provider in that country to sell the Apple smartphone...

iPhone 5c shipping times begin to slip

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 16, 2013

It's been three days since Apple started taking iPhone 5c pre-orders on Friday at 12:00am Pacific time and shipping times for some models are now slipping to next month.

Cody already told you that the unlocked 16GB yellow model was the first to sell out and now comes word that Apple is continuing to push back shipping estimates for various other models.

And to think naysayers made fun of the colorful handset, dismissing the lineup on the basis of the iPhone 5c being nothing more than a repackaged iPhone 5...

Apple posts official iPhone 5s/5c schematics

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 24, 2017

Just as it did last year ahead of the September iPhone 5 debut, Apple has now posted the official schematics detailing the design of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c ahead of their Friday availability.

A pair of documents provide the blueprints for both new iPhones, including the dimensions, button layouts and the so-called keepout areas so accessory and case makers can design their products accordingly.

The iPhone 5s schematics is largely similar to the iPhone 5 due to the design similarities shared between the two handsets. The interesting takeaways include Apple's requirements regarding the Touch ID sensor and the radio transparent windows related to the iPhone 5c and its tweaked antenna design...

Apple Stores to demo Touch ID using a dedicated app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

When the iPhone 5s launches this Friday, Apple's retail employees will be showing off the new Touch ID fingerprint reading functionality to prospective customers using a dedicated app designed especially for this purpose, a new report Monday claimed. The feature, stemming from last year's acquisition of Israeli biometric experts AuthenTenc, uses the fingerprint sensor embedded into the iconic Home button to unlock the handset with a touch of your finger and approved purchases on Apple's content stores...