Apple's new iPhones simultaneously aim high, low

         
For the first time since introducing the device that has reshaped technology and culture, Apple will offer two distinct versions of its latest iPhones  a cheaper model made of colorful plastic and another one that aims to be "the gold standard of smartphones" with a faster processor, fancier camera and fingerprint scanner for better security.

Apple hatched the next iPhone generation, set to go on sale Sept. 20, during a Tuesday spectacle that was capped by a three-song performance by Elvis Costello at the company's Cupertino, California, headquarters.

The company also announced it will release a previously announced overhaul of its operating system for iPhones and iPads on Sept. 18.

The iOS 7 adds an iTunes radio station, new photo management tools and more ways to access apps. It will be available for free and compatible with Apple devices dating back to the iPhone 4 released in 2010 and the iPad 2 that debuted in 2011. The operating system will already be installed on Apple's new line-up of phones.                       

In a mild surprise, Apple said it will also begin giving away its iPhoto, iMovie, Numbers, Pages and Keynote apps as part of iOS 7. The company has been charging 99 cents to $4.99 for each of those apps. Analysts interpreted the free distribution of the Numbers, Pages and Keynote apps part of Apple's "iWork" suite of software as a challenge to Microsoft Corp.'s package of widely used Office programs for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.                            

The annual unveiling of Apple's new iPhones came as the world's most valuable company tries to regain some of the market share that it has lost during the past two years to Samsung Electronics and other smartphone makers who rely on Google Inc.'s free Android operating system. Many of those devices cost less than the iPhone and boast features, such as larger screens, missing from Apple's best-selling product.  That has made Android phones an attractive alternative to budget-conscious consumers who still want to impress their friends.

The intensifying competition has slowed Apple's financial growth and undermined the company's stock, which has fallen by nearly 30 percent, or more than $200 per share, since peaking at $705.07 when the last iPhone came out.                           

As a counterattack against Android, Apple designed a less expensive iPhone called the 5C in an effort to boost sales in China and other areas where people don't have as much money to spend on new gadgets as they do in the US and Europe.                        

In an effort to broaden the iPhone's reach, Apple is expected to announce at a Wednesday event scheduled in Beijing that China Mobile will sell the device. With more than 700 million subscribers, China Mobile is by far the largest wireless service in the world's most populous country.

The prices for the 5C will start at $99 for a 16-gigabyte model with a two-year wireless contract. Without a contract, the 5C prices start as $549, not as low as analysts thought Apple might go to make a bigger splash as it wades into the lower end of the market.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek described the 5C as "lovely" in a note to investors, but said that the $99 starting price "still leaves Apple with a product gap in the low-end."

The pricing signals Apple still believes there are still plenty of sales to be made to people willing to pay for elegantly designed devices that sell for slightly more than the competition, said Ovum analyst Tony Cripps.                                     

Although the 5C is Apple's least expensive new iPhone ever, the company is trying to ensure it's not viewed as a sub-standard product. The lower-end phone is pretty much the same as the iPhone 5 except it's housed in plastic casing instead of aluminum.

The 5C will be available in five colors green, blue, yellow, pink and white.

As if to hammer the point home, Apple is even selling the 5S in a gold color. It will also be available in silver and "space gray."

The luxury phone contains a 64-bit chip instead of the 32-bit chip used in most smartphones. That will enable it to run applications and play games at speeds twice as fast as the iPhone 5.

The 5S camera is equipped with larger pixels and a larger aperture, which helps capture more light. The phone also has a "true-tone" flash feature that is designed not to clash with the colors in the room or a person's skin color.

The camera, called iSight, has "auto image stabilization," which helps avoid blurry pictures, and a slow-motion option for video. A "burst mode" can take 10 frames per second as long as you hold your finger on the shutter, then find the best one in your camera roll.

The 5S's biggest innovation, though, may be in how it's unlocked. Instead of relying on a four-digit code to gain access to the device, 5S users will have the option of allowing the smartphone to memorize their fingerprints instead. The 5S contains a thin scanner, called "Touch ID," inside the home button on the phone that automatically recognizes a user's selected fingerprint. The fingerprint scanner also can be tied to Apple's iTunes and apps store to remove the need to type in passwords to access those services, too.


AP