By Jessica Fontenot

[email protected]

Finally, the new iPhone. No one might have said it, but it was everyone’s initial reaction at the announcement of the iPhone 5c and 5s. Ever since the smartphone’s release back in 2007, the iPhone introduced a new standard to the generation of cellular phones that had everyone questioning the quality and practicality of their own. So if you’re questioning your friends’ reasoning in standing outside an Apple store, waiting for the new phone’s release and wondering if you should’ve done the same, here is some information to help you understand the new Apple trendsetters.

As is tradition for each new release, each phone itself offers only a few new features, such as the finger identity sensor, the camera’s, now called iSight, ability to take photos while filming a video and iTunes’ newest feature, the iTunes Radio. The iTunes Radio is similar to Pandora and Genius in that you can make a search entry based on genre, artist or song title. It does not, however, take songs from iTunes store that you already have. But every station you make can be synced to all of  your Apple devices. The finger identity sensor is handy in that it holds a future with the possibility of eliminating the need to memorize long lists of passwords. The phone is also fingerprint resistant, so you won’t have to worry about someone stealing your fingerprint to gain access to your phone in the event that it is stolen. Other than that, and if you browse through the new phones’ list of tech specs, you can see that mainly everything that comes with an iPhone is upgraded and integrated with this version, making the phone’s exterior the main focus and appeal to Apple’s audience.

Those who upgraded their phones to the iOS7 may have noticed that Apple has taken a new approach in terms of design style. Almost all shadows and glares are gone, making the phone’s outlook flat. Programmers behind the iOS7 have instead integrated the three-axis gyroscope so that the home screen and apps appear to be in 3D. The update has also added some convenient and much wanted features on the home screen, where an individual can now change the brightness of their phone, set their phone to airplane mode or sleep mode, check their Wi-Fi, turn on Bluetooth or lock the portrait orientation. If you have your music player on, you can access the volume, forward or back button and view the time of the song you’re listening to as soon as you view the lock screen.

Since this is the first time Apple has made a cheaper alternative available with an iPhone’s release, it seems that they have made this version of the iPhone a paradigm for the next generation of phones to come. This shows that an individual doesn’t need something “flashy” like the iPhone 5s’ new gold and silver editions, as long as they want a phone with some practicality, ironic for Apple’s usual method of marketing. This cheaper alternative, the iPhone 5c, has a frame made out of plastic and comes in five different colors, blue, green, red, yellow and white. The phone itself has the same features as the iPhone 5s, but has an A6 chip instead of the iPhone 5s’ self-acclaimed A7 with 64-bit architecture chip and an unnoticeably lower camera quality, in comparison to the 5c, that is. The iPhone 5s also comes with the M7, a chip that handles all the sensors, such as the gyroscope, accelerometer and compass. Because the A7 doesn’t have to do as much work, this adds a lot of quality to iSight, makes gameplay a lot smoother and should lessen battery consumption.

If you’re looking into buying any one of these phones, a few cases have been released with the iPhones that cater to its design. A customer can mix and match with the option of five different colored cases that go with the iPhone 5c while the iPhone 5s’ cases stick to its more modern and casual look.

Even with the cheap, plastic alternative, spending $100 or more may seem unnecessary if you already have an iPhone. But to those loyal to the Apple industry, the iOS7 update calls for a partnership both the update and the two new phones were made for. All in all, this decision is up to you, but be wary, as it is easy to get caught up in the hype that comes with each new Apple product.