The new iPhones went on sale here last Friday. It always delights me how coy Apple is. If you ask what message Apple might be trying to send Microsoft by making OS 10.9 and iWork free, you'll get an answer along the lines of 'no message: Apple's interest is solely in the people using Apple devices'.
Believe that as you may, but a case in point might be the new 'cheaper' and plastic-bodied iPhone 5c. OK, so hopefully we've settled the point that it's not exactly 'cheap'. Like I have said many times before, Apple just doesn't do cheap. Besides, it doesn't feel cheap - the first thing you'll notice, if you ever get your hands on one, is that it feels solid, thanks to an internal steel frame, and it feels well crafted. These 5c case colours go right through the system, with each using a same-coloured desktop wallpaper (which you can change) out of the box.
So what does the 'c' stand for? The cynical might say 'cost'. I would have thought 'colour', since they're particularly bright and cheerful for Apple products, which usually all look so serious these days. Apple says, coyly again, that the c doesn't stand for anything - it's just a model designation.
The polycarbonate case of the 5c is tough, but it's still fairly prone to scratching, at least compared to its aluminium siblings. It does have a lacquer finish, which makes it shiny while providing a scratch and fingerprint-resistant surface, but that also means it's a bit slippery. That's partly why Apple created a range of new cases specifically for the 5c. The other reason was the fun aspect of being able to mix and match a brightly coloured case with the colour you selected for your 5c. With six case colours and five iPhone 5c colours, there are lots of potential combos without even buying outside of Apple.
The 5c case feels good too - it has two layers, with the exterior of semi-rigid silicone. It creates a perfect fit and sits slightly above the bezel, but the colour of your iPhone 5c is still apparent around the edge of the screen. If you lay your iPhone flat, the case protrudes slightly to hold the glass touchscreen slightly above a flat surface, costing NZ$45 each.
Anecdotally, the feedback is that despite the cost of a 5c being less than the 5s (base model NZ$899 versus NZ$1049), the 5s is still selling more. Apple wouldn't confirm that. I would imagine (if it's true) it's because the early adopters spring for the latest and greatest and that's the 5s. The 5c may come into its own once the 'latest and greatest' dust settles.