Apple has created two new products for its obsessed followers and its “wannabe” followers who can’t afford the high prices of an iPhone: the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C.

According to Statistic Brain and verified by Apple, as of Sept. 10, the iPhone 5 has sold to more than 57 million people, 83 percent of whom upgraded from a previous version of their iPhone. Apple has not released how many iPhone 5Cs have been pre-ordered, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the statistics were the same or greater, based on the blind following of Apple
consumers.

When it comes to the iPhone 5S, the “S” might as well stand for “same.” Apple has a bad habit of taking advantage of their
customers and releasing an S version of the iPhone that is practically the same phone with a few minor update, such as to the camera. In a side-by-side comparison the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and iPhone 4S, all of the features are almost exactly the same with minor
differences in the size and camera.

Unfortunately, people are still
falling for the tacked on “S” to the name, thinking it means a superior phone.

A big hype about the iPhone 5S is the fingerprint scanner to unlock your phone. It sounds revolutionary, but Motorola released this feature in 2011 on the Motorola Atrix 4G and for
whatever reason decided it wasn’t a worthwhile feature to continue. Because this is the first generation of the iPhone
fingerprint scanner, who knows how many glitches it will have.

Much like the iPhone 5S it is being released with, the iPhone 5C is a “new” version of the iPhone 5. According to Apple, the “C” means color because the iPhone 5C is available in an assortment of bright colors rather than the standard white or black. Let’s face it, the “C” stands for “cheap.” The phone is advertised as the “affordable” iPhone that can be purchased for as low as $99 with a two-year service contract. This is the same price as Verizon’s reduced price version of the iPhone 5.

It is also advertised to have “the things that made iPhone 5 an amazing phone — and more.” By more they must mean a
colorful plastic casing rather than the sturdy aluminum that advertisers fawned over with the iPhone 4. Essentially, the iPhone 5C is a repackaged colorful version of the iPhone 5. If the color of an iPhone is such a big deal to a consumer, then the consumer should probably look into one of the thousands of phone cases available.

Current iPhone owners may upgrade to a new iPhone version with the all new iOS 7 that is being released with the 5S and 5C, but these same consumers need to realize that iOS 7 is available for iPhone models as low as the iPhone 4.

While the iPhone has come a long way since its original release, there have been many steps with small changes, instead of a few large steps with revolutionary changes. The many-step method may sell more phones, but at some point, it leaves consumers discouraged with their purchase.

Consumers should realize that one most frequently gets what he pays for and that less isn’t necessarily always more.

Ali Leist is a junior majoring in mass communications.