Apple launches 8 GB iPhone 5c and relaunches 16 GB iPad 4, and other news for March 18, 2014
As we mentioned this morning, Apple has officially launched an 8 GB version of the iPhone 5c. As of the time of this writing the 8 GB iPhone 5c still hasn't shown up in the US online store, but it is available in all European stores. In the UK store the 8 GB iPhone 5c has a price tag of £429, which is £40 cheaper than the 16 GB model. The 8 GB iPhone 5c is available in all colors.
In addition to the release of an 8 GB iPhone 5c, Apple has also taken the step of re-releasing the 16 GB iPad 4, replacing the three-year-old iPad 2 as the low-price member of the full-size iPad family. The iPad 4 is now available in all online stores, retailing for US$399 for the Wi-Fi model and $529 for the Wi-Fi+Cellular model.
The availability of both of these devices was rumored yesterday. The release of the new entry-level iPhone 5c is a sign that Apple is trying to boost sales of the device while also appealing to people who want an iPhone at a lower price point. The re-release of the iPad 4 coincides with Apple pulling the three-year-old iPad 2 from sale. As MacRumors notes:
Meanwhile, the iPad 4 has been brought back into Apple's lineup after being removed in favor of the iPad Air last October. However, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in February that the company would shift from the iPad 2 to the iPad 4, as the latter sports Apple's A6X chip and 1GB memory compared to the former's A5 processor and 512 MB of memory.
In other news:
Google has updated the YouTube app with support for sharing entire playlists and improved commenting features.
Facebook has updated its app with an updated design that makes it easier to post and share on the iPad.
The Dropbox app has also received an upgrade. New features include improved illustrations and improved SSO for Dropbox for Business customers.
