Hold the phone – plastic makes Apple debut

Apple has launched a new version of its iPhone, with a plastic outer casing designed to attract cost-conscious consumers currently buying less expensive competitor brands.

The new iPhone 5c features a new design made from a single, hard-coated polycarbonate body with a steel reinforced frame. The enclosure is finished with a hard coat for a “durable and glossy” surface.

Philip Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, said: “iPhone 5c is designed with a beautiful polycarbonate enclosure that looks and feels so solid in your hand.”

In addition to the new iPhone 5c design, Apple has created an additional exterior case made from soft silicone in a matte finish. This, it says, is to provide a contrast to the hard, glossy exterior of the phone.

The iPhone 5c, however, has a suggested retail price of £469 for the basic model, which critics say is not cheap, but is considerably less than Apple’s other new release, the iPhone 5s, launched at the same time.