iPhone 5C online pre-orders begin

Apple's new rainbow-hued and more affordable iPhone 5c is now available for pre-order across the U.S. and 10 other countries, including Canada and the U.K.  

The 5c was officially announced at an Apple special event earlier this week — with Apple, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile beginning to accept pre-orders for the iPhone 5's polycarbonate successor at 12:01 am today. (Via Apple)

You can hit up the Apple store directly for the new phone, or go through your mobile service provider. (Via The Verge)

The 16GB version of the 5c will go for $99 on contract, while the 32GB storage alternative will set you back an additional $100. (Via Engadget)

Contract-free options are also available, with the 16GB costing $549, and the 32GB costing — once again — an additional $100. But Los Angeles Times reports with a contract you can save $20 on the 5c when you pre-order from Walmart.

The retailer is apparently not getting a discount on the phones, but is willing to take a smaller profit on each phone to get users into their stores.

Walmart will also begin offering an iPhone trade-in program on September 21st, and with trade-in values of up to $300 on some Apple phones, users could potentially upgrade to the 5c for free. (Via Mac Observer)

That deal will also apply for Apple's new flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5s, which adds new hardware features like the faster A7 processor, fingerprint security system, and improved camera. (Via SlashGear)

Now, if you want that phone you are going to have to wait, potentially in a long line, when the phone is released to stores September 20th. (Via Mashable)

Apple isn't doing a pre-order on the more advanced 5s, presumably due to the online pre-sale hiccups the iPhone 5 experienced last year. According to CNET

“Online stores [last year] experienced performance and availability issues almost immediately after opening up for sales. Both Apple and AT&T's online stores temporarily went down for maintenance, while Sprint experienced slowdowns the first half hour the phone was on sale.”

The 5s will start at $199 for the 16GB option with a mobile contract. Both the 5s and 5c will be available in stores beginning September 20th.

- See more at Newsy.com.

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