NEW YORK -- Should you get a new "space gray" iPhone 5S that scans your fingerprint or its cheaper little sister the 5C, which is encased in candy-colored plastic? And what about iOS7 - should you brave an upgrade?
A barrage of reviews arrived this week, ahead of Apple's release of two new iPhones and redesigned software for mobile gadgets. Here's a sampling of what tech reporters, columnists and bloggers are saying:
On the iPhone 5C and 5S
Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal: "If you are an iPhone fan with any model older than the iPhone 5, the new 5S will be a big step up. If you own an iPhone 5, there's less of a case for upgrading, unless you want the fingerprint reader and improved camera."
David Pogue, The New York Times: "(The) speed of innovation seems to be slowing down, but don't let that depress you. Focus instead on the silver lining: you can keep your current phone longer without feeling obsolete quite so soon."
Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg: "If you like Apple products, you'll like these; if you don't, you won't."
Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press: "Who knew biometric authentication could be such a blast?"
Lauren Goode, AllThingsD: "While the 5c looks and feels very familiar, it's still a good phone and an improvement over the 5. But its improvements are evolutionary, not revolutionary."
John Gruber, Daring Fireball: "The 5S is another engineering triumph for Apple (and no slacker in the fashion/branding game either). The 5C, though, is purely an emotional play - and, I think, a winning one."
Scott Stein, CNET: "The iPhone 5S delivers an improved camera, a nifty fingerprint sensor, and a next-gen CPU and motion-tracking chip."
On iOS 7:
Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch: "The new mobile operating system is a big visual change, and is likely to feel somewhat disorienting to users upgrading from iOS 6, but in most important ways, it's not that dissimilar from what you're used to, and many of the changes are definitely for the best."
Mat Honan, Wired: "Apple's new iOS 7 represents the most substantial change to the iPhone since it started supporting third-party apps. But as dramatic as the update may look, it doesn't go far enough functionally."
Adam Clark Estes, Gizmodo: "It's not just about the flat design. The first time I laid hands on the new operating system, I felt like I had a new phone, one that looked prettier and, more importantly, felt more useful."
Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press (on Sept. 11): "I am already looking forward to downloading the software next week so I can simulate what it's like to have a new iPhone for free."
David Pogue, The New York Times: "It's a radical, huge redesign."
Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal: "Buttons and controls are thinner and lighter and, in the browser, they disappear or shrink to make a little more room for content. Overall, the effect is to make the 4-inch screen seem larger."
