Confirming the anticipated higher prices for Canada, Apple’s new iPhone 5C became available for pre-ordering today starting at $129 with a two-year wireless contract.
There are no pre-orders for Apple’s new flagship iPhone, the 5S, which goes on sale September 20, the same day the 5C arrives on store shelves.
The iPhone 5C is selling for $99 in the United States, but both that and the iPhone 5S have a higher price tag in Canada, ranging from $30 to $70 higher depending on the model.
Price seems to be an issue with Apple’s newest launch in China, where consumer reaction is lukewarm to the iPhone 5C, which was expected to be a budget version of the iconic iPhone. While China represents a huge and much-coveted market for smartphone manufacturers, carriers there don’t offer subsidized phones as they do in Canada and the United States and consumers were expecting a cheaper iPhone.
As this Los Angeles Times story points out, the higher than expected price of the iPhone 5C is putting off consumers.
