Apple iPhone 5C Now Available to Pre-Order, iPhone 5S Next Week

Night owls got first dibs on Apple's newly launched iPhone 5C smartphone, which became available to pre-order at 12:01 AM PT  (3:01 AM ET). As of the time of this writing, there's no shortage of iPhone 5C devices to go around; Apple's still quoting a delivery a date of September 20, 2013, the same day you'll be able to waltz into an Apple Retail Store and pick one up.

The iPhone 5C costs $99 for the 16GB and $199 for the 32GB model. As with every iPhone to date, there isn't any expandable storage built into the device, so choose wisely. You'll also have to pick out a color, your options being white, red, yellow, blue, or green. Cases ($29 add-on) come in the same colors, plus a black option, and you can view what your combination would look like beforehand by visiting Apple's case gallery.

iPhone 5C Pink

Apple's banking on the colorful iPhone 5C taking some market share away from Android, though with a starting price of $99, it isn't likely to make much of a dent (Protip: Walmart is selling the iPhone 5C for $79 and the iPhone 5S for $189, both in-store). Off contract, the iPhone 5C sells for $549 (16GB) and $649 (32GB).

Apple's other strategy with the iPhone 5C is to grow its presence in China where Samsung is the big man on campus (in terms of market share). In case you missed the launch, the iPhone 5C is, in Apple's words, "everything iPhone 5 was and more." The biggest change is the switch to polycarbonate plastic, though it also boasts an improved FaceTime HD camera.