The holiday season has been dominated by Apple in the recent past and 2013 Christmas wasn’t any different. Apple’s gold iPhone 5s turned out to be the most popular smartphone during Christmas.

According to data published by uSwitch.com for December 2013 iPhone 5s won over Samsung Galaxy S4 for the third consecutive month. The data analysed was based on live searches, pre-orders and sales.

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 also saw some gains in popularity as it rose five places to become the third most popular phone in the UK during the holidays. Apple’s iPhone has been consistently popular with customers as it has topped the charts since March 2013 with iPhone 5 being the most popular phone for seven consecutive months which was later dethroned with the release of iPhone 5s.

In 2013 for the first time Apple released two new iPhone designs in the same year. iPhone 5c the colourful plastic version of iPhone 5c came in fifth in the popular smartphones list for December. Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com said:

The iPhone 5S deserved to be the Christmas number one. As well as giving gleeful members of the cult of Apple hours of fun with its Touch ID feature, which can read more than just fingerprints, it also made gold the new black,

Doku further added that the battle for the top spot wasn’t an easy one. Galaxy S3 rise to the third spot was a surprise with the lower pricing acting as a key factor. Pricing of smartphones certainly act as an important factor since the technology leaps between two generations of products is becoming narrower.

The tech advancement from iPhone 4s to iPhone 5 is not the same as from iPhone 5 to iPhone 5s. Apple is expected to release iPhone 6 in 2014 which could have a new design and even feature larger screen according to many rumours in the recent past.

The price of iPhone 5c could also see reduction later this year as the device has not been as well received with customers as the company would have hoped for.

Did you buy iPhone 5s this holiday season? Which gadgets made it to your shopping bag this year? Let us know in the comments section below.

{via The Telegraph}

Apple has released its first TV ad for the iPhone 5s dubbed “Metal Mastered”. This comes just a few days after the company released print ads on the back of many top magazines. The new iPhone 5s ad shows gold taking liquid shape and flowing over the body of iPhone 5s as it turns it gold. It then shows a finger unlocking the device using Touch ID.

This year Apple launched two new iPhones, a plastic version and the flagship model. The company chose to promote the iPhone 5c first and even features in on the homepage as the page loads the first time. Many reports suggest that the company was facing low production yield for the iPhone 5s therefore it could be a thoughtful strategy to promote the model that is available in bulk. Since the iPhone 5c is comparatively easier to manufacture and with internals same as previous gen iPhone the availability wasn’t an issue.

Analysts believe that iPhone 5s outsells iPhone 5c in all major countries. The second round of marketing efforts seem to pass the spotlight to iPhone 5s, the flagship model. The new phone features faster 64-bit A7 processor, improved camera and fingerprint sensor.

The new advertisement plays the song “Ooh La La” by Goldfrapp in the background. This years choice of songs isn’t unique for Apple as it has been used for products such as Motorola KRZR, cometic products etc.

Shipping date estimates for the iPhone 5s have improved since last week as the company finally catches up with pent-up demand. We can expect more advertisements from Apple as the company prepares for yet another blockbuster holiday season.

Check out the new ad below. What do you think about this new advertisement from Apple? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Since the photos of gold casing back panel, allegedly of an iPhone have hit the web rumors about the new color option for iPhone 5S have reached an all-time high.

In the recent past analysts and publications have come forward and “confirmed” that gold iPhone 5S is indeed in the works and could release on September 10th during the iPhone keynote event. In his research note Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities stated that gold iPhone would be available this year. WSJ published a separate report suggesting that unveiling of gold iPhone 5S was imminent.

Now, Reuters is the latest major publication to publish a report where it cites it’s supply chain sources who suggest that gold iPhone rumour is true. The new color option in addition to the traditional white and black is being seen as a strategy to capture market share in the Asian market. Gold color is said to be a popular option in China and India so Apple could be looking at mixing with the local culture to boost sales.

Even though some initial reactions to the photos appearing on the web have been mixed, gold color does make the device appear to be highly premium. The iPhone event is widely expected to be held on September 10th and it will be interesting to see if Apple introduces a gold option for the iPhone.

Would you buy gold iPhone 5S? What are your thoughts on Apple working on a gold version of the iPhone? Will Apple price it much higher to reflect the premium color? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{Image Credit: iMore}