When Apple introduced its brightly colored iPhone 5c last year, the first thought was that this device would be the company’s entrant into the affordable smartphone sector – but it wasn’t.

The iPhone 5c is basically just a plastic version of the iPhone 5, with a few minor tweaks in features, and so paying the $549 asking price for a 16GB version didn’t really sit well with consumers.

There were rumors last year that Apple had cut its production of the iPhone 5c, as the device wasn’t as in demand as they hoped it to be, but now the company is giving the device another shot for redemption.

In Europe, Apple has introduced an 8GB version of the iPhone 5c, which costs £40 less than the 16GB version. The 8GB version offers the same thing as its older versions, such as the dual-core A6 processor, an 8MP iSight camera, and FaceTime HD camera.

It’s expected that Apple will also be rolling out the 8GB iPhone 5c version in the US, but nothing has popped up in its site yet.

iPad fourth gen

Apple has discontinued sales of its iPad 2, and replaced it with the re-introduction of the iPad fourth gen. The iPad 4th gen is only available in 16GB capacity but consumers have the option of choosing between a WiFi only model for $399 and a WiFi+cellular model for $529.

It features Apple’s custom dual-core A6X processor, a 5MP iSight camera, and 1.2MP FaceTime camera.

Healthbook

The introduction of the M7 chip in the iPhone 5s has sparked rumors of what Apple is planning in the health and fitness sector. Today, there are many wearable devices that offer to help people keep track of their daily activities, nutrition, and even sleep. But not everyone is open to buying yet another device just to keep track of their health and/or fitness, as people want less stuff to worry about.

Now it’s rumored that Apple is looking to solve this quandary. The M7 chip on the iOS 5s manages the device’s motion sensors, which would allow it to function like any other fitness and health tracking device. Apple has yet to reveal its plans for this sector, but sources told 9to5 Mac that the company is working on an app, the Healthbook, for health and fitness monitoring.

The Healthbook app looks similar to Apple’s Passbook app, and it helps you keep track of all your health and fitness information such as bloodwork, heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and weight. The app will allow you to see your progress in a day, weekly, monthly, or yearly view, which is represented by a graph so users can easily identify any changes.

We don’t know when this app will be available for consumers, or how the data will be gathered, but there’s a huge chance that Healthbook will serve as a unified place for third-party health and fitness apps.

photo credit: Janitors via photopin cc