iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c in UAE: Etisalat, du open pre-orders

UAE telecom providers etisalat and du have started accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. Currently both operators are only offering contract free plans, meaning buyers can only opt to buy a phone by paying the handset price upfront. The iPhone 5c starts at Dh2,399 and the 16GB 5s is priced at Dh2,749, with an additional Dh400 for every additional storage update of 32 and 64GB. Etisalat is offering a postpaid no-contract plan for Dh225 per month offering 10GB of internet and 800 local and 200 international along with 200 SMS free along with the package. This offer is, however, valid for just six months after which normal plan charges will apply. It is also offering 1GB of internet as a separate package for Dh99 per month. Du on the other hand is allowing users to pre-book the new iPhone without revealing any pricing strategy for either prepaid or postpaid plans. The monthly plan for the iPhone 5 currently requires a buyer to just pay Dh200 for a 64GB model with a 24- month contract and Dh335 for a 64GB model with a one year contract. Both plans come with 1GB data free. Both the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5 are similar models with not much difference in specifications. Both feature a 4-inch retina display, A6 processors and run the iOS 7 operating system. The only difference between the two models is the cover with the five different colours that Apple introduced with the iPhone 5c. Apples iPhone 5c sales have been disappointing so far. Several buyers during the recently concluded Gitex week said they would prefer to opt for the aluminium-bodied iPhone 5 rather than the plastic 5C. Emirates 24/7