The biggest surprise was probably that there was no big surprise. Most of the big details about the new iPhone lineup had been leaked out prior to the event, and the details people were waiting for -- an interesting new pricing strategy, or news about Apple's TV plans -- didn't actually happen.

As it has done for years, Apple has two iPhones available, one cheaper than the other. But instead of the historical trend -- last season's phone stays on the market and becomes a cheaper option next to the new release -- both iPhones announced today haven't previously been available on the market, even if one of them isn't exactly new.

The iPhone 5C, the new cheaper model, is essentially just the old iPhone 5 with a colorful plastic casing and a better array of antennas. The more expensive model, the 5S, is a significant update to the old, with more powerful internal hardware, an improved camera, and a fingerprint scanner embedded in its home button.

The pricing structure has stayed essentially the same as in the past. The cheaper iPhone 5C costs $99 on a two-year contract, the same price point that the iPhone 4S previously occupied. The new iPhone 5S costs $199 on contract, the same price point as the old iPhone 5. (Versions with more internalstorage cost more.)

If you want to buy an iPhone without a contract, as a small number of Americans and much of the rest of the world has become accustomed to doing, the 5C will cost you $549 and the 5S $649. You can probably guess the next sentence, but we'll say it anyhow: Those are the same price points previously occupied by the iPhone 4S and 5.

The pricing was one of the few big surprises of the day, as many had expected the colorful new plastic iPhone 5C would be priced to compete in emerging markets, and against cheaper high-end Android phones. Instead, the 5C remains a premium-priced phone; in China it will set you back $733.

The iPhone 5C's biggest selling point is its colorful plastic casing, and the lower price point it inherited from its predecessor.

The iPhone 5S introduces a few new bells and whistles to the mobile market, though -- it will run on a 64-bit processor, which no current phone does. We'll leave people who know about processor architecture to argue about the importance and utility of 64-bit systems on mobile devices; they have the potential to boost power and efficiency, but it's questionable exactly how much this applies to mobile handsets. But now that the 64-bit A7 processor is in the high-end iPhone, expect to see it in the next iPad, too.

More human-comprehensible than 64-bit is the fingerprint scanner, which does what you think it does. It is embedded in the rounded home button below the screen. One important thing about the scanner, which Apple calls Touch ID: It can only be used by the iPhone's operating system, so apps or websites can't use it for their own login or authentications. And your fingerprint will never be sent by the iPhone to the cloud -- it's stuck on the device only.

Apple bills this as a security feature, and it's clear that allowing apps to build up databases of fingerprints is pushing it, especially given heightened concerns about privacy and snooping. But if you thought you would be able to log into online banking or Facebook via fingerprint, think again. For now, at least.

The camera on the 5C has been updated, and Apple says the improved image sensor and flash makes for better quality photos. Without a hands-on test, it's tough to know exactly how much better though.

Both the 5C and 5S are running on the new iOS 7 operating system, which was unveiled back in June. We wrote all about iOS 7 back then, and it is a major refresh of the look and feel of the iPhone system: More colorful, more animated, and -- as design types like to say -- ' flatter.'

Apple has redesigned all its pre-loaded apps to fit the new look and feel, and you can expect the big app developers to have an iOS 7-friendly redesign of their apps in the works.

Also on the software front, Apple announced that some of its popular paid apps -- iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- will become free downloads for those who purchase the new iOS devices running iOS 7. They previously cost from $4.99 to $9.99 apiece.

Apple is selling new cases for its phones. They're not very interesting, but are amazinglyprofitable to sell. How much do you think one of those $39 iPhone 5S cases costs straight from the factory?

The new phones hit Apple retail stores on Sept. 20, and you can pre-order the 5C starting later this week.