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WSJ: Less Expensive iPhone Could Come as Soon as This Year

garylapointe

garylapointe

macrumors 68000
Feb 19, 2006
1,886
1,245
Dearborn (Detroit), MI, USA
As soon as this year? Well they've got most of the year to go.

BUT most people I know don't complain about the cost of the iPhone, they just don't want to pay for the data plan for the phone. Which is probably the same for most smart phones but they don't want to add it to the phone if they don't already have it.

Or else they'd even get them for their kids; IF they want their kid to have a phone the current iPhone is cheaper than the current iPod touch (not counting the data!).

Gary
 
W

weing

macrumors regular
Apr 20, 2007
164
0
If making a sub-standard product for the third world is what it takes to put my shares past 1000 instead of the falling and stalling at 500, I'm all for it !
 
F

fr33 loader

macrumors regular
Jul 25, 2007
207
0
iGrip said:
Geez - all we need is more of the unwashed masses using Apple products. What is this world coming to? I remember when owning Apple gear made you one of the elite. So sad to see what is happening.
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Hi, my 4 year old son was wondering if you could do Facetime with him. He has been trashing around my old iPhone 4 with his slightly greasy and grimy hands as his own personal touch. He wants to talk to you how elite and special you are for using an Apple product.
 
M

mjtomlin

Guest
Jan 19, 2002
384
0
If Apple decides to make an iPhone for the emerging markets, it'll be fairly inexpensive but also be fairly limited in functionality as well. Think of the iPod nano compared to the iPod touch. The iPhone nano will come with a fixed set of preloaded apps - users will not be able to download apps from the AppStore. Although, Apple could eventually create a special iPod/iPhone nano shelf in the AppStore - something similar to what they did before with the Classic iPods and the games they offered for it.

Or they could go the Android route... Make a cheap piece of crap, load it up with iOS 4, flood the market with it and say, "We're Winning!" Marketshare goes up, profits go down, stock goes up, customer satisfaction goes down. Instead of needing to make your current customers happy, you turn to a newly emerging market to make up the lost sales. What's not to like with this business plan?
 
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2499723

2499723

Cancelled
Dec 10, 2009
812
412
The fact that the high end Nexus 4 is cheaper for me to buy straight out than the iPhone 4 (which is about 2.5 years old), Apple really needs to think about their current plan of dishing out their old tech for a premium. I'd much rather pay a bit of a premium on an Apple phone that's competitive with Google's offering, but why would I currently invest in an out of date device?

Oh, and to the elitists out there, you give the rest of the Apple community a bad name. You are the living proof people use to reinforce the perception that the Apple-using community is full of smug, self-important idiots (just like the 'I'm a Mac' advertisements).
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
mac1984user said:
Oh, and to the elitists out there, you give the rest of the Apple community a bad name. You are the living proof people use to reinforce the perception that the Apple-using community is full of smug, self-important idiots (just like the 'I'm a Mac' advertisements).
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The same people get their panties in a bunch over the Samsung commercials which mock the people in line
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
Radio said:
what's the point?

u still have to pay a data plan
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I guess that really depends on what data plans cost in the areas this would be sold, doesn't it?

Just because data plans are expensive in the US (for example) doesn't mean they would be elsewhere
 
SkippyThorson

SkippyThorson

macrumors 68000
Jul 22, 2007
1,669
937
Utica, NY
iGrip said:
The same thing happened to Porsche. It used to be a brand that was for those with truly great taste. They could turn heads and become the subject of conversation just by driving past. But now, anybody can buy one at some crappy used car lot.

Remember back when you could get a whole conference room full of meeting attendees to stop and redirect their attention just by pulling out an iPhone?

Nowadays every pimply faced high school loser has an iPhone. And Apple wants to make them cheaper?

Whatever.
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Get off your high horse and join the real world. It's a smart phone. :rolleyes:

I'm glad to see this may actually happen. Are we going to see the return of the iPhone 3G design? A one-piece, wrap-around plastic back? I, for one, would welcome a return to a design with no glass on the rear.
 
M

mjtomlin

Guest
Jan 19, 2002
384
0
mac1984user said:
smug, self-important idiots (just like the 'I'm a Mac' advertisements).
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The "I'm a Mac" advertisements weren't about people or users. Justin Long didn't play a Mac user, he played a Mac - a computer. That compared himself to a standard PC - played by John Hodgman.

Apple was not making fun of PC users and portraying them as stodgy business types and Mac users as being cool. They were playing off the fact that Windows computers were mainly designed for IT departments and Macs for individuals.

The only reason anyone would be offended by this is if they were somewhat lacking in self-esteem.
 
M

Morshu9001

macrumors regular
Dec 16, 2012
214
0
the capital of Assyria
OldSchoolMacGuy said:
I really doubt it. Apple doesn't do stuff like this that cheapens their brands. If you want a cheaper iPhone, get the older 4S.
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They should market the older models more. The iPhone 4 is a wonderful device, and I have one. If you want a cheap Mac, that would also be the old model. A $500 Mac (2007 iMac for example) is way better than a $500 non-Apple PC :)
 
H

hamkor04

macrumors 6502
Apr 10, 2011
359
0
So we wont(in the near feature) see any comments like "cheap plastic" kind a comments about samsung phones then?
 
marzer

marzer

macrumors 65816
Nov 14, 2009
1,398
123
Colorado
iGrip said:
Geez - all we need is more of the unwashed masses using Apple products. What is this world coming to? I remember when owning Apple gear made you one of the elite. So sad to see what is happening.
Click to expand...

What an ignorant statement. In an emerging market like India, the term is "Untouchables."
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
mjtomlin said:
The "I'm a Mac" advertisements weren't about people or users. Justin Long didn't play a Mac user, he played a Mac - a computer. That compared himself to a standard PC - played by John Hodgman.

Apple was not making fun of PC users and portraying them as stodgy business types and Mac users as being cool. They were playing off the fact that Windows computers were mainly designed for IT departments and Macs for individuals.

The only reason anyone would be offended by this is if they were somewhat lacking in self-esteem.
Click to expand...

You know - you're wrong to some degree in my opinion. Because (as you can see here) people identify with the products they use. Not all people. I don't. But many do apparently.

So when you talk about how dumb a phone is. Or how dumb a computer is. You're insulting the user of that device.

You talk about people lacking in self esteem? I find that funny given all the insecure comments on this forum (not just this thread) any time anything positive is said about the "competition" or Apple is called into question.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,122
31,154
So one says cheaper and bigger and another says cheaper and smaller. Which is it? :confused:
 
K

krravi

macrumors 65816
Nov 30, 2010
1,173
0
marzer said:
What an ignorant statement. In an emerging market like India, the term is "Untouchables."
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With the economic boom, those days are over. The lines are blurring each day. Its the economic wealth that creates classes these days not their backgrounds.

----------
iGrip said:
Sorry for the lack of Political Correctness. I will keep your point in mind.

Thanks. :p
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Someone with exquisite taste....

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/celebrity-cars/lil-waynes-car-rapper-bugatti-veyron/
 
Popeye206

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
designs216 said:
Would Apple design a device that would undercut its iPhone sales model? Methinks not.
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I think the key is, that these phones are for "developing countries". So, we would not see it in Europe, North America, and other developed countries, but in places like South America, Asia and such that price point is an issue.

This makes sense. Selling a cheap iPhone (besides the 4s) in the US, or UK does not.
 
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