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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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iphone_5_black_white.jpg
Korean site ETNews.com is reporting [Google translation] that Apple will be discontinuing production of the iPhone 5 in the fall, instead putting all of its efforts towards the iPhone 5S and the rumored entry-level plastic iPhone.

Apple has been presumed to be discontinuing the iPhone 4 and 4S in order to make way for an all-Lightning iPhone lineup, allowing Apple to standardize around its latest connection standard and phase out the older 30-pin connector standard with the possible exception of the iPod classic, which has not been updated in a number of years. The fate of the current iPhone 5 has, however, not been the subject of much discussion as it has remained unclear whether the new lineup of iPhone 5S and plastic iPhone would leave room for Apple to continue offering an iPhone 5 model.

Today's report claims that the in-cell technology used on the iPhone 5’s touchscreen is "not suitable for low-volume production", contributing to Apple's decision to stop production on the phone and focus all of its efforts toward producing parts for newer products. The iPhone 5 and 5S are, however, expected to share nearly identical display technology although leaked photos have a shown a change to the orientation of the flex cable connectors on the display assemblies.

The iPhone 5S is reportedly scheduled to begin production later this month, with both that device and the lower cost iPhone rumored for launch in the September-October timeframe.

(Thanks, Byungjin!)

Article Link: Apple to Discontinue iPhone 5 Alongside Launch of 5S and Plastic Models?
 
Last edited:

ouimetnick

macrumors 68040
Aug 28, 2008
3,552
6,341
Beverly, Massachusetts
Make sense to me, otherwise why bother to have a cheap iPhone? I think Apple will have ONLY two models, the flagship, and the low cost iPhone. No more discounting the previous year's model.
 

ccmovies

macrumors member
Feb 11, 2010
98
52
Boston
Makes sense. Hopefully we'll see some good iPhone 5 deals from carriers and stores around the release of the 5S.
 

Tilpots

macrumors 601
Apr 19, 2006
4,195
71
Carolina Beach, NC
Still having a hard time seeing how Apple will distinguish the two to consumers, besides camera and screen quality. They both will have to run the same iOS so the processing speed shouldn't be too far off...
 

viperGTS

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2010
1,560
941
As long as the 4S and "discontinued" 5 get iOS 8 and 9 respectively, I'll be happy. :)
 

MacBookPro13"

macrumors 6502a
Jan 25, 2011
589
0
Ireland
Why not just have the iPhone 5S at $199 and a low cost iPhone for $49 or $29 with a 2 yr contract?

I think there will still be a market for the iPhone 5 for people who don't want to spend $199 on the 5S. I would rather the premium build of the 5 than a plastic iPhone every time.
 

tann

macrumors 68000
Apr 15, 2010
1,944
813
UK
So maybe it won't be called the 5S then?

$0 for the plastic A5 iPhone.

$199 for the A7 32gb new iPhone.

We've already seen recently how the 4 sells LOADS still, so it's probably good to just cut the middle model.
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,961
13,939
MacBookPro13";17626862 said:
iPhone 5S ($199), iPhone 5 ($99) & 'Cheaper' iPhone ($0).

iPhone 4S & 4 discontinued.

I think more likely:

iPhone 5S 16GB - $199
iPhone 5S 32GB - $299
iPhone 5S 64GB - $399

iPhone 'plastic' 8GB - $0
iPhone 'plastic' 16GB - $99
 

Carniphage

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2006
1,880
1
Sheffield, England
I buy this.

If Apple can bring a plastic iPhone5-like device to market for less money than it costs to make an iPhone4S - this is a huge win.

The product will sell more, and have higher margins.

It also does something else.
It tells consumers that high-end devices are made of metal.
And low-end devices are made of plastic.
 

Northgrove

macrumors 65816
Aug 3, 2010
1,149
437
Makes sense especially with the recent news of lower profit margins.

I guess it's hard to lower the price on phones that are of equally premium materials today as when they were introduced (iPhone 4 and 4S). By the time the iPhone 5 would trickle down to where the iPhone 4 is today, it may end up with horrible profit margins.

I think this rumor holds water.
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,961
13,939
$199 for the A7 32gb new iPhone.

I doubt they'll bump the base $199 model to 32GB, it will probably stay at 16GB. Don't get me wrong, I want them to make it 32GB, but it's probably not gonna happen. 16GB is enough for most lay people, and bumping the base leaves less room to upsell later. Also, one of the things they want you to be upsold on is cloud and itunes radio; services which sound great when you're close to running out of space.
 

lolkthxbai

macrumors 65816
May 7, 2011
1,426
489
Or,

iPhone 5S $199
L.C. iPhone $99
iPhone 5 $0

The trick is the L.C. iPhone will have the same processor series as the 5S but not the fingerprint sensor or the new camera so it's justifiable. Plus, since the iPhone 5 is not being produced anymore apparently, it'd make more sense to get rid of it first by the next refresh, not the L.C. iPhone as would be typical with the iPhone priced at $0.

This might be the line up at a carrier store but at an Apple store I would assume they won't promote the iPhone 5 anymore.
 

brand

macrumors 601
Oct 3, 2006
4,390
456
127.0.0.1
MacBookPro13";17626862 said:
iPhone 5S ($199), iPhone 5 ($99) & 'Cheaper' iPhone ($0).

iPhone 4S & 4 discontinued.

So you made a post before people expressed their opinions about the article, at least their posts are actually about the subject matter where yours is not.
Your comment is actually worse than the bitching. Very immature but I guess it gets your post count up. :rolleyes:
 

somethingelsefl

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2008
461
204
Tampa, FL
Apple is going to split the iPhone model lineup the way they have split ALL their products. A "pro/full size" model and an entirely separate "mini/base" model.

They did it with the Macs, MacBooks, iPods, and iPads. This is a good thing.
 

pedruino

macrumors newbie
Aug 17, 2006
2
0
Buenos Aires, Argentina
iPhone 5 failure

The black of iPhone 5 made of anodized 6000 series aluminum is a complete failure. It scratches at the moment you take it from the box.
Sure iPhone 5 will cease production.
 

brand

macrumors 601
Oct 3, 2006
4,390
456
127.0.0.1
Still having a hard time seeing how Apple will distinguish the two to consumers, besides camera and screen quality. They both will have to run the same iOS so the processing speed shouldn't be too far off...

Just because they will both run iOS does not mean that the same software features will be available to both models.
 

Tiger8

macrumors 68020
May 23, 2011
2,479
649
Makes sense in the longer run

while it sounds like a jump, in fact it actually makes sense in the longer run; no more discontinue last year model, just two lines (High and Mid) that get refreshed or redesigned every year (or 9 months, hopefully).
 

iAmUndefined

macrumors member
Mar 2, 2012
31
0
iOS

Still having a hard time seeing how Apple will distinguish the two to consumers, besides camera and screen quality. They both will have to run the same iOS so the processing speed shouldn't be too far off...

The same way they do with the iPad and iPad Mini. The biggest difference will be price. The cheap iPhone could run on an A5 or A6 while the 5S runs on an A7 and better graphics.
 
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