Apple's Low-Cost iPhone Design Said to Be Mix of iPhone 5 and iPod Touch with iPod Classic Curves

[Defender2010]

Originally Posted by Skika

I believe this iPhone will replace the 4S offering when the next iPhone hits.
I think they will do this phone because once the next iPhone hits, they dont want no iPhone in their offer that still has the old screen size and old connector.
Basically an 4S in a new(cheaper?) shell.

They will do this to avoid fragmentation/to put people as quickly as possible to the new screen size/connector.

iPhone 5S - 199

iPhone 5 - 99

New cheap iPhone - free

This is my prediction.

One of the first "cheaper iPhone" rumours stated it would have iPhone 5 internals....if I could find it I would but its late here.

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Originally Posted by ganjardenis

If the problem is the screen size, durability, and connector, i personally think that launching the iPhone 5S will make the iPhone 5 the replacement of 4/4S as the new cheap iPhone = durable, 4" screen, and lightning connector + keeping the luxurious form factor.

...but with a plastic back and rounded edges.

[ajvizzgamer101]

Originally Posted by daneoni

Am i the only one who thinks this is a waste of time? Isn't the 4S/4 more than sufficient for a low cost option?

Even when iPhone 5S release, iPhone 5 is going to be great budget iPhone.

[Menel]

Originally Posted by chadley_chad

Never mind ****ing about with a low cost phone, Apple need to get their act together on a decent high end model ... and might I suggest before I plonk down my money on a new Galaxy S4 (because the iPhone 5 is just too boring and low a spec compared to new competitor models!)

S4 isn't released.

The A6 is more advanced and crushes the Galaxy S3.
The iPhone is more compact and does better with battery.

Samsung is playing catchup all around, and rumors say S4 is going to be even more bloated and super-sized, up to 5inches.

By the time the S4 is launched, iPhone 5S will be around the corner ready to reclaim spec crown... not that Apple really plays into that much, just us geeks.

[ajvizzgamer101]

Originally Posted by coltman75

I really, really doubt. Apple usually doesn't cater to low-end markets. If they did, we would have had a $600 plastic MacBook years ago.

Tim Cook's Apple would. Tim Cook is a numbers guy not a visionary.

[b166er]

I would just release the iPhone 3G enclosure with updated specs and screen and sell it for half the price off contract, $100 subsidized. So much of the cost of these phones is the enclosure. Apple went from plastic to glass to aluminium and I'd argue that with each change there are more problems. I know "plastic" is practically profanity on this board, but no one was complaining when the new iPhones were plastic. Now with glass and aluminium there have been so many complaints.

[Bawstun]

Originally Posted by b166er

I would just release the iPhone 3G enclosure with updated specs and screen and sell it for half the price off contract, $100 subsidized. So much of the cost of these phones is the enclosure. Apple went from plastic to glass to aluminium and I'd argue that with each change there are more problems. I know "plastic" is practically profanity on this board, but no one was complaining when the new iPhones were plastic. Now with glass and aluminium there have been so many complaints.

Eh, people still argued and fussed over plastic too. "Is my 3GS plastic cracking? Are there small invisible cracks?" "The plastic scratches so easily!" etc. etc. - same stuff they said when it was glass and now aluminum too, lol.

Plastic iPhones were by far the most durable though...

[travisbrowning]

I don't know what everyone finds so hard to believe about this...seems pretty simple to me. They're trying to phase out the old screen size and old connectors. Sounds pretty Apple to me. If it looks anything like these mockups I'd be impressed.

[mrsir2009]

Originally Posted by daneoni

Am i the only one who thinks this is a waste of time? Isn't the 4S/4 more than sufficient for a low cost option?

No, coz it's not cheap enough.

[Tiger8]

Originally Posted by Twixt

This phone will NOT be available in the US to begin with (or at least not supposed to...) or other countries where regular iphone is successful

No, it will be. If not, hello ebay!

[Bernard SG]

While it's almost certain that Apple is working on an iPhone "LC", that doesn't necessarily mean it will be released anytime soon, or ever.
IF Apple launches it, they also won't necessarily roll it out worldwide. The main rationale for an iPhone "LC" is to improve iPhone footprint in the developing world: China and India mostly, and perhaps other third world markets including Africa.
Those are markets that do not lend themselves well to the current iPhone main business model: subscription contract and subsidized handset. Therefore, the iPhone "LC" would be mainly targeting consumers who opt for prepaid with an unlocked, full-property handset. Such product would not get much traction at a price point above US$ 300 - 350.
So if that product happens, while it would be of robust quality and performance, it will probably sport an older CPU generation, 512MB RAM as well as a low capacity flash drive (16 or even 8 GB) and be stripped of some features, like LTE, retina display and so on, and I wouldn't expect it to be available in markets like North America, Western Europe and Australia/NZ.
Just my 2 cents.

[a0me]

Originally Posted by canucksfan88

the 4 and 4s are not "low budget." they are only $0 or $99 because of carrier subsidies. you buy them outright or out of contract they are still $499ish

low budget would be: buying an iPhone with no contract for $100-$250

What does the competition offer in that price range? I did a quick search and I could only find 2-3 year old models from Motorola and HTC, and a couple of old BlackBerry. Is this really a market that Apple is targeting? 3 year old smartphones and dumb phones?

[canucksfan88]

Originally Posted by a0me

What does the competition offer in that price range? I did a quick search and I could only find 2-3 year old models from Motorola and HTC, and a couple of old BlackBerry. Is this really a market that Apple is targeting? 3 year old smartphones and dumb phones?

yea my mistake on that low of a price range.
i still think they will target between 200-300 though. but i am probably way off on that

[Negritude]

Originally Posted by PrayForDeath

Apple is currently selling the iPhone 4 for $450, and the 4S for $550. That's not low-cost for countries where carrier subsidy isn't an option.

Yep. And guess what, carrier subsidies are going away in the U.S., too. Apple is trying to get ahead of the curve, because big changes are coming:

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/A...nancing-122906

[a0me]

Originally Posted by canucksfan88

yea my mistake on that low of a price range.
i still think they will target between 200-300 though. but i am probably way off on that

Smartphones under $300 are basically 2-3 old models or very bare-bone devices with 1-2GB of storage, a 2-3 year old CPU, 480×800 screen and a crappy 1.3 MP front camera. I'm not sure you could run a lot of apps, or even iOS on that kind of hardware. Even the iPod shuffle has more storage than that.

At $450 you can get an HTC One X without contract, which is a pretty good value for the price. You can also buy an unlocked iPhone 4, so basically, Apple is already present in this price range.

[vmistery]

Well the 32GB iPod touch here in the UK is currently £249. So my guess would be that the new low cost sim free iPhone would be around the £299 mark. Be interesting to see if its an additional product line or if it replaces the selling of the previous generation(s). I really doubt its an emerging market phone though as they would have to make too many compromises. At the end of the day a £300 iPhone is much cheaper than a £529 one!

[raptorstv]

Originally Posted by carlos916

Keep it up apple and ur going to lose customers to the new blackberry phone

Blackberry Z10 is one of the ugliest phones I've seen in a while

[nia820]

Originally Posted by phillipduran

I want to see lower cost service so the the iPhone can dominate in the business world. Too often I see Android chosen because it does enough to get by and the cost per line is cheaper.

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I saw several damaged iPhone 3g's at my work. Most developed cracks around the charging port.

4's and 5's have been very durable so far.

Are you serious? Iphone 4s are the worse. The front and back are prone to breaking. Ive known quite a few people who have shattered iphone 4 screens and backs. Iphone a little bit better but then there is the issue of scratches if yoy don't have a case.

[Mr Darcy]

I shall definitely enjoy rereading some of these threads following the (in my opinion) inevitable release of this 'low-cost' / prepaid market iPhone.

[Samuriajackon]

This wouldmt be the first Mac product that hasent survived ling enough to market....i wonder if this is just an experimental case or something

[albusseverus]

There's no need for this.

• 5S in March, 5 and 4S make fine budget phones
• 6 in October, 5S and 5 become budget phones

And 2013 winds up with all new [iPhone 5/iPad mini]-tech devices in the line.

If only the 6 had a 5" or bigger screen. Bring on the Math, but, you know, with a better name, like iPhone Meanie* or something.

The real value of this rumour is to get competitors doing really dumb things, in the meantime. I hope it succeeds. I trust Apple isn't going down this road.

If you want a phone for emerging economies, make the bottom of the line 8GB and sell 32, 64 and 128 GB devices. You don't even need to keep the 2-generation-old models around, then. Simplify production lines.

It's not rocket-surgery.

* Make it a really cool Blue and do a Beatles crossover deal??

[Tiger8]

Come June:

New iPhone 5S/6: $649 unlocked (or $200 with contract)
Current iPhone 5: $499 unlocked (or $50 with contract). I think Apple need to keep this guy attractive so they will probably discount it $150
iPhone X: $399 (or free with contract)

iPhone X will probably have a 4 inch screen, A5 like many said, HSPA+ (no LTE), and will probably be a bit thicker than the 5s.

Why $399? It is a fathomable price. It is a mid-tier (not cheap) phone so it can't be $199. the iPod touch 32 GB is $299, so I don't think it's a far stretch to add a 3G cell chip and drop the memory to 16 GB for $399.

[WilliamLondon]

Originally Posted by Carniphage

In my view, in 2013 Apple will launch an iPod touch with 3G/4G.

It might well look like this.

The device is not a low cost phone. But a low cost internet connected device.
A voice app may be included. And it would of course support Skype and other VOIP applications.

Price will be about $350 - $399

The strategy has a number of advantages.
1) It will not significantly cannibalize the iPhone and it's premium.
2) It will sell without a contract in channels that other phone makers can't easily touch. In supermarkets and music outlets and electronics stores.
3) To teenagers, gamers, social networking enthusiasts - it will be a perfect device.
4) While Samsung has an advantage in carrier shops, this takes the battle elsewhere.

This is exactly what I'd expect from Apple - they don't put "cost" at the centre, it just happens to be something as a result of what actually defines the device. This makes the most sense of anything I've read.

What'd be really interesting if this happens is to see what happens to the whole VOIP and cellular markets and the stranglehold the big telcos have on us all - imagine people starting using VOIP and FaceTime and Skype and others on a grander scale, all those internet connected devices would instantly become "phones," which is what a lot of people want (people shouldn't be demanding a bigger phone, they really should just demand "phone capabilities" in all devices, regardless of size).

[grmatt]

I don't pretend to know exactly "what Steve would do," but if I had to guess, he wouldn't do this. Whether thats a good or bad thing remains to be seen, but much of Apple's success in Steve's second term was because he eliminated superfluous product categories and iterations.

[D-a-a-n]

If you're really hoping this to be "low cost", think twice. An ipod touch already starts at 300$.

[jmerchlinsky]

Originally Posted by grmatt

I don't pretend to know exactly "what Steve would do," but if I had to guess, he wouldn't do this. Whether thats a good or bad thing remains to be seen, but much of Apple's success in Steve's second term was because he eliminated superfluous product categories and iterations.

Eliminating superflous products is a good thing, it allows the key resources to be focused on the important products. So the question becomes, is a more affordable iPhone an important product? I argue that it is the most importnat product for Apple's future success. They have saturated the market for $500 phones. The only opportunity for growth is to bring iOS to a larger segment of the population.

Not only it a more affordable phone critical to Apple's growth, it is just as critical to their relevance. If their share of the smart phone ecosystem continues to erode, they will eventually lose viability as a platform in many markets. Not in the US, they're very strong there as long as the subsidy model dominates. But in every other market their position is under attack by the Samsung/Android combo. Even relatively wealthy Europe is showing ominous signs of slipping market share. Lose market share, lose app development, lose relevancy.

Apple needs to decide whether to protect short term margins or to continue to be the disruptive force they were when they unvelied the original iPhone. If they limit themselves to $500 phones they will go the way of RIM and Nokia.