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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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iphone_4_press2-250x476.jpg
Apple has plans to reinstitute iPhone 4 production in order to sell the device in India, Indonesia, and Brazil, reports The Economic Times. A January report indicated Apple would relaunch the discontinued iPhone 4 in India, but it was unclear at that time if the company was continuing production on the phone or selling old inventory.

Citing three senior executives with knowledge of the company's plans, the site suggests offering a lower cost iPhone will help Apple recoup market share in those countries. Apple partner Foxconn is said to have already begun production on the devices.
The maker of iPads and MacBooks is betting the lower price point will help it wrest volumes from Samsung's Grand and S4 Mini, and recoup market share that has slumped, largely because it didn't have phones that were cheap enough.
Reproducing the iPhone 4 will mark the first time that Apple has resumed production of a discontinued product. Apple ceased selling the iPhone 4 in many countries following the September 2013 launch of the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, and its current lineup consists of the aforementioned models along with 2011's iPhone 4s.

The entry level iPhone 5s sells for Rs. 53,500 ($856) in India, while the entry level iPhone 5c is Rs. 41,900 ($670). The reintroduced 8GB iPhone 4 retails for Rs. 22,900 ($360).

Article Link: Apple to Restart iPhone 4 Production for India, Indonesia and Brazil
 

MikhailT

macrumors 601
Nov 12, 2007
4,582
1,325
That's just silly. I bet they're just going to try to sell off their inventory, not restart the production of it. The smart business move is to make iPhone 5C much cheaper. They're already should be at the point where production costs have dropped further than last year.

It'll cost them more in the long run by maintaining iPhone 4 with bad reviews from Indian customers as iOS 7 and future releases are going to slow it down further.
 

aldocg

macrumors newbie
Nov 14, 2011
13
0
The 4 has continued being sold in a lot of markets.

This just means that they ran out of old stock.

Here in Mexico the 8GB 4S (which "replaced" the 4) was never released. It's been 4+ months since it was supposed to come out and it's nowhere in sight. Every carrier is selling the old 8GB 4.
 

captain cadet

macrumors 6502
Sep 2, 2012
417
648
The iPhone 4 was the best iPhone released! But what makes me wonder is will is still get the next version of iOS?
 

Z400Racer37

macrumors 6502a
Feb 7, 2011
711
1,664
Why don't they just keep the 4s going after the next update? take out the world phone radios and keep everything else, that way they don't need to retool everything? idk...
 

numlock

macrumors 68000
Mar 13, 2006
1,590
88
if this is true then one would think the having ios7 work spotlessly on it would be a top priority
 

addictive

macrumors 6502
Jul 6, 2008
369
356
Why the 4?

Unless Apple are selling inventory - this is keeping the 30 pin adaptor going - surely Apple is wanting everyone to transition to the Lightening adaptor?

The 5C has done a good job - yes - because more people have purchased the more expensive 5S - this is a win for Apple.

But Apple should be able to produce a cheaper more modern phone for emerging economies like what they are trying to sell this iPhone 4 to -
 

Vinamra

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2012
187
1
Melbourne, Australia
The iPhone 4 still sells like hot cakes in the brand hungry country that is India. People are so captivated by the thought of owning an Apple device that they often forget that the iPhone 4 is a dying technology. But, whatever solves their purpose, I guess.

Apple realised that in order to sell more devices, they must sell their phones at a better price point. They've reduced prices of the 5S and 5C significantly.

5S now costs less than Rs. 50,000 ($800) and the 5C is somewhere around Rs. 38,000 ($607).
 

proline

macrumors 6502a
Nov 18, 2012
630
1
Do you guys do any research at all? The iPhone 4 has never ceased production and has always been available in some countries since the 5S launch. Expanding it to one or two more does not mean that production is restarting.
 

Smartass

macrumors 65816
Dec 18, 2012
1,449
1,685
India isn't as poor as you think. Some parts are crushingly poor, yes, but there's a rather large (and growing) middle class.

It's not how poor India is, but who wants to pay 360$ for almost 4 years old phone? Apple is obviously living in some weird world where everybody wants to buy an iphone even for a ridiculous price. If this is their strategy how to compete on emerging markets they obviously need to fire whoever came up with this stupid idea.
 

Vinamra

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2012
187
1
Melbourne, Australia
It's not how poor India is, but who wants to pay 360$ for almost 4 years old phone? Apple is obviously living in some weird world where everybody wants to buy an iphone even for a ridiculous price. If this is their strategy how to compete on emerging markets they obviously need to fire whoever came up with this stupid idea.

A brand hungry nation like India wants to. Like I said earlier (in agreement with your post), people don't realise its a dying technology.
 

OriginalMacRat

macrumors 6502a
Mar 9, 2007
591
863
Apple ceased selling the iPhone 4 in stores following the September 2013 launch of the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, and its current lineup consists of the aforementioned models along with 2011's iPhone 4s.

Not entirely correct.

The iPhone 4 has continued to be available directly from Apple in China, Brazil and many other countries all along. The same of this model never ceased in those countries.
 

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
Apple claim that they are about the end users, not profits. They're about the user experience, not profits.

Well the iPhone 4 is rubbish on iOS 7. It's horrendously sluggish and simply a chore to use. It was bad enough on iOS 6; heck, even on iOS 5 it was laggy. The only experience people will get if they buy an iPhone 4 new is 'I've overpaid for this crap'.

Get it together, Apple. I'd like to see your engineers use nothing but an IP4 for a week and see if they'd 'recommend that to their families', as they so often claim. This will achieve nothing but a bitter taste in consumers' mouths and money in Apple's pocket.

Sell stuff you'd want to use yourself, Apple.
 

Ted13

macrumors 6502a
Dec 29, 2003
669
353
NYC
Why did Apple get rid of the $349 iPhone?

Way back when the iPhone 4S was out, Apple was selling its $0 on contract phone (the iPhone 3GS) for $349 unlocked, off contract. The following year, with the iPhone 4 in that slot, the price went up.

If they were capable of producing and profitably selling a $349 iPhone two years ago, why not now?
 
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