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Low-Cost iPhone to Use Plastic or Hybrid Plastic/Metal Design, Due in Late 2013
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For people still not getting why Apple would do this, it's simple. It's the same reason they did the iPod Mini back in the days, the same reason they're doing the iPad Mini now and it all goes down to a single word that's become one of the biggest factors in trying to run a healthy business :
Growth.
Take that word in. Learn what it means and try to see Apple's moves as aiming towards that goal. Profitability, to investors and the markets, means little with the absence of growth. A company can be profitable yet be said to be "dying" if it's not showing it. For Apple, the last few year's have been about utilizing the iPhone to make this growth happen, and its come to the point where the iPhone is the main driver behind their growth and revenues (over 50%!). The US market has been a big influence in this and is their primary market for the iPhone.
Now consider this other tidbit :
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-smartphone-market-2012-9
![net-adds.png]()
The smartphone platform is about to reach maturity in many first world markets like the US. To continue on a path of growth, Apple must open itself up to newer markets or different segments. That, or it needs to kill off competitors. In light of all of this, if you still don't understand the iPod Mini strategy behind these "cheaper iPhone" rumors, I don't know what to tell you, those are just the market realities.
It doesn't matter if its this year or the next or in 2015, at some point, Apple will open up the iPhone platform to other market segments and other markets in order to reach a much broader audience and sustain their growth. They will milk it until mobile phones start declining and then will move on to tapping other markets to keep their growth going (like they are moving away from the iPod as it is a shrinking market, which can be witnessed in the lesser emphasis they put on the line-up).
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The exclusivity was gone when Apple started selling multi-million units per quarter. Owning anything Apple hasn't been an "exclusive club" since Steve came back and brought the company back to health.
If anything, the "Apple exclusivity" was killing the company. You really want that back ? I sure don't. I prefer healthy, mass-market, "everybody and their mother owns Apple stuff" healthy Apple to "I'm some kind of freak that owns an Apple product and you can't" dying Apple anyday of the week.
Growth.
Take that word in. Learn what it means and try to see Apple's moves as aiming towards that goal. Profitability, to investors and the markets, means little with the absence of growth. A company can be profitable yet be said to be "dying" if it's not showing it. For Apple, the last few year's have been about utilizing the iPhone to make this growth happen, and its come to the point where the iPhone is the main driver behind their growth and revenues (over 50%!). The US market has been a big influence in this and is their primary market for the iPhone.
Now consider this other tidbit :
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-smartphone-market-2012-9
The smartphone platform is about to reach maturity in many first world markets like the US. To continue on a path of growth, Apple must open itself up to newer markets or different segments. That, or it needs to kill off competitors. In light of all of this, if you still don't understand the iPod Mini strategy behind these "cheaper iPhone" rumors, I don't know what to tell you, those are just the market realities.
It doesn't matter if its this year or the next or in 2015, at some point, Apple will open up the iPhone platform to other market segments and other markets in order to reach a much broader audience and sustain their growth. They will milk it until mobile phones start declining and then will move on to tapping other markets to keep their growth going (like they are moving away from the iPod as it is a shrinking market, which can be witnessed in the lesser emphasis they put on the line-up).
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The exclusivity was gone when Apple started selling multi-million units per quarter. Owning anything Apple hasn't been an "exclusive club" since Steve came back and brought the company back to health.
If anything, the "Apple exclusivity" was killing the company. You really want that back ? I sure don't. I prefer healthy, mass-market, "everybody and their mother owns Apple stuff" healthy Apple to "I'm some kind of freak that owns an Apple product and you can't" dying Apple anyday of the week.
You're right. Not using plastic is a marketing differentiator though. In marketing, perception is everything, and I think it's fair to say that plastic is perceived as being cheap, because we throw away plastic packaging every day. A plastic iPhone wouldn't bother me too much (my phone is still a 3G!), but the designer in me very much likes my aluminium unibody MBP. The question is, how much extra per phone does the exclusive use of aluminium and glass cost us and would we be prepared to pay it if we knew?
Why don't people understand this?? There is no free ride.
Just goes to show the power of advertising.
It's quite funny listening to people bitch and moan about how "Apple has lost its way" and "Apple will never use plastic".
People need to grow the hell up. Apple is a consumer electronics company. Not a cult. They will make and sell whatever makes them money, and rightly so. If the market wants a low cost iPhone, they will make a low cost iPhone.
Dont start kidding yourself that Apple have some sort of superiority in their decisions, because they really dont - they just spend a hell of a lot of time and money on marketing.
People need to grow the hell up. Apple is a consumer electronics company. Not a cult. They will make and sell whatever makes them money, and rightly so. If the market wants a low cost iPhone, they will make a low cost iPhone.
Dont start kidding yourself that Apple have some sort of superiority in their decisions, because they really dont - they just spend a hell of a lot of time and money on marketing.
I'm not arguing that it's a low cost option (it is), just that Apple devices are usually among the most expensive in any given category. Case in point, in the bare-bone 2GB mp3 player category, the iPod shuffle is about 3-5 times the price of the competition.
Is there an equivalent to that category in the smartphone market place?
You don't know a lot of wealthy people then. I do and they get tossed items people consider indispensible and weren't even asked if they wanted them. iPhones being one of them.
I never said "more than anyone else"
Just said they spend a lot. As I recall their figures used to be much higher, but they brought the marketing 'in house'.
It's also a bit of a misleading graph. Samsung is made to look like they flush money down the toilet there, but they have a massive amount more products to work with.
Ha ha! Okay, I'll pay that one.
Do you own a unibody MBP? If so, wouldn't it hurt just a bit if it turned into plastic one day?
What makes you think Apple wouldn't follow the same model with a low-cost iPhone ?
Some of you guys have waaaaaay too much of a binary view of things. Thank god the people running Apple understand the market dynamics better.
Yes. Plenty of models that have smartphone level features (running Android), but in both smaller form factors, with lesser internals that run cheaper prices to be affordable units even off-contract (think 150-250$ price range unsubsidized).
Then there's the whole pre-paid Smartphone segment...
Do you own a unibody MBP? If so, wouldn't it hurt just a bit if it turned into plastic one day?
I've owned 3 over the years, the latest one my 15" Retina.
And no, the choice of material in the products I can choose to buy or not does not harm me neither physically nor mentally. I have a lot more important things to worry about in life than what my laptop is made out of.
Again, does it hurt you that your 85w power adapter for your MacBook is made out of plastic ?
Your life must be just perfect if you are really hurt by this kind of stuff.
Do you own a unibody MBP? If so, wouldn't it hurt just a bit if it turned into plastic one day?
It would kinda suck, yeah. Aluminium does make for some slick looking hardware, plus it's great for building computers out of since it disapates heat so well.
...but it's not anywhere closer to what I'd call an expensive material. Pound for pound, a block of polycarbonate plastic costs a little bit more than a chunk of solid aluminium. That's what some of us are arguing against here. Whenever someone pops up and bags on some random phone because it's made out of "cheap" plastic, as opposed to the high class, premium aluminium metals Apple likes using, they're only exposing their ignorance. There is no real difference in quality between the two.
Not nearly as much as Samsung, who spent something like $12B on marketing last year (and it's pretty obvious most of that spending was on their Galaxy line of products).
If Apple can sell an iPod touch at profit for around $300 they can make a cheap iPhone. A GSM radio does not cost that much.
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And yet here you are, guessing, without anything to base your assumption on.
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And yet here you are, guessing, without anything to base your assumption on.
You seem to want to turn this into a fight (which I've had with you before and would like to avoid if that's okay.)
But I will say this The purely logical side of my brain might be happy with a plastic MBP. The same part of my brain might be fine if all houses were built of red brick (I mean, who really needs all those interesting materials and colours?), if plants reproduced without decorating the world with flowers, and if women looked like men. That part of my brain might have even bought an eMac back in the day.
However, there's another part of me that appreciates the design and choice of material that went into my MBP, and yes, I would be just a little bit sad if it turned into plastic. (Note: 'little bit sad' ≠ 'really hurt'!)
It is ? What about their TV line-up ? A lot of marketing there... not to mention the bazillion other markets/segments Samsung operates in.
Can you provide a source for the 12B$ figure and its breakdown ? Was this only for Samsung Mobile US ? Samsung Mobile worldwide ? The whole of the Samsung conglomerate ?
I don't understand how people can say that iPhones are *overly* expensive where they are. Here in Australia, the iPhone outright (iPhone 5, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB respectively) for $799, $899 and $999. There are plenty of people here that are willing to pay that price for an iPhone.
Currently on my 24 month contract (12 months in), I pay $15 a month for the iPhone (4S 16GB) (15*24=$360) plus my contract per month.
By all means, i'm not trying to have a rant but this is my opinion. But some people in some countries think that the price of their contracts are too high, really situate yourselves in other peoples positions, put it into context. Thats when you realise what you take for granted. i'm all for a cheaper iPhones, so other people can experience the luxury of having one.
I'm blessed everyday for having a roof over my head and am nourished.This is coming from a 17 year old. I work to pay off my iPhone and use it for my senior studies in High school. I really hope i didn't 'step on anyones toes'.
Currently on my 24 month contract (12 months in), I pay $15 a month for the iPhone (4S 16GB) (15*24=$360) plus my contract per month.
By all means, i'm not trying to have a rant but this is my opinion. But some people in some countries think that the price of their contracts are too high, really situate yourselves in other peoples positions, put it into context. Thats when you realise what you take for granted. i'm all for a cheaper iPhones, so other people can experience the luxury of having one.
I'm blessed everyday for having a roof over my head and am nourished.This is coming from a 17 year old. I work to pay off my iPhone and use it for my senior studies in High school. I really hope i didn't 'step on anyones toes'.
