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Aluminum Unibody iPhone?

I'm just gonna go ahead and say this but simultaneously launching 2 versions of iPhones (5 & 4S) doesn't seem to make much sense.

Apple can just as well lower the price point of their current 4, like what they did with the 3GS and launch a single version of their new iPhone. Am I the only one who's confused as to the point of a 4S if a 5 is due?
 
If this is true, I suspect the iPhone 4 resale value would remain the same or even go up. I can't picture an aluminum iPhone being as elegant as the 4.
 
Muscle said:
I'm just gonna go ahead and say this but simultaneously launching 2 versions of iPhones (5 & 4S) doesn't seem to make much sense.

Apple can just as well lower the price point of their current 4, like what they did with the 3GS and launch a single version of their new iPhone. Am I the only one who's confused as to the point of a 4S if a 5 is due?
Click to expand...

You don't seem to realize that countries outside the states don't always subsidize cell phone prices. For example, in China, if you want an iPhone 4, you have to shell out ~$800 dollars, which people are doing happily, but still that's a lot of money.

When the iPhone 5 comes out, it doesn't mean the price of the iPhone 4 will magically become cheaper to produce. If they release a cheaper iPhone 4s that only cost < $200 to produce, the price of an unsubsidized iP4s will only be $350. Much more manageable.
 
Analyst = reads rumour sites, takes information and writes it in his/her own words. I need to get a job doing that.
 
There shouldn't be any debate anymore. There were rumors of two iPhones a long time ago by major news sources, and the reports of two iPhones by major news sources have persisted this whole time.

The iPhone 5 internals have been going around in iPhone 4 cases to companies who need them. The iPhone's design is the most immediate and coveted 'feature' before it is released. They are protecting the design with the utmost security because of this.

The iPhone 5 is all but confirmed to have:

4'' to 4.2'' screen
design that fits the 3rd party cases
A5
1 GB RAM
8 MP camera
Assistant

Small upgrades to the screen and an LED notification light can be expected.
 
Muscle said:
I'm just gonna go ahead and say this but simultaneously launching 2 versions of iPhones (5 & 4S) doesn't seem to make much sense.

Apple can just as well lower the price point of their current 4, like what they did with the 3GS and launch a single version of their new iPhone. Am I the only one who's confused as to the point of a 4S if a 5 is due?
Click to expand...

Actually that is not exactly what they did with the 3GS it was originally available as 16 or 32G. They withdrew those and launched an 8G version.

They may well do something similar with the iphone 4 but might also reduce cost by using cheaper components.
 
Muscle said:
I'm just gonna go ahead and say this but simultaneously launching 2 versions of iPhones (5 & 4S) doesn't seem to make much sense.

Apple can just as well lower the price point of their current 4, like what they did with the 3GS and launch a single version of their new iPhone. Am I the only one who's confused as to the point of a 4S if a 5 is due?
Click to expand...

As others have said, the unsubsidized market is a big part of it. If they can design a new phone around a similar body to the iPhone 4, but chop a good chunk off the raw materials cost, it makes sense to do so.

Also, making a single model with GSM/CDMA capability will simplify supply chain. Perhaps even one color, which would bring them down to a single SKU for the low-end phone.

All speculation on my part of course.
 
seanfranklin said:
As others have said, the unsubsidized market is a big part of it. If they can design a new phone around a similar body to the iPhone 4, but chop a good chunk off the raw materials cost, it makes sense to do so.

Also, making a single model with GSM/CDMA capability will simplify supply chain. Perhaps even one color, which would bring them down to a single SKU for the low-end phone.

All speculation on my part of course.
Click to expand...
I agree but I think they'd keep two colours if they did :D.
 
syan48306 said:
If they release a cheaper iPhone 4s that only cost < $200 to produce, the price of an unsubsidized iP4s will only be $350. Much more manageable.
Click to expand...

iPhone 4 already cost <$200 to produce. It was around $182 when it first came out. I'm sure they've found some ways to cut it down even further since then.
 
Dangerous Theory said:
I know, right? They probably think it's made out of the same glass as a window.
Click to expand...

Perhaps a unibody iphone would be lighter because they need less aluminum to achieve the same sturdyness since it's a single piece rather than multiple pieces screwed together?
 
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