Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Analyst Claims Apple May Release $349 iPhone for Prepaid Markets This Year

shanmugam said:
iPod Touch prices goes cheaper
iPod touch 8GB - $149

No contract required - NO Mandatory data plan required
iPhone 5 Nano - 8GB - $299 Contract free - $0 with two year voice plan - data plan pay as you use
iPhone 5 Nano - 16GB - $399 Contract free - $99 with two year voice plan - data plan pay as you use

Usual two year contract phones with Mandatory data plans
iPhone 5 - 16GB - $599 Contract free - $199 with two year voice and data plan
iPhone 5 - 32GB - $699 Contract free - $299 with two year voice and data plan
Click to expand...

I am going to be blunt and to the point. No way in Hell would the carriers allow the iPhone 5 Nano (if it comes out) to not have a required data plan. They learned that lesson already. The Nano would be considered a smart phone and would require a data plan plane and simple. No way around that fact. It would be nice if they did not require it but they will force it on you.

That being said I will believe this when I see it because I think we are up to this rumor popping up in one form or another before the 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4 and now yet again.
So with 3 times before pointing to it is not happening it pretty much not happening.

Add to it Apple does not play in the cheap realm. THey play in the higher end areas only. They do not sell in the cheap zone in any area it plays in.
 
maclaptop said:
You have got to be kidding, drones everywhere... :eek:
Click to expand...

That is every true Apple followers dream. We brag about being different, then once everyone joins us to be different, then we all become the same. I hope for the day when every product and service is provided only by Apple. I'm talking food, clothing, gasoline, air travel, trains, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, AppleMart instead of Walmart, etc, etc. Let your imagination run wild. Doesn't it feel so good?
 
Rodimus Prime said:
Add to it Apple does not play in the cheap realm. THey play in the higher end areas only. They do not sell in the cheap zone in any area it plays in.
Click to expand...

Well, that used to be the case but then they introduced the iPad.

Also, they have always had roughly three levels of a product. Pro, Prosumer and basic. Desktops, laptops, iPods, they've all followed the same path. It only makes sense for the iPhone to also have different levels. I'm sure the iPad will also follow this route eventually.

For me, it's not a matter of if, but rather what prices Apple will put on these phones. $299 is my sweet spot, but...
 
For me paying higher then 299$ for phone is to expensive, and also data plans is simply a robbery.

So an pre-paid Iphone with that price or 249$ is the right price.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I am going to be blunt and to the point. No way in Hell would the carriers allow the iPhone 5 Nano (if it comes out) to not have a required data plan.
Click to expand...
Because all over the world excluding North America, carriers let you use whatever plan you want with any phone when you don't want a subsidy for the handset from them.

There are countries where even selling a phone with a SIM-lock is illegal. In North America it might be a good first step to make the locking of SIMs [that are associated to a voice-only plan] to voice-only handsets illegal.
 
Ugg said:
Well, that used to be the case but then they introduced the iPad.

Also, they have always had roughly three levels of a product. Pro, Prosumer and basic. Desktops, laptops, iPods, they've all followed the same path. It only makes sense for the iPhone to also have different levels. I'm sure the iPad will also follow this route eventually.

For me, it's not a matter of if, but rather what prices Apple will put on these phones. $299 is my sweet spot, but...
Click to expand...

I would still call the iPad a more luxury device and higher price point. Apple does not really fight the the race to the bottom. They really only sell in the luxury category.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I am going to be blunt and to the point. No way in Hell would the carriers allow the iPhone 5 Nano (if it comes out) to not have a required data plan. They learned that lesson already. The Nano would be considered a smart phone and would require a data plan plane and simple. No way around that fact. It would be nice if they did not require it but they will force it on you.

That being said I will believe this when I see it because I think we are up to this rumor popping up in one form or another before the 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4 and now yet again.
So with 3 times before pointing to it is not happening it pretty much not happening.

Add to it Apple does not play in the cheap realm. THey play in the higher end areas only. They do not sell in the cheap zone in any area it plays in.
Click to expand...
you're thinking in terms of phone contracts. If you check out the prepaid gophone from AT&T for example....data packages are not forced on anyone they are simply an OPTION....which is the way it should be.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
Add to it Apple does not play in the cheap realm. THey play in the higher end areas only. They do not sell in the cheap zone in any area it plays in.
Click to expand...

that's right, apple only sells in the snobby wal marts and they don't have cheap MP3 players for less than $100 that only offer a minimum of features

#1 rule of business, have cheapo products to protect your high end profit makers. a lot of companies started in the cheap and low end of the market and worked their way up to high end products at someone else's expense
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I would still call the iPad a more luxury device and higher price point. Apple does not really fight the the race to the bottom. They really only sell in the luxury category.
Click to expand...

I disagree. The iPad allows Apple to reach people who couldn't afford an Apple computer. Its ease of use is great for older people and the price makes it very appealing for schools. Most consumers don't need a desktop or even a laptop, a tablet will do just fine and at $500, the price really can't be beat. Plus, there aren't any Android tablets out there that have provided any competition.

Apple has always done an amazing job at keeping their prices high while providing a range in their product line up. I honestly do believe that they've reached the point where they need to provide a range of iPhones in order to draw in all the people who don't want to pay $100 a month. However, I have no idea about prices or features.
 
doctor-don said:
Our family plan provides peace of mind, so it is worth the monthly. The problem is that after being a loyal customer for 15 years, that 2-year contract should be eliminated. A useless, broken phone should NOT be something I am required to pay for every month remaining on the contract. That is just stupid.
Click to expand...


Huh? Not really. The purpose of the 2 year contract is to reclaim the @$400 subsidy. If a phone breaks, replace it subsidy-free (used on eBay), or return the original subsidy (buy out contract). Not complicated. Of course, consumers really should be allowed to buy phones subsidy/contract-free, and bring the phone to carriers at a reduced monthly rate (@$18) reflecting no subsidy received. Consumers should also get a similar monthly reduction on a subsidized phone after 2 year contract expires.
 
alent1234 said:
that's right, apple only sells in the snobby wal marts and they don't have cheap MP3 players for less than $100 that only offer a minimum of features

#1 rule of business, have cheapo products to protect your high end profit makers. a lot of companies started in the cheap and low end of the market and worked their way up to high end products at someone else's expense
Click to expand...

Compare the features of the iPod Shuffle with the features of the Sansa Clip+, you're not even getting a screen with the Shuffle.
You're paying a premium even for Apple's cheapest mp3 player.
 
Ugg said:
I disagree. The iPad allows Apple to reach people who couldn't afford an Apple computer. Its ease of use is great for older people and the price makes it very appealing for schools. Most consumers don't need a desktop or even a laptop, a tablet will do just fine and at $500, the price really can't be beat. Plus, there aren't any Android tablets out there that have provided any competition.

Apple has always done an amazing job at keeping their prices high while providing a range in their product line up. I honestly do believe that they've reached the point where they need to provide a range of iPhones in order to draw in all the people who don't want to pay $100 a month. However, I have no idea about prices or features.
Click to expand...



I'd disagree that you can't find a computer for $500, unless you're looking for a new one from Apple.
And I'd disagree that an iPad is a good replacement for computer for school children, a Tablet isn't very good for typing.
How many do you know who is using their computer for work, not just browsing or watching movies, and have actually replaced their computer with an iPad?
 
AaronEdwards said:
I'd disagree that you can't find a computer for $500, unless you're looking for a new one from Apple.
And I'd disagree that an iPad is a good replacement for computer for school children, a Tablet isn't very good for typing.
How many do you know who is using their computer for work, not just browsing or watching movies, and have actually replaced their computer with an iPad?
Click to expand...

Most consumers don't need a desktop or even a laptop,
Click to expand...

That is what I said. People who use laptops or desktops for work will buy an iPad to supplement what they already have, not replace it.

My brother was interested in buying a 3G enabled netbook. I told him that he's still going to have to wait for it to start up, deal with all the issues of a normal computer, buy a mouse and would end up with not very much battery life. He got a Samsung Galaxy and is very happy with the instant on aspect, long battery life and lack of a windows type operating system. Tablets are very much WYSIWYG. Most people are perfectly happy with them. The era of a computer having an incomprehensible operating system is over.

For smaller children, tablets are excellent computers, maybe up to age 12 or so. After that age, tablets will probably be too small for their fingers.
 
Dagless said:
Yeah, the folk I know with prepaid phones don't fall into that category. But a lot of them do a lot of business and travelling around Europe so I guess that's a reason to avoid contract.

Sim cards for each country, it's a winner.
Click to expand...

Here in Germany it makes sense to use prepaid even if you never leave the country.
There are many cheap prepaid plans. Usually offered by virtual network operators. Usually you pay 9 cent per minute and 9 cent per SMS. Mailbox and incoming calls are free.
For 10€ you get a data plan for a month. This includes 300 or 500 MB which is enough for a smartphone in most cases. Even if it is not, you won't be disconnected. They just limit your speed to 64 kbit/s for the rest of the month.

I think there are good reasons why prepaid plans are often cheaper than contracts: The operator does not offer "free" or "cheap" devices. The operator does not have to create or send bills. There are no problems with customers who do not pay bills etc.

It is not uncommon to buy a phone like a Desire cash and use a cheap prepaid plan. If some other provider becomes cheaper you throw your SIM away and get a new one. In many cases it is even possible to keep the same phone number...

Christian
 
iPhone 3GS unlocked in India for $444(Rs 19,999)

dethmaShine said:
- Essential for markets where pre-paid/post-paid plans are very popular. Among best examples would be markets like: India, China, Malaysia, etc.

I belong to India and I'm aware that almost every person who buys a phone is on a post-paid [per monthly] or a pre-paid plan. But both these plans do not include the cost of the phone. You've got to buy the phone yourself. $350 sounds like a great price for such a market.

- Lets be honest: not everyone affords an iPhone. I used to have an iPhone but at present I use Mozart7. I got a couple of Trophy7s for mom and my aunt.
Why? - work like an iPhone -- touch screen ... but cheaper than the iPhone. An iPhone 4 would have cost me close to £500. I got the other two for a total less than £500. :rolleyes:

- Not everybody carries an expensive phone. If I were to gift a phone to my little brother or probably my girlfriend, I'd buy a cheaper - non-iPhone model. If a cheaper option was there, I wouldn't have been bothered at all.

iPhone has to become cheap overtime if Apple needs to take care of some more people. They are going good with whatever they have but if they need to aggressively compete, they need a cheaper iPhone.
Click to expand...

This is news:

http://9to5mac.com/2011/06/29/apple-gunning-for-android-in-india-with-unlocked-iphone-3gs/

Not the most reasonable price, but we shouldn't forget: this is Apple!

Apple has divulged plans to relaunch its iPhone 3GS, which was then only available through network operators like Vodafone and Airtel. The new unlocked version will come with 8GB internal storage at a very reasonable price of 19,990 Indian rupees (about $444). Apple’s latest iOS version 4.3 supports iPhone 3GS, making it a worthy opponent to similarly-priced Android devices with better hardware. Apple has also said that iOS 5 will work on iPhone 3GS though it is likely that not all features will be supported.
Click to expand...

Something seems going.
 
Last edited:
Seems like Apple is going into the low cost no contract market after all contrary to what some of the self styled "experts" here say.

http://9to5mac.com/2011/06/29/apple...in-india-with-unlocked-iphone-3gs/#more-77756

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/06/30/apple-will-reportedly-re-launch-unlocked-iphone-3gs-in-india/

They are establishing the lower cost market tier with a no contract 3GS in India now. You can bet that there will be new models coming out just for this tier. Probably they will announce a new model in the Fall along side a high end one.
And so it begins
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back