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Apple Building Cheaper 8GB iPhone 4, End of September Launch alongside iPhone 5

Take it even further--think like Jobs (big).

Apple is sitting on $70 billion in cash. The "user experience" for the iPhone can't be controlled at the level of the carrier.

Why not buy a carrier and its network, and let the cheap iPhones be used over that network which you now control?

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aeaglex07 said:
do you realize the 99$ is a subsidized price? LOL
Click to expand...

Um, yes I do. LOL back.

Do you read this forum and iFixit? How much does the $99 iPhone cost in parts? Could it be made for say…$60 in actual cost and sold for $75? Just asking the question.

Think before you LOL, please.
 
C'mon people !!!

The news is absolutely clear:
a) iPhone 3GS is being replaced by the iPhone 4 8Gb (remember the rumor of lower cost parts back in May ?)
b) iPhone 4 is being replaced by the new iPhone 5 with larger screen, teardrop design (16-32gb versions maybe a new 64Gb version as well)

Resolution won't change, keeping iPhone 4 8Gb, iPhone 5 and iPod touch all with the same 960x480 resolution (developers should be grateful)

iPhone 4 8Gb will create three growth opportunities:
1) ZERO cost contract phone in both ATT and Verizon (today iPhone 3GS only being sold by ATT, does not work with Verizon CDMA)
2) Unlocked iPhone 4 8Gb being sold at Apple stores for $299
3) Further expanding sales in markets like China, India and Brazil where handset costs are key for purchasing decision

This will be a huge win for :apple: AAPL !!! :)
 
The bigger screen size rumor makes no sense.

Apple has had many opportunities to use a larger part and yet they stick with the same size screen.

There is one person who needs to be convinced that a larger screen is better and his name is Steve. His aesthetics lean heavily toward small, simple, thin. Steve doesn't supersize things.
 
No Problem?

Zvezda said:
I predict Apple is going to shift the iPhone and iPod Touch screen resolution to 1024x768, and possibly increase the size to 3.7 - 4.0 inches. It does mean a change in screen aspect (1.5 vs 1.33), but I don't see that as a problem for anyone.
Click to expand...

No problem for anyone? Good grief, every developer would have to redo all their graphics. It's going to be tough enough on them when the iPad doubles its resolution, but to have to change aspect ratios would be across-the-board crazy.
 
PittAir said:
Take it even further--think like Jobs (big).

Apple is sitting on $70 billion in cash. The "user experience" for the iPhone can't be controlled at the level of the carrier.

Why not buy a carrier and its network, and let the cheap iPhones be used over that network which you now control?

----------



Um, yes I do. LOL back.

Do you read this forum and iFixit? How much does the $99 iPhone cost in parts? Could it be made for say…$60 in actual cost and sold for $75? Just asking the question.

Think before you LOL, please.
Click to expand...


firstly i LOLed at your ridiculous notion that Apple should lose money on selling a cheaper phone. Last i checked, not from a site your referenced, that the iPhone 4 cost 180$ to make. if you buy a 3gs from apple or at&t unsibsidized its $250, far from 99$

perhaps you should do your homework and include a link to a site if your are referencing their material, which i have yet to find.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Hey look, if you want to underutilize your phone no one is stopping you. I even said that there are people that will gladly save $100 on a $1400+ contract. My point is that I don't understand why. If all you want is to put music on your phone Walmart has inexpensive Android phones w/ $45/mo PayGo plan w/ unlimited text, talk and data on Verizon's network.
Click to expand...

How is that underutilizing if that's all my music/photos? I stream Netflix for my videos.

Just because you feel a certain way doesn't make it the right way. People's uses are different. Get over it.
 
how low price is 'low price'? The 8GB 'low price' 3GS is £428 on apple's UK store. The 16GB iphone 4 is £510. I honestly can't imagine anyone that has even the slightest understanding of the difference between the two phones *ever* buying a 3GS for only £90 less.

(yes both are way too expensive)
 
cvaldes said:
I think it's safe to say that one shouldn't make any assumptions based on rumors.

Maybe 98% of rumors on this site (and others) end up being false.
Click to expand...

so true, but i will say this. after taking so long to launch the iphone 5, it better be good and have a different form factor
 
Zvezda said:
There's an assumption that keeps being repeated in this forum - that the screen resolution of the iPhone cannot change. This, coupled with statements from Steve regarding the pixel density of a 'retina' display, has led many to assume that the iPhone screen size cannot really be increased.

First, I recall almost a decade ago Steve saying something about not entering the mobile phone market.

Second, why must the screen must stay at 960x640 @ 3.5 inches? Because of the retina display?

I predict Apple is going to shift the iPhone and iPod Touch screen resolution to 1024x768, and possibly increase the size to 3.7 - 4.0 inches. It does mean a change in screen aspect (1.5 vs 1.33), but I don't see that as a problem for anyone. I think it might even be beneficial to the end user.

It's a good solution for developers, since it begins to close the fragmented screen size that the iPad brought to the market.
Click to expand...

In regards to your second point - the second screen must stay at 960 x 640 so that the ENORMOUS application library that has been created need not be re-scaled. Original iPhone was 480 x 320, then iPhone 4 moved to 960 x 640 (original * 2). That meant that one pixel wide x one pixel tall became two pixels wide x two pixels tall - a very easy computation for developers and Apple alike. I would expect any change in resolution to be as non-arbitrary as the transition from 3Gs -> 4.

I fail to see why the iPhone needs to adapt the iPad's aspect ratio, as the fact that they have different aspect ratios encourages developers to make unique iPad apps, and unique iPhone apps. Why would Apple want them unified when they both can sustain a large app store?
 
JohnnyGo said:
iPhone 4 8Gb will create three growth opportunities:
1) ZERO cost contract phone
2) Unlocked iPhone 4 8Gb being sold at Apple stores for $299
3) Further expanding sales in markets like China, India and Brazil where handset costs are key for purchasing decision

This will be a huge win for :apple: AAPL !!! :)
Click to expand...

Apple selling unlocked phones would destroy Apples ability to manage and control their product. It would be like Android bastardized on a dozen different products.

Apple is winning because they have control of the product, what it will do, and how it is used. If they loose that control by unlocking the product they sell, they'll be flooded with problems beyoond their control. Apple would be a big looser if they did it.
 
Skika said:
By making it bigger to 3.7 inch they would still be over 300 dpi thus maintaining "retina" terminology.

And realistically 960 x 640 for a 3.7 display is still great and i doubt someone would go "oh the display sucks now".
Click to expand...
I agree, except for the last little bit about nobody whining.
 
Looks like the September launch is still going to happen. For once we don't have a BS October launch date rumor :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
KnightWRX said:
Somehow, I'd doubt we'd go 2 years without a storage bump. This goes along the line of the last 2 refreshes. 8 GB previous model, 16/32 GB new model. Though I'd think this year will be 16 GB previous mode, 32/64 GB new model.
Click to expand...

I am anxious to upgrade my iPhone 3Gs, but I too would like to go to 64GB storage. The 32GB I currently have gets constrained sometimes.

I also think those dramatically different form factors are in fact for the new iPod Touch which I think that Apple will rebrand as the "iPad Nano" (so they can count these as iPad sales and to play off the popularity of the iPad). I get the feeling the new iPhone 5 may have a similar form factor to iPhone 4 -- those new iPhone mockups just look way too much like the iPod touch to me.

The form factor is not that big a deal for me. I like the idea of a larger screen, but I'm sure I'll be ok with whatever they do with regards to form. More storage, 1GB RAM and 4G LTE would really really be nice though. Not holding my breath, but hoping. We actually won't know the RAM specs until iFixIt tears one down. :(
 
benjs said:
In regards to your second point - the second screen must stay at 960 x 640 so that the ENORMOUS application library that has been created need not be re-scaled. Original iPhone was 480 x 320, then iPhone 4 moved to 960 x 640 (original * 2). That meant that one pixel wide x one pixel tall became two pixels wide x two pixels tall - a very easy computation for developers and Apple alike. I would expect any change in resolution to be as non-arbitrary as the transition from 3Gs -> 4.

I fail to see why the iPhone needs to adapt the iPad's aspect ratio, as the fact that they have different aspect ratios encourages developers to make unique iPad apps, and unique iPhone apps. Why would Apple want them unified when they both can sustain a large app store?
Click to expand...

if iPad 3 rumors hold water than devs will have to rescale apps anyways.
 
I think its not a bad idea, have a nice well designed phone capable of carrying some useful apps, podcasts, and a few music albums for cheap. Remember how Apple said a lot of people did not even sync their phone to iTunes to keep it up to date?
 
The bigger screen size makes no sense !!
I Hate samsung size and galaxy s2 !! is **** ! :(

i hope iphone will be .. iphone ! :apple:
 
PittAir said:
Take it even further--think like Jobs (big).

Apple is sitting on $70 billion in cash. The "user experience" for the iPhone can't be controlled at the level of the carrier.

Why not buy a carrier and its network, and let the cheap iPhones be used over that network which you now .
Click to expand...

What would be the point? Most iPhones are not sold in the US, so would they have to buy a carrier in all the main iPhone countries? And if they planned to follow their usual pricing model in Europe, they may have difficulty selling any iPhones against much cheaper competition from establishised networks.
 
aeaglex07 said:
firstly i LOLed at your ridiculous notion that Apple should lose money on selling a cheaper phone. Last i checked, not from a site your referenced, that the iPhone 4 cost 180$ to make. if you buy a 3gs from apple or at&t unsibsidized its $250, far from 99$

perhaps you should do your homework and include a link to a site if your are referencing their material, which i have yet to find.
Click to expand...

That's precisely the point.

As Winston Churchill once said to a woman (to paraphrase): "We've established that it's possible. Now we are just haggling about price."

Not saying that Apple should lose money on a cheaper phone--just not make as much per unit. Much higher volume of sales, carrier independence = same if not more profits, a better user experience, and total disruption of the carrier space.

The issue then becomes: what's the correct pricing of the cheaper iPhone?

The $180 cost iFixit for the 3GS is a few years old. 8 GB NAND flash is no more than a few $$$, and Apple owns the A5 and A6, so they can charge what they want. The antennae--a few more $$$. Then all you're talking is the case and screen--for which Apple has control over pricing, since they're the big gorilla and have signed long tern supplier contracts.

I think they could do it, and it fits right into their philosophy of control over the user experience.

Will they? Not sure. But why else would they want to create a cheaper iPhone?
 
jmpnop said:
Apple will never change the screen size. Increasing screen size reduces the pixel density which reduces the image quality. Though not noticeable, it makes no sense to downgrade the screen. If Apple really wanted to increase screen size, they would've done it in the iPhone 4 along with the bump in screen resolution which makes more sense.
Click to expand...

You don't think that maybe they have done this on purpose so they could potentially double the sales being able to release two major screen upgrades over two years instead of doing it all at once?
 
wackymacky said:
8GB? The cost of the memory can't really be that much for apple when making it by the million units.

Who really wants a cut price iPhone anyway. It just cheapens the brand.m Apple's becoming the McDonnalds of the decade.
Click to expand...

And yet the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3Gs both topped out on the best selling phones list.
 
RickyB said:
What would be the point? Most iPhones are not sold in the US, so would they have to buy a carrier in all the main iPhone countries? And if they planned to follow their usual pricing model in Europe, they may have difficulty selling any iPhones against much cheaper competition from establishised networks.
Click to expand...

The US market is the biggest one (and the first). It is also the most closed. In other countries, the SIM is all that would be needed. Maybe it's time to turn the US market into more of a European one, with a lot more competition.
 
burnout8488 said:
You make me embarrassed to want this phone. Real human beings want this phone because of how they will use it, not what people will think of them.
Click to expand...

Some people buy them SOLELY for status and then figure out how they'll use it best afterwards.

Kinda jacked up actually. lol.
 
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