Apple Launching Larger, Low-Cost iPhone for Emerging Markets Late This Year?

[kockgunner]

I hope to never see the day where Apple just follows the market trend and caters to the low-cost market just to get more sales.

If they do do this, I wonder if they will go with the iPod touch construction. It feels more durable and better in the hands than the 5.

 

[The Mad Kiwi]

Stupid, back to the brick phones of the 80's. What good is a mobile phone if it doesn't fit in your pocket.

 

[gnasher729]

There are no spelling errors from what I can see.

I count five.

 

[Popeye206]

It will be a pain in the butt for developers.

It's sad to now see Apple following trends. A few years ago, Apple was creating them.

Ahhh.... this is a rumor (and a fairly bad one), not a product announcement. My bet would be we won't see this one come true.

To comment on the 5" screen comments... I highly doubt I would want one. I want portability in my smart phone, not screen size. From what I've experienced it seems like the 5" phones (like the S3) are really over the edge of being comfortable to carry. Besides, applications where I need more screen, that's what my laptop and iPad are for.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I can see the benefit of a cheaper iPhone to further take over those markets which Android phones sit quite nicely into, but for a lower price, what sort of consequence could you expect? Non-Retina? iPhone 4 processor?

What does "take over those markets" mean?

Does Apple need to sell more cheaper phones?

Or keep selling relatively fewer expensive phones?

You know Apple is already selling every iPhone they make... even though they only have about 20% worldwide smartphone market share... right?

Some would argue that you don't need to "take over a market" to be successful...

 

[kdarling]

So many different opinions and desires, are simply indicative of the need for more choice.

As for a large, low cost phone... that would actually carve out a new market if it were true. Currently the lowest cost smartphones have small displays. Apple might outsell Samsung with such a device.

 

[ConCat]

Is apple losing its way ? Has it lost the 'closed' but 'focused' visionary mentality that once ruled the empire when Steve was in charge ?

No pro mac in years...

If I had to guess, Apple may be waiting to put the finishing touches on Core Storage before releasing the new Mac Pro. The Mac Pro could benefit tremendously from some of the tech in Core Storage, however much of it is unfinished currently in 10.8.2. An example would be the ability to "fuse" all the drives together, and still retain the ability to remove a drive or add a drive as needed via simple commands. It would just move all the data off the drive you want to remove. Believe it or not, the commands are there, you just can't use them yet because they're not fully implemented.

So, yes, I believe Apple will be releasing a Mac Pro in the near future. Once Core Storage is ready for prime-time, the Mac Pro will be quite an amazing computer. Seriously.

 

[duneriderltr450]

I probably pay more in taxes per year than your entire family makes. And i have a android. I guess your theory that a cheap 200 dollar cellphone makes you rich doesnt hol water, huh?

Samsung, is that you?

 

[Internaut]

Well I'm betting this will happen! Why? Well that nice premium product is starting to become secondary to the iTunes, App, iBook store and Newsstand. And every pound spent at the Google Play store is a pound not contributing to Apple's bottom line. Ultimately, there's shareholder value to deliver so Apple can't be too shy about who they extract that from.

And yes, I know the Googleverse is full of freetards but there are plenty of people there who spend at least a few pounds a month with Google.

 

[MrDc2]

8 pages of skepticism.

+1 to the, " ..just another rumor. " crowd.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I count five.

At best two. One a typo, the other from the nature of being a lazy typist. But whatever. Most of us on these forums are wannabe perfectionists.

So many different opinions and desires, are simply indicative of the need for more choice.

As for a large, low cost phone... that would actually carve out a new market if it were true. Currently the lowest cost smartphones have small displays. Apple might outsell Samsung with such a device.

Having a low cost large device may be a boon for the education market, but I don't see a new market nor a market segment screaming for a budget Note 2 or an even more under powered iPhone or iPad mini.

 

[TC03]

I'm a 100% sure Apple wil make a 'phablet' sometime.

Why?
- People like big screen sizes
- Bigger screens can be better and not just bigger, just like the iPad mini is not 'just smaller', but also better

Apple currently sticks to 4" because it can be controlled with one hand. While that is an advantage, it's not that much of advantage, simply because people like large screens. They show more, they can be more engaging. They can be better, despite two-handed use.

I seriously doubt that they will make it cheaper than the iPhone 5 though. Smaller devices are generally cheaper than bigger devices, it would be way too awkward to have it the other way around.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Besides, applications where I need more screen, that's what my laptop and iPad are for.

True, but many consumers don't want to carry 3 expensive device at any given time or at once. Some other even, want a sort of do all device . . . I am guilty of being in that crowd.

....An example would be the ability to "fuse" all the drives together, and still retain the ability to remove a drive or add a drive as needed via simple commands. It would just move all the data off the drive you want to remove. Believe it or not, the commands are there, you just can't use them yet because they're not fully implemented....

I think Apple may really axe the Mac Pro. Huge workstations are becoming a very niche market that amounts to a small fraction of Apple's profit.

Core Storage sounds like a glorified RAID 5 or Beyond RAID setup.

I'm a 100% sure Apple wil make a 'phablet' sometime.

Why?
- People like big screen sizes
- Bigger screens can be better and not just bigger, just like the iPad mini is not 'just smaller', but also better

+1

Apple currently sticks to 4" because it can be controlled with one hand. While that is an advantage, it's not that much of advantage, simply because people like large screens. They show more, they can be more engaging. They can be better, despite two-handed use.

Most larger phones are still very easy to use with one hand. I can use my Note, typing and all with one hand just fine. I have to use two hands slowly to type on an iPod Touch or iPhone 5 accurately. I can use two hands to punch out a long email on my Note quickly mainly because of its size.

 

[Zwhaler]

Nope, too much pain for the developers

Not if they keep it the same resolution. A low cost iPhone with a larger screen wouldn't likely have a higher res display to keep it low cost, right?

 

[Eidorian]

Bigger and with a lower resolution display is not something uncommon. Samsung has a entry/mid-range version of their Galaxy Note II. The screen size is the same but the resolution is dropped down to 848 x 480 and the SoC takes a hit.

 

[RobNYC]

Why is market share such a big thing?

Apple is already "losing" to Android across the globe... Android has 75% market share in smartphones to Apple's 15%

Yet Apple's App Store is still the best... Apple has the most retention... and Apple as a single company makes more money than the rest of the mobile industry combined.

So tell me again why Apple must have more market share?

Yeah I don't understand this focus on market share either. It's not like they're losing money and they have had steady increases in the number of phones sold each year.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Bigger and with a lower resolution display is not something uncommon. Samsung has a entry/mid-range version of their Galaxy Note II. The screen size is the same but the resolution is dropped down to 848 x 480 and the SoC takes a hit.

OUCH! That's a lot to give up on. If the display is what you're really after then it's a win. It reminds me of the $1000 17" display laptops of yore. A notch above netbook specs with a 1440x900 rez 17" display at $999!

 

[SmileyBlast!]

This is bizarre assertion about Steve Job approval. None of us know Steve Job, so how do you know if he would approve or not? The truth is that Iphone sales is not keeping up with the the growth of the overall market. A low end phone make a lot of sense to expand their market share. If Apple can figure out how to make one with 35-30% gross margin (vs 50-60% gross margin on Iphone 5 and 23-32% margin on Ipad 3/4), they will make a lot more money than now even if you account for less Iphone 5/6 sales.

We probably know more about Steve Jobs's than most public figures thanks to Isaacson's biography.
He often said things like "I'm not in this for the money."
He had uncompromising design as a product goal. He didn't want to make low quality anything. We all sense that.

He made great products and people were willing to pay his price. Also we've been buying Apple products for years and we know when they are striking new levels of value and when they are selling out. We touch and use devices like the iPhone more than any other product for most of the day. We know its a quality product as it currently stands.

So I stand by my assertion Sir.

 

[2499723]

I never thought I'd hear myself say the words, but my next phone will be a Nexus 4. I'm so done with £600 smart phones. While I'm marginally curious to see what Apple's definition of 'low-cost' is, I'm not holding my breath. They're too afraid to decrease the profit margins, because they'd have to answer to pissed off shareholders.

 

[JoeG4]

Ok, I have some news to break to you guys: Apple products aren't exclusive, and they aren't necessarily expensive. On the contrary, some are pretty good deals for the money involved, especially if your needs fit the machine in question.

So what defines premium? Is it the cost, or is it the social stigma?

I suppose when we discuss cost, we could compare a $299 16GB Nexus 4 to a $649 unlocked iPhone 5. For the extra $350, you get a nicer screen (IMHO), a more stylish chassis, and an OS with arguably better app support.

An unlocked 16GB Galaxy S3 will cost around $550-600 retail (probably), and an unlocked 16GB Galaxy Note 2 will cost around $650-700 retail.

So far, we've established that some people on this forum believe that people that use the 5.5" Note 2 believe the users are .. low-class with poor taste.

Do I sense jealousy? I paid about $100 more for my Note 2, than I would have - if I had purchased an iPhone. For the record, I do not carry it around in a case with a giant hole in the back so people can see that I am indeed carrying a Note 2, and not an inferior Virgin Optimus V that cost $60 on sale at Target and is being used on a grandfathered $25 monthly plan.

But you know what, I respect the people that use $60 Optimus Vs on their $25 grandfathered Virgin Mobile plans. That's pretty damn smart, and I wish I had the restraint to do the same!

However, I did get a very nice deal on monthly service, and aside from getting multiple defective Note 2s, I'm otherwise quite happy with the device. (I have other issues with my mobile carrier, T-Mobile - I do not recommend them at all anymore)

Seriously though, I sense something that really bothers me here. It's not the sentiment that Note 2 users have bad taste - it's the sentiment that Android users are low-class.

I don't see how holding a phone to your ear makes any particular statement, mostly because I don't pay attention to what phone someone's using. If I were, I would rather not be associated with judgmental, possibly jealous people making incorrect calls on a person's social status.

It's the behavior, not the technology you use, that truly describes whether you are low class. If you go around making such crude statements about others, you're pretty damn low class.

 

[Haswell]

What does it matter how much the phone cost when the monthly fees are so high?

 

[blackhand1001]

While being Verizon only, the Droid Razr M is a higher end phone with a 4" screen. You are mostly right though, there needs to be a high end small iPhone and a high end large iPhone. I know I was sad by the low-end Galaxy S3 Mini, because that would have been what my wife would want, if the phone wasn't low budget. She can't use the normal one because she claims it is too big for her hands. Funny enough, she bought the iPhone 5 (a phone she claimed she'd never own), because it was the only powerful device in that small size category she could get.

Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 cover the high end big and bigger categories, but they flounder in the smaller land. Apple reigns supreme in that category and can only claim more if they go bigger, just don't forget the smaller phone!

Droid incredible 4g and the razr m are also sold gsm version If I am not mistaken.

Theres also the razr I which is the same size as the m.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-XT89...qid=1357678489&sr=8-18&keywords=unlocked+razr

 

[llustig]

Make cheap phone with a huge display, to appeal to lower class people. Sounds like Android in USA!

yes, because a note 2 is so cheap. idiot.

 

[Dr McKay]

Nope, too much pain for the developers

I think Apple have proven that they don't really give a crap about the developers.

 

[TennisandMusic]

I never thought I'd hear myself say the words, but my next phone will be a Nexus 4. I'm so done with £600 smart phones. While I'm marginally curious to see what Apple's definition of 'low-cost' is, I'm not holding my breath. They're too afraid to decrease the profit margins, because they'd have to answer to pissed off shareholders.

You won't regret it. I moved from my iPhone 5 to a Nexus 4 and I have been thrilled. It beats the iPhone 5 in every way (except maybe the camera, but I don't really care about that, it's good enough).

Android 4.2 is so freakin' good, Apple should be ashamed of themselves. They are just so far behind these days, I don't see how they will catch up given the current respective paces.