Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Planning Smaller iPhone Priced at $200 Without Contract
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
No apology necessary. I'm just taking shots in the dark here. A lot like this rumor.
Apple is just exploring this right now. They want new products. They can't keep circulating the same products over and over again. So, maybe that's their product roadmap. Who knows. For one, I know not one single person on this forum knows.
Agree
I can't count how many times while Christmas shopping this season, seeing shoppers with Apple bags over their shoulder with the low-cost Air inside.
The old Air was a good seller, but this new guy must be flying off the shelf and it is still a $1000.00. Imagine a $700 Mac Book; you would be hard pressed to find a kid from a middle class family in America without one.
I think you are correct, also I think Apple thinks you are correct.
I can't count how many times while Christmas shopping this season, seeing shoppers with Apple bags over their shoulder with the low-cost Air inside.
The old Air was a good seller, but this new guy must be flying off the shelf and it is still a $1000.00. Imagine a $700 Mac Book; you would be hard pressed to find a kid from a middle class family in America without one.
I'd say the interesting number here is total volume, that's what would make Apple decide to make a smaller phone or a cheaper phone. How many phones are sold with Android on them? How many phones are sold with iOS?
That Apple is having both of their phones among the top five isn't surprising considering that they only sell two models.
No emo fanboys will say the iphone is already the too large, and any larger will be too large to fit in your pocket
No emo fanboys will say the iphone is already the perfect size and should not be smaller or else they may loose it
As long as I could buy it and not be required to have a data plan, I'm in. I just want a good phone that will sync with my calendar and contacts. Up to now, I've had to use a Motorola Q with my grandfathered "no-data" plan at Verizon.
If Verizon would give me one with a renewal of my current plan, I'd sign up in a heartbeat. Web-surfing on an iPhone? Can't see a bloody thing on that tiny screen; but it's fine for calendaring and contacts.
If Verizon would give me one with a renewal of my current plan, I'd sign up in a heartbeat. Web-surfing on an iPhone? Can't see a bloody thing on that tiny screen; but it's fine for calendaring and contacts.
How to make a cheaper iPhone
A) Remove camera (FaceTime is a concept tried in Asia over 4 years ago, dead tech, plus government agencies would love it. Blackberry take note)
B) Keep current form factor - economies of scale (unless of course iPhone 5 gets another redesign, unlikely)
C) Shrink memory - 4GB iPhone anyone?
D) Getting rid of sim slot cuts cost, maybe bluetooth as well. ( I said maybe)
$200 iPhone w/o contract - not doable. $300-$400, sure.
A) Remove camera (FaceTime is a concept tried in Asia over 4 years ago, dead tech, plus government agencies would love it. Blackberry take note)
B) Keep current form factor - economies of scale (unless of course iPhone 5 gets another redesign, unlikely)
C) Shrink memory - 4GB iPhone anyone?
D) Getting rid of sim slot cuts cost, maybe bluetooth as well. ( I said maybe)
$200 iPhone w/o contract - not doable. $300-$400, sure.
What are you talking about? This is exactly what Apple should be doing. They should be making an affordable iphone that is usable with several carriers and contract free. The ability to pick up an iphone and have flexibility of carrier from month to month as you change location is very interesting.
Another reason why Android is taking over iOS is the lack of international availability at decent prices. Instead of having to get a ****** AT&T old contract phone and have to jailbreak/unlock it to use it, or buy a factory unlocked phone for $1,000.00, it'd be nice if they'd sell their phones unlocked at affordable prices, at least sell them officially instead of getting them through people who bring 'em from different countries.
Uh... That says the iPhone 3G (???) was one of the best-selling phones of 2010, and the 3GS didn't even make the list. How is that possible?
would piss everyone off if the rumours of a summer release of the iphone 5 turns out to be a different cheaper simples device e.g. "iphone nano"
also, why not an iphone shuffle ? with only a dial button so it can dial randomly to anyone youve got on the contact list
Um there are basically zero iPhone 5 rumors, beyond speculation. Actually the iPhone rumormill has been quite quiet until this post. Maybe that's why. Maybe iPhone 5 isn't as soon as people think.
Good point. I like the idea of unsubsidized iphones of regular or small size with carrier of choice. However I hate how these stories get posted as though they are fact. Remember the days of Verizon iphone? One deadline would come and go and one to the next. "March 2010 looks to be the release date" followed by posts of people excited about buying it as though it was fact.
THIS! I was going to say exactly that. There were the people who said that Apple would NEVER go Intel, if they did - they would never buy another Apple product, that the "lamp" iMac would never happen, and that the "cheese grater" PowerMac (pre Mac Pro) is too ugly for Apple to sell, etc, that Apple would never sell an iPod without a screen. Also the rumours since like what? 2003-2004 that Apple will "never get into the phone business" or go back to making PDA-like devices, it all happened.
It may very much happen one day, if it doesnt though - it won't. I just roll my eyes when I see threads like this. If it was something about the oldschool rumours that Sony's rumoured to buy Apple or Apple will move to Windows, then yes - it will never happen.
I really hope this happens, but I doubt it will. I don't want everything the iPhone does - the capacity is too small for me to use it as an iPod and the data allowance is pitiful. If they made a smaller, touchscreen phone with basic phoning/texting abilities I'd be all over that. Something with OSX syncing and Apple's quality of display+touch tech.
But yeah, doubtful Apple would do that.
But yeah, doubtful Apple would do that.
Close;
A) Dump the camera and bluetooth but keep 3G.
B) Keep the same screen as the 3Gs but tighten the case size around the screen.
C) No downloadable aps, just the original 3Gs ones.
D) Keep as much RAM and storage memory as possible.
E) Adjust the battery size given the downgraded use.
F) The antenna goes inside the phone, NOT AROUND IT.
I wonder if an Apple employee will accidentally leave one in a mini-bar?
Hoo hoo!
I think the doubters are wrong.
Apple is already doing this (selling a cheaper iPhone), but in a lamer way: selling the previous gen iPhone.
Apple doesn't like to do lame things, so an "iPhone Mini" (or whatever) makes sense.
It'll be free (with contract) and actually have a decent price for the service (less than the current voice + data). But it'll have some crazy limitation that will make it an entry-level phone only.
(E.g., like only certain built-in apps can use the data, but no 3rd party apps. So you could use email and Safari but nothing else. Probably no video or audio streaming over the internet either.)
Apple is already doing this (selling a cheaper iPhone), but in a lamer way: selling the previous gen iPhone.
Apple doesn't like to do lame things, so an "iPhone Mini" (or whatever) makes sense.
It'll be free (with contract) and actually have a decent price for the service (less than the current voice + data). But it'll have some crazy limitation that will make it an entry-level phone only.
(E.g., like only certain built-in apps can use the data, but no 3rd party apps. So you could use email and Safari but nothing else. Probably no video or audio streaming over the internet either.)
El-Jobso is brilliant at telling people what they need, what to think, why they must have it, then sitting back as the masses throw money at his feet for it.
A mountebank
In Q4 2010, there were 33.3 million Android smartphones sold and 16.2 million Apple smartphones sold. If you believe, as I do, that apps, ads, and services will be a lot more important for making money than selling smartphones, and with sub $100 smartphones (without a contract) coming this year and talk about 500 million smartphones being sold in 2011, Apple will need to make a cheaper phone. I don't think they will though.
Except that the majority of the world uses and is happy with Windows. Do you think that there are hundreds of millions of people not buying a Mac because it cost $300 more than a pc?