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 to Introduce Cheaper iPhone at WWDC?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yes.. the problem is AT&T, not the cost of the phone. I have many friends that can afford the cost of the phone, but cannot justify AT&T's plans.
After recently discovering that I'm averaging a whopping 250-300mb of data a month, I'm soon making my way to the door. That is, if AT&T doesn't begin offering some data plans that match usage, I'm splitting for T-Mobile.
I'm paying roughly the same price I pay for truly unlimited high speed internet service at home, for 250-300mb per month? And I can't even download a freakn app from the App Store with their service? Incredible.
Not for long. Times are tough and Visual Voicemail ain't that big a deal. I believe I'd be paying nearly half of what I'm currently paying with AT&T for a similar plan.
After recently discovering that I'm averaging a whopping 250-300mb of data a month, I'm soon making my way to the door. That is, if AT&T doesn't begin offering some data plans that match usage, I'm splitting for T-Mobile.
I'm paying roughly the same price I pay for truly unlimited high speed internet service at home, for 250-300mb per month? And I can't even download a freakn app from the App Store with their service? Incredible.
Not for long. Times are tough and Visual Voicemail ain't that big a deal. I believe I'd be paying nearly half of what I'm currently paying with AT&T for a similar plan.
As tech prices gets lower in iPhones case there are no reason to stop making a model like the current iPhone 3G ... heck i still like my first gen iPhone ..
Remember What Steve Job said at a talk with MSNBC ? He said that he could imagine that everyone would want a iPhone and hinted that in the future they would get into a price range that made "everyone" get an iPhone ..
I think that this is exactly what will happen ... iPhone 3G will become the low end iPhone version that will be very afordable and Apple will do the same to the mobile industry as they did to the MP3 market with there iPod ...
Today if you think of a Mp3 player the first thing that most people think about is an iPod ... I think we are heading to that direction with iPhone ...
As i said .. Steve has already hinted that that is his goal and I think they will get there ...
First af all remember the first gen iPod ... comared to todays iPod its horrible but today iPod is the market leader ... and same will go for iPhone ..
Turning the current iPhone 3G price into a low end price range and continue to make a new version iPhone V3 will be a briliant step and as people have pointed out this will crush outher mobile developers ... they will not be crushed next week but in the looong run they will face the same faith as mp3 players have done ...
another smart move woald also be to make the "low-end" iphone (current iPhone 3G) free from any contract/carrier ... as the exclusive deal with AT&T an outher carriers around the world are runing out the "older" iphone version will not need any specific carrier ... only the latest iPhones will have a exclusive contract with some carrier ... and it will result in that carriers will fight over the right to have the latest iPhone exclusive to there network . This will benifith Apple very very much ...
Remember What Steve Job said at a talk with MSNBC ? He said that he could imagine that everyone would want a iPhone and hinted that in the future they would get into a price range that made "everyone" get an iPhone ..
I think that this is exactly what will happen ... iPhone 3G will become the low end iPhone version that will be very afordable and Apple will do the same to the mobile industry as they did to the MP3 market with there iPod ...
Today if you think of a Mp3 player the first thing that most people think about is an iPod ... I think we are heading to that direction with iPhone ...
As i said .. Steve has already hinted that that is his goal and I think they will get there ...
First af all remember the first gen iPod ... comared to todays iPod its horrible but today iPod is the market leader ... and same will go for iPhone ..
Turning the current iPhone 3G price into a low end price range and continue to make a new version iPhone V3 will be a briliant step and as people have pointed out this will crush outher mobile developers ... they will not be crushed next week but in the looong run they will face the same faith as mp3 players have done ...
another smart move woald also be to make the "low-end" iphone (current iPhone 3G) free from any contract/carrier ... as the exclusive deal with AT&T an outher carriers around the world are runing out the "older" iphone version will not need any specific carrier ... only the latest iPhones will have a exclusive contract with some carrier ... and it will result in that carriers will fight over the right to have the latest iPhone exclusive to there network . This will benifith Apple very very much ...
Bingo. A £50 price cut is irrelevant since everyone who can afford the plan can afford £99.
Now if they were to offer an iPhone Nano dumbphone on PAYG for that price...
About time they brought out a cheaper Iphone and saturated the markert. The sooner the better, then hopefully they can shift some attention to thier computers.
I can see alot of pissed people who are under the illusion that the Iphone is exclusive.... maybe a year ago. Now every pleb will own one. Maybe using an apple product will not be cool anymore.
All in all this is great for the industry, cause it will result in some interesting new designs coming out, from everyone. The new iphone will be a let down in my opinion. Iphone 3G and App store will be very hard to beat. I hope I am wrong, but i can image alot of people thinking twice before updating thier 3g model.
I can see alot of pissed people who are under the illusion that the Iphone is exclusive.... maybe a year ago. Now every pleb will own one. Maybe using an apple product will not be cool anymore.
All in all this is great for the industry, cause it will result in some interesting new designs coming out, from everyone. The new iphone will be a let down in my opinion. Iphone 3G and App store will be very hard to beat. I hope I am wrong, but i can image alot of people thinking twice before updating thier 3g model.
Maybe it won't be a full smart phone. Just something easy to use. Something other companies still don't understand.
I don't know whats true and I am not sure that I believe that there will be 4 new iPhones.
However is it not about time that Apple made more than one model of iPhone?
I mean what the average 17 year old wants in a phone is not the same as the average 30 year or the business user. Also different people have different budgets. If Apple were to make a range of handsets they would appeal to a larger range of people.
Few examples.
1)The MD of the company that I used to work who is 40 and a bit of a phone geek, refused to buy the current iPhone as he thinks that the hardware is to big.
2)My sister who is a doctor and I am sure would love an iPhone if only she gave it a chance. Will not buy one because she has been told that it needs charged everyday and if the charge does not last 3 or 4 days she is not interested.
3)My partners company has just upgraded their business phones. They looked at a range of handset but did not even consider iPhone. I asked the IT director why and was told that its not a business phone. (They just bought 300 Blackberry 8900/9000)
I mean I think all these people are wrong and would really like iPhone but Apple just is not appealing to them and in my view needs to go after larger range of people.
Alex
However is it not about time that Apple made more than one model of iPhone?
I mean what the average 17 year old wants in a phone is not the same as the average 30 year or the business user. Also different people have different budgets. If Apple were to make a range of handsets they would appeal to a larger range of people.
Few examples.
1)The MD of the company that I used to work who is 40 and a bit of a phone geek, refused to buy the current iPhone as he thinks that the hardware is to big.
2)My sister who is a doctor and I am sure would love an iPhone if only she gave it a chance. Will not buy one because she has been told that it needs charged everyday and if the charge does not last 3 or 4 days she is not interested.
3)My partners company has just upgraded their business phones. They looked at a range of handset but did not even consider iPhone. I asked the IT director why and was told that its not a business phone. (They just bought 300 Blackberry 8900/9000)
I mean I think all these people are wrong and would really like iPhone but Apple just is not appealing to them and in my view needs to go after larger range of people.
Alex
Really ? So a iPhone Video would not be a must have ? I think outhervise .. especialy for people who cant speak .. Video Calls would be great ... anouther customer group that would have use for iPhone ...
Shore Apple would need to make a bigger jump in the iPhone hardware for people to want to get a new iPhone V3. Because if you loook at the iPod Apple dont do realy big upgrades in the hardware and people still get new iPods ... maybe its because people expect more from a Cell Phone then from a mp3 player ...
I would bet on that Apple have some great stuff that we dont know about and will make the iPhone V3 a must have of 2009 ... no doubt ...
They have done that befour and they will do it again .. they must because the cell phone industry is the most compeditive market out there ..
I think we are at a point where Apple adds a lot of future to the top of the line iphone . introduces a lower price range of iphones ...
next year Apple would only need to ad a even faster network (4G/WiMax) or something like that .. and improve quality of last years fetures ..
Although this would be great for my Apple stocks, I fear that you are exaggerating it a wee tiny bit.
In addition, I'm still seeing a lot of people hating Apple because it's becoming popular. It's crazy but I have talked to people who own Nokia's calling iPhone owners conformists
There is a lot of non-rational hate for Apple that doesn't only apply ti the iPhone or iPods. I guess this is also due to many fundamentalist Apple Fanboys that are around that keep flaming MS for al that it's worth..
So, even IF a cheap iPhone WOULD be introduced (which I have to see to believe), I think many people will stick to their Nokia's, Samsungs and HTC's just because they are not willing to join the Apple customer group.. Sad, but true..
I personally think non-conformists are sad people. You do not define yourself by purposely not belonging to a certain group.
You also do not define yourself by belonging to a group. Also called joining the bandwagon. An ingroup bias will form as people join the masses which creates the so called "fanboys/girls". Don't underestimate the group mentality humans possess. It's a scary thing.
Your argument goes either way. If owning an iphone defines an aspect of yourself, then you have defined yourself, if buying a particular phone is a way to define yourself that is. Some may believe the iphone doesn't suit their game and another phone may be more suitable to their taste, hence defining themselves in a different way.
Also, humans don't like it when things change too quickly. Those who avoid the iphone may be avoiding/denying it because they want stability in what they believe. Their ideal of the preferred phone company has been slowly digressing by the sudden emergence of Apple. Apple took up on the phone business not too long ago and they are still young in this field despite their huge success. It's only been couple years since iphone has entered the market and began dominating. Just a few more years, and if Apple keeps up with their habit of appealing to the masses, more people will eventually convert to join the group caught in Apple's spells. Of course, we don't know what the other companies(ie.Nokia,Samsung,SE,RIM,LG etc..) will pull off to deny this manifestation so only time will tell.
exaclty .. They already have that lineup in the iPod familty , so it would make sense to do the same for the iPhone family ...
I disagree. The moment Nokia started selling 100 different types at any time (just look at their online shop
), their product quality went down the toilet. I think Apple shouldn't introduce more than 4 different models, and definitely no iPhone Nano if they can already produce an iPhone 3G and sell it for $49 subsidized. The differentiation aspect of the iPhone lies not in the hardware but in the software (app store). That's where the iPhone is the winner. Each owner essentially has a different phone, because of the different applications they use.
Regarding your examples:
1. The iPhone is roughly the same size as my Blackberry. There are a few smartphones that are smaller though. But they lack screen real estate (quite important if you do a lot of emailing) and often have crippled keyboards (like the Blackberries with multiple letters per key..).
2. My iPhone does great for three days without charging and no shutting down of features. The battery life could be longer though. But it's never enough, is it? In addition: isn't a hospital the one place with the most sockets per square meter?
3. It's sad that IT Directors still don't see the value of the iPhone as a business phone. The problem is often that the iPhone requires iTunes, and many companies just don't provide servicedesk support for iTunes. Now if Apple would introduce an app that would enable people to use the iPhone as a business phone without iTunes, than I think it would be picked up much faster.
As tech prices gets lower in iPhones case there are no reason to stop making a model like the current iPhone 3G ... heck i still like my first gen iPhone ..
Remember What Steve Job said at a talk with MSNBC ? He said that he could imagine that everyone would want a iPhone and hinted that in the future they would get into a price range that made "everyone" get an iPhone ..
I think that this is exactly what will happen ... iPhone 3G will become the low end iPhone version that will be very afordable and Apple will do the same to the mobile industry as they did to the MP3 market with there iPod ...
Today if you think of a Mp3 player the first thing that most people think about is an iPod ... I think we are heading to that direction with iPhone ...
As i said .. Steve has already hinted that that is his goal and I think they will get there ...
First af all remember the first gen iPod ... comared to todays iPod its horrible but today iPod is the market leader ... and same will go for iPhone ..
Turning the current iPhone 3G price into a low end price range and continue to make a new version iPhone V3 will be a briliant step and as people have pointed out this will crush outher mobile developers ... they will not be crushed next week but in the looong run they will face the same faith as mp3 players have done ...
another smart move woald also be to make the "low-end" iphone (current iPhone 3G) free from any contract/carrier ... as the exclusive deal with AT&T an outher carriers around the world are runing out the "older" iphone version will not need any specific carrier ... only the latest iPhones will have a exclusive contract with some carrier ... and it will result in that carriers will fight over the right to have the latest iPhone exclusive to there network . This will benifith Apple very very much ...
ii agree with everything you said. they should definitely make the iPhone 3G like $100 and leave that at the "low end" model and introduce the new iPhone at $200/$300
Agree with most of your post, but the iPod entered a not nearly saturated market and offered features and usability that was product generations ahead of the competition.
With the iPhone Apple entered a nearly saturated market with a product that was only one and at best two generations ahead of the competition.
the introduction of a "cheap" iPhone with the ability to use Apps would definitely strengthen and grow Apple's share in the mobile market, but they are nowhere near the share that e.g. Nokia has. In addition there are still many people that just want a phone for spoken communication and that are quite content with a Nokia 6310i (still the best Nokia IMO). Apple will not be very succesful in enticing these people to buy an iPhone, where the spoken communication actually makes up a small percentage of the whole functionality of the phone. Moreover: spoken communication is not even the most important feature of the iPhone, otherwise they would have focused a bit more on quality of reception.
a cheaper iphone would be nice for sales, and getting more iphones out there.
i assume this cheaper one won't record video though.
i assume this cheaper one won't record video though.
The price of the phone isnt the deterrent; its the price of the plans.
Here in Canada, the basic plan starts at $60+ tax if you can afford that, a $200+ iphone isnt that big of a pill to swallow IMO.
However, a iPhone on a normal $20 plan would be a homerun
Here in Canada, the basic plan starts at $60+ tax if you can afford that, a $200+ iphone isnt that big of a pill to swallow IMO.
However, a iPhone on a normal $20 plan would be a homerun
lol ... we get unlimited mobile bandwidth at Turbo 3G speeds (will be upgraded to 150Mb/sec by the end of the year) for 99SEK per month (or about 11USD).
and I have four options of how to buy an iPhone 3G too
(outright pay-as-I-go, or with a 6, 12, or 24 month contract).i do get tired of paying 15-20USD / kg of chicken though
+1000 ! Plan cost is a major factor. (A cheaper data plan for casual users would be a good idea.)
And, of course, being available only on exclusive carriers. (A $200 iPhone would still sell like hotcakes on Verizon.)
QUICK!
Take it back!And for future reference here's their admitted scedule:
Phones:June
iPods:September
Laptops:Fall
For other products just check macrumors
I'm paying roughly the same price I pay for truly unlimited high speed internet service at home, for 250-300mb per month? And I can't even download a freakn app from the App Store with their service? Incredible.
*****************
Um,you can download apps from the appstore,unless they are freakin huge.I've never felt the need to though.
*****************
Um,you can download apps from the appstore,unless they are freakin huge.I've never felt the need to though.
As tech prices gets lower in iPhones case there are no reason to stop making a model like the current iPhone 3G ... heck i still like my first gen iPhone ..
Remember What Steve Job said at a talk with MSNBC ? He said that he could imagine that everyone would want a iPhone and hinted that in the future they would get into a price range that made "everyone" get an iPhone ..
I think that this is exactly what will happen ... iPhone 3G will become the low end iPhone version that will be very afordable and Apple will do the same to the mobile industry as they did to the MP3 market with there iPod ...
Today if you think of a Mp3 player the first thing that most people think about is an iPod ... I think we are heading to that direction with iPhone ...
As i said .. Steve has already hinted that that is his goal and I think they will get there ...
First af all remember the first gen iPod ... comared to todays iPod its horrible but today iPod is the market leader ... and same will go for iPhone ..
Turning the current iPhone 3G price into a low end price range and continue to make a new version iPhone V3 will be a briliant step and as people have pointed out this will crush outher mobile developers ... they will not be crushed next week but in the looong run they will face the same faith as mp3 players have done ...
another smart move woald also be to make the "low-end" iphone (current iPhone 3G) free from any contract/carrier ... as the exclusive deal with AT&T an outher carriers around the world are runing out the "older" iphone version will not need any specific carrier ... only the latest iPhones will have a exclusive contract with some carrier ... and it will result in that carriers will fight over the right to have the latest iPhone exclusive to there network . This will benifith Apple very very much ...
Sounds logical,but the 3G is pretty clearly EOL.More likely the will have a larger price range,but they will be all new.The only time they have done as you suggest is the white macbook,and that continues to receive upgrades.