Design Drawings Reveal Case Makers' Expectations for iPhone 5S and Lower-Cost iPhone

[mikezer0]

I really dont undestand when people year after year make predictions of "Low Cost" iPhone...do you along with others dont see why apple doesnt need to redesign a "WHOLE NEW" iPhone to be cheap when they are/can just use the previous gen as the "Cheap" iPhone? Its the most sensible option as its always been...


iPhone 4S 16GB = $450 or $0 on Contract

iPhone 5 16GB/32GB = $549/$599 or $99 on Contract (Will drop to $0 within approx 6 months of 5S/6 launch)

iPhone 5S 16GB = $649 or $199 on Contract (takes about 6 months then shows up for $149 on Contract)

iPhone 5S 32GB = $749 or $299 on Contract...


What really makes people think that the "CHEAP" iPhone will be better than iPhone 5 or 4S? wouldnt it be TOO CHEAP to be comparable? because I can already see people complaining about the "Cheap" iPhone being TOO CHEAP for their liking....



However I would like to ask all what is your definition of "Light/Cheap"? because at the end of the day we pay for Quality....wouldn't we go to Samsung or HTC if we wanted "Cheap" as in reality you really get what you pay for...?

We have shuffles, nanos, minis, and airs. An iPhone light is really not that far-fetched. It's hard to say what cheap is, especially in Apple terms.

Personally, I was surprised by the pricing of the mini. Only time will tell. I am fairly confident, however, that we will be seeing a cheaper iphone this fall.

I dont think the angle apple will be going for is 'ITS A CHEAPER IPHONE FOR EMERGING AND DEVELOPING MARKETS' I think as with every cheaper product they offer it will be justified.

 

[iksretep]

I've been hoping they move the charing connector to the top of the phone. The cables on my desk come from behind the desk, the cables on my nighstand also come from behind the nighstand, the cables in my car come from the front of the car. In all these arrangements, having the cable at the bottom results in stress at the connector and an awkward angle.

I sure hope Apple doesn't move the sync/charging port to the top...

˙uoıʇɐʇs ƃuıʞɔop ʎɯ uo ǝʞıl ǝq plnoʍ ǝuoɥd ʎɯ ƃuıƃɹɐɥɔ ʇɐɥʍ ǝuıƃɐɯı ʎluo uɐɔ ı

besides... they just moved the headphone jack to the bottom, and now all ports are located on the bottom, clean and simple.

 

[2bikes]

Huh...did I mention carriers?

No you didn't, but your comment and others that say "cheap iPhone` doesn't make sense" just sound like the "there will be no Verizon iPhone" times.

 

[Zaphodsplanet]

Bring back the flip phone.....LOL

I wonder if I'm not the only one who feels this way. When/if you got an iPad did you find that your use of your iPhone drastically shrank? It's what I've noticed. I am back to using my iPhone more as just a phone. I occasionally use different apps but nothing like I did before I got my iPad.

I know this is like way "old school" but I'd love to see a flip phone. One of my favorite phones of all times was the old startec (if you're old enough to have had one) Anyway, it would be cool if Apple could turn the iPhone into a flip phone..... having displays top and bottom that came together at the joint.

Ah to dream.....

It would also need to new iTransport function to completely eliminate the need for air travel and TSA.....

I don't know if this iPhone should really be called "cheaper" ..... maybe cheaper cased iPhone. I want an iFlip iPhone....LOL

 

[oneMadRssn]

I sure hope Apple doesn't move the sync/charging port to the top...

˙uoıʇɐʇs ƃuıʞɔop ʎɯ uo ǝʞıl ǝq plnoʍ ǝuoɥd ʎɯ ƃuıƃɹɐɥɔ ʇɐɥʍ ǝuıƃɐɯı ʎluo uɐɔ ı

besides... they just moved the headphone jack to the bottom, and now all ports are located on the bottom, clean and simple.

The docking station concern is valid, but it's a simple engineering problem. Plenty of devices with chargers on the side or the top also have docking stations that work just fine. Also, Apple doesn't make a lightning dock so there is no endorsed standard for what one should be. Who says you can't have a landscape dock?

The headphones are better at the bottom because headphones come out of the phone towards the user. When they are at the top, they often hang over the screen and also have an awkward bend in the cable at the connector. However, a charging cable almost never goes out towards the user, it usually goes out away from the user towards a wall or other fixture. So the same issue with having the headphones at the top (awkward kink in the cable) exists today with having the charger at the bottom.

Basically:
If the cable is meant to come at you from the device, it should connect at the bottom.
If the cable is meant to go away from the device, it should connect at the top.

 

[iMcLovin]

I want a larger iPhone And Siri for Norwegian (when the heck is that gonna happen???)

....and what happened to the droplet design and the removal of the home button? -I want that too

 

[firewood]

The size does not make any sense. What do you get (or save) cost wise by making is slightly larger??

A little more room inside making it faster/easier to assemble? Cheap plastic has to be a lot thicker than metal to keep it from cracking/breaking when you drop your phone on the floor.

 

[Trius]

I really don't think Steve would have approved of a lower-cost iPhone. It tarnishes the brand they've worked so hard to create

Lower cost does not necessarily mean lower quality. I'm sure Steve would be fine with a lower cost iPhone as long as it meets their quality standards.

 

[macs4nw]

Yeah, now all those "other people" can have iPhones too! Ewwww! Who's going to envy me now?

People on welfare and foodstamps, oh wait.....

.....When are we going to realize what Steve would have thought is irrelevant? He is reported to have told Tim to specifically NOT sit around trying to do what he (Steve) would do when making decisions. It's Tim's company now. Time to move on. If you have an opinion just state it as such instead of trying to add weight by saying "Steve would agree with me", especially when you have absolutely no idea if that's true.

That is getting a bit tiresome, I agree.

I think Apple likes the idea of the cheaper iPhone too as it will equate to higher profits. Right now, the sale of the iPhone 4 and 4S are cannibalizing iPhone 5 sales. Apple would probably like to stop selling them now, but they can't because they offer an entry level iPhone. Enter the cheaper iPhone, which is likely to be sold at higher profit margins than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Heck, it might even produce a higher profit margin than the iPhone 5.

Myself? I'll have to take a hard look at it. It may be a great value as a contract-free, unlocked phone. Bye bye contracts. We'll have to see how much worse it is than the regular iPhone.

Of all the rumors floating around, I find this one, about a possible low-cost iPhone, one of the most intriguing. There are powerful arguments to be made either way, and I'm curious to see if the entry-level iPhone will materialize. I'm leaning toward that it will happen. We'll know soon enough.

 

[olowott]

here we go again, all i want is the iPhone5s

for the low cost phone , well till its released - am gonna keep my mouth shut

 

[tongxinshe]

Who cares if any model of iPhone being slightly bigger?

I would take a slightly bigger iPhone any day if it meant more battery.

.1mm here or .05mm there doesn't make any difference to me.

Give me more battery.

Once I put a case on my iPhone, I can't tell anymore about .1mm this or .1mm that.

Then go get a case with extra battery built into it. I do care about the weight and size of the phone, I don't want to carry a heavy brick everywhere, otherwise I could simply use an iPad Mini with LTE.

 

[mrbyu]

The iPhone 4 tarnishes the brand too. They shouldn't be selling that iPhone model at all.

Most people by that model because of the price, but they have no idea they are getting a chip that originally came from the iPhone 3gs.

Its too slow to be used and makes the iPhone lineup look like junk.

Just as you said it tarnishes the brand.

An iPhone Light would not do this

Actually, iPhone 4 was really snappy when it came out. As far as I can remember, I never had any problems with its speed, and first I really felt that it was blazing fast. Yeah, the browsing speed started to feel a little sluggish compared to the multi-core CPU phones, but besides that, it served well. But I agree, iOS 5 and 6 really slowed it down...

 

[Lancer]

Call me (on my 3Gs) when the next iPhone is release

 

[timthereaper]

A low cost iPhone would be an excellent idea for Apple to invest in.

One major problem I have found with the iPhone lineup is the cheaper iPhone 4 and 4s.

They may be cheaper in price, but unfortunately you are not able to truly enjoy all the features that Apple provides.

They are also considerably slower, My iPhone 4 is so slow that it really becomes a pain trying to do basic functions.

I don't like the idea of selling old models for a cheaper price. The iPhone 4 is over 2 years old and truly needs to be obsolete.

I can't imagine how slow it will be once iOS 7 is released.

An iPhone Light means that you can do away with these older models and instead sell an iPhone capable of giving you the best experience possible at a lower price.

Imagine every year the old models are done away with and new iPhones and iPhone lights take their place.

The pricing could be set like this:

iPhone Light 16gb $350 or $0 with 2 Year Contract

iPhone Light 32gb $450 or $100 with 2 Year Contract

iPhone 5s 16gb $650 or $200 with 2 Year Contract

iPhone 5s 32gb $750 or $300 with 2 Year Contract

This would be so awesome, Now everyone could have the best Apple experience while also being able to choose their on price.

I can tell you firsthand that the iPhone 4 on iOS 7 isn't as slow as you would imagine. Yes, it's much more enjoyable on the iPhone 5 but the iPhone 4 works fine.

 

[renosausage]

I can tell you firsthand that the iPhone 4 on iOS 7 isn't as slow as you would imagine. Yes, it's much more enjoyable on the iPhone 5 but the iPhone 4 works fine.

No it doesn't...

I have iOS7 on my iPhone 4 and it does not work fine at all. I know its a Beta Version, but it is slow and completely unusable.

It takes longer to turn on the camera

To answer a call

To flip through contacts

Everything!

 

[Boomish69]

Yea nice apple lets milk all our customers before we launch a bigger screen, what a load of crap, while hold on for a 6 or look at others, I'm fed up with being sold the same old phone each year.

 

[mdelvecchio]

I really don't think Steve would have approved of a lower-cost iPhone. It tarnishes the brand they've worked so hard to create

are you for serious? Jesus let it die already.

 

[ralfblees]

I just wish my two-year cycle didn't fall on the "S" years.

I always wait for the 2nd phone in the new design ... my 4S is much better in batterylife then the i5 what my company provide me for development
both run iOS7 beta 1 since a week

 

[Reason077]

Why would the 5S be .1 mm thicker than the 5?

Possibly due to the use of a different display technology, which trades off lower power consumption for a (very slight) increase in thickness.

 

[charlesdayton]

I really don't think Steve would have approved of a lower-cost iPhone. It tarnishes the brand they've worked so hard to create

Please people accept that Steve died and let him rest in peace. Apple is a company and the products they make are ultimately decided by a group of managers, not a single person. Steve Jobs made Apple what it is today but he was not Apple.