Does the iPhone 5C prove that Apple cares more about the US market?

[lozpop]

In US, Canada and UK, 2-years plans are the majority of the market, while the rest of the world clearly prefers prepaid solutions, buying an unlocked smartphone.

Choosing the iPhone 5C over the 5S with a contract can make sense, since you save 50%. (99$ vs 199$ for the 16GB models)

But the unlocked iPhone 5C costs 599€, while the iPhone 5S costs 699€. Why someone should buy the 5C when with 100€ more you can have a bombshell like the 5S? For the colors?

Analysts have been talking for months about this iPhone 5C aimed for the prepaid market, a market that has been eaten by Android.

I know well that Apple has never said that the iPhone 5C would have had the purpose to win back some of the prepaid market outside the US, Canada and UK.

But I'm sincerely asking you: does Apple care about the HUGE prepaid market? It really seems it doesn't?

I know that Apple doesn't care about marketshare and about making a low-cost iPhone, but I really believe that they could make a great mid-range iPhone at 350-400€ and sell a lot.

The iPad mini is a great product and it costs 329€, the iPad Retina is a great product and it costs 479€. Why pricing the iPhone 5C at 599€?

Please take this post as a sincere question for all you guys, not as a complaint of a disappointed user.

 

[iPhonemaster5S]

Keep in mind that the unlocked price has not been officially announced while 550 seems the probable price they may change on us.

 

[user-name-here]

does Apple care about the HUGE prepaid market? It really seems it doesn't

Apple cares about a lot of things. Most of all? Profit margins.

Coming out with a cheaper product that sells more volume to make up for the lack of high margins isn't really Apples style.

They especially don't need to do that when they have a product as hot as the iPhone which has catapulted them to 100+ billion in cash.

Also, Apple is thought of as a "premium brand" that you pay extra for its quality. A company that has cheap products, even if they have good quality, tend to drag this image down.

 

[lozpop]

Keep in mind that the unlocked price has not been officially announced while 550 seems the probable price they may change on us.

Sadly on the French Apple Store the price is 599€.
http://store.apple.com/fr/buy-iphone/iphone5c

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Apple cares about a lot of things. Most of all? Profit margins.

Coming out with a cheaper product that sells more volume to make up for the lack of high margins isn't really Apples style. Apple is thought of as a "premium brand" that you pay extra for its quality and cheap products, even if they have good quality, tend to drag this image down.

They especially don't need to do that when they have a product as hot as the iPhone which has catapulted them to 100+ billion in cash.

This is true, but now the iPhone marketshare is really going down quarter after quarter. Do you think they really don't care at all?