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Bonte

macrumors 65816
Jul 1, 2002
1,163
505
Bruges, Belgium
Assuming the polycarbonate iPhone is real, I'm kind of doubtful we'll ever see it in the US. My guess is that this will be targeted at developing markets like China, where the iPhone lags way behind due to price. I imagine that Apple will continue to offer a low-memory version of their previous iPhone as their "low cost" option in developed nations.

I would think that producing the plastic phone is cheaper than a 4S or 5 and my guess is that Apple wants some features like fingerprint tech into as many hands as possible.
 

yablochnik

macrumors newbie
Jun 29, 2013
22
0
I'm actually not so happy about this new iPhone having coloured shells and a universal black front panel.
Why won't Apple come up with solid colours, like with black on 3GS?
 

Defender2010

Cancelled
Jun 6, 2010
3,131
1,097
I wonder will it have the same internals as the iPhone 5? I hope Apple use A6 and the 8MP camera, and stop producing A5 devices - surely with the high production numbers of these components for the iPhone 5 using it for another (perhaps 3 if the iPad Mini 2 and next iPod Touch gets A6) device will lower the cost even more per component. Ideally I would like to see:

iPhone 5S - A7
Budget iPhone - A6
iPad (5th Gen) - A7X
iPad Mini 2 - A6 (or A6X if it has retina)
iPod Touch - A6
iWatch - A6
 
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VoR

macrumors 6502a
Sep 8, 2008
917
15
UK
I would think that producing the plastic phone is cheaper than a 4S or 5 and my guess is that Apple wants some features like fingerprint tech into as many hands as possible.

Aluminium is hardly an expensive material, nor would the manufacturing process be now everything is in place - A plastic shell would have been the futuristic, sought-model not so many years ago :)
Branding and perception are apples strongest selling points - I feel that if apple do a lower cost model, protecting this is more of a priority than margins (where the vast majority probably comes from existing 3rd party fabrication lines anyway).
 

Taipan

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2003
604
496
I doubt this will benefit Apple. Until now, whereever you read a review about phones, the result was: If you want premium build quality, get an iPhone. Now that's not true anymore. And let's face it, it very probably won't be cheap enough to make up for that.
The iPhone is going to be just another phone.
 

Moonjumper

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2009
2,740
2,908
Lincoln, UK
I'm actually not so happy about this new iPhone having coloured shells and a universal black front panel.
Why won't Apple come up with solid colours, like with black on 3GS?

They might do a black model, there just hasn't been a leak of one.

Maybe they have decided they don't want the same colour combinations on the plastic and metal models to further differentiate them.
 

Twimfy

macrumors 6502a
Sep 11, 2011
888
246
UK
I'd love an entirely white one. Call me crazy but white white unibody Macbook 13" is my favourite apple product and I still use it from time to time, would love to have a matching iPhone 5.
 

757015

Guest
Oct 24, 2012
35
0
I doubt this will benefit Apple. Until now, whereever you read a review about phones, the result was: If you want premium build quality, get an iPhone. Now that's not true anymore. And let's face it, it very probably won't be cheap enough to make up for that.
The iPhone is going to be just another phone.

Who knows what this thing could feel like? It could still feel well built despite the plastic. The 3G and 3GS both felt and looked great until the micro scratches started showing up
 

SgtPepper12

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2011
697
673
Germany
I still don't really see this budget iPhone. What I've heard from Apple in the last few months is a Tim Cook constantly reminding everyone that Apple is about "making the best product" and not "market share" or "pleasing shareholders". And now this? Either this is just BS or they have a very good reason for this cheap iPhone other than gaining more market share.
In my eyes, and seemingly also in Tim Cook's eyes, Apple makes the best smartphone available: the iPhone. So I'm just wondering what this is supposed to be? I know Apple fortunately lost it's stubbornness with Steve (see iOS 7, iPad mini, tall iPhone, iWork being available on Windows machines), but this doesn't match Apple's product philosophy at all.
 

AgentElliot007

macrumors 6502a
Mar 22, 2010
570
315
That people still think this is anything more than the 4S replacement for the next product cycle is hysterical. They're not going to keep selling the 4S with the dock connector and 3:2 screen for another year when every other product is moving to Lightning and all the pocket devices have 16:9 screens. It's as simple as that. Now was the time to make a new lower-end option, but it's going to be priced like the iPhone 4S previously would be in the coming product cycle.
 

757015

Guest
Oct 24, 2012
35
0
I still don't really see this budget iPhone. What I've heard from Apple in the last few months is a Tim Cook constantly reminding everyone that Apple is about "making the best product" and not "market share" or "pleasing shareholders". And now this? Either this is just BS or they have a very good reason for this cheap iPhone other than gaining more market share.
In my eyes, and seemingly also in Tim Cook's eyes, Apple makes the best smartphone available: the iPhone. So I'm just wondering what this is supposed to be? I know Apple fortunately lost it's stubbornness with Steve (see iOS 7, iPad mini, tall iPhone, iWork being available on Windows machines), but this doesn't match Apple's product philosophy at all.

IMO they could be providing people who want to upgrade a brand new phone for the prices were accustomed to and not an old device which doesn't take advantage of the new screen resolution they've introduced, dock connectors, and possibly future features we haven't seen.

The market share could just be an additional benefit.
 

cobbyco

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2012
740
91
I wonder will it have the same internals as the iPhone 5? I hope Apple use A6 and the 8MP camera, and stop producing A5 devices - surely with the high production numbers of these components for the iPhone 5 using it for another (perhaps 3 if the iPad Mini 2 and next iPod Touch gets A6) device will lower the cost even more per component. Ideally I would like to see:

iPhone 5S - A7
Budget iPhone - A6
iPad (5th Gen) - A7X
iPad Mini 2 - A6 (or A6X if it has retina)
iPod Touch - A6
iWatch - A6

This. In fact I'm fairly sure this is what we'll be getting.

Oh, and we want a 32GB/64GB (and 128GB?) iPod touch with the 16GB design/colour scheme.
 

alexgowers

macrumors 65816
Jun 3, 2012
1,338
892
The more I think about a plastic phone the more I hate it. I think it looks ok but nothing special.

I had the 3G and that cracked so bad, i don't think the tech has moved forward at all so we're going to see the same happen with this 'supposed' design.

I'm hoping like many that we will see a totally new design instead. I'd prefer to see a small and large iphone line. Iphone and iphone mini makes total sense now and the market would let you have two price points.

I just wish this didn't seem so real...

It will appeal to much younger audiences with the colours, but knowing apple they will be the lame super bright odd hues we've glimpsed already.

It seems like an odd back track from getting rid of all plastic, maybe it's a sign of things to come as aluminium and metal prices sky rocket.

I'm still not sure accessing a lower price point is in apples interest if it means using said plastic.
 

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,560
6,059
Looks good enough. I do not need a personality-crutch; a slave-contract to a provider, I do not need, too. But there is no way to make a price higher than 250.- Euro/ 2000.- SEK looking reasonable to me - for this product.
(By the way: It would have been an option, to leave out useless ballast like mechanical buttons for volume control.)

With iOS 7 making it so easy to change your volume, it is a bit odd that they decide to keep those exterior buttons... I understand that the idea is to make it easy to change the volume when it's in your pocket, but:

#1: How often do people actually listen to music on their iPhone when it's in their pocket?
#2: How often do people actually want to change the volume while it's in their pocket?

Skip the buttons on the device - just have the buttons on the earpod.
 

jfrancis04

macrumors 6502a
Jun 11, 2010
608
174
It looks okay I guess, but the iPod Touch looks way better. I'd probably get it if they would do an all black model (front and back) or an all white model (front and back).
 

WhySoSerious

macrumors 65816
Jun 30, 2007
1,450
68
Dallas, TX
[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Over the past several weeks, a number of leaks about Apple's rumored lower-cost plastic iPhone have surfaced, including design drawings from a case maker and photos of alleged rear shells in a number of bright colors. Based on these leaks, earlier this week we released our own high-resolution renderings showing what the device might look like in its entirety.

Techdy now reports that it has gotten its hands on what it believes to be legitimate front and rear parts for this lower-cost plastic iPhone, offering the first good look at how the device will appear fully assembled.

Among the most obvious differences from previous assumptions is the use of a black panel for the device as opposed to white. Techdy tells us that this black front panel will be used with all color variations of the rear shell, which will reportedly include blue, pink, yellow, green, and white.Physical features on the device appear to be as expected, although the rear shell has only pinholes where the power and volume buttons and SIM card slot should be, suggesting that the leaked shell had not yet had holes for those features punched out during production.

Techdy's gallery contains over 40 photos highlighting various views of the device, including side-by-side comparisons with an iPhone 5 and closeup views of the individual rear shell and display parts.

Based on this design for Apple's plastic iPhone, Techdy has already begun work on an Android clone of the device. Known as the Basic Bear and priced at $199, the device is scheduled to begin shipping in September.

iPhone5mod is also already advertising replacement rear shell and display assembly parts for the plastic iPhone, with availability set for September 1.

Article Link: High-Quality Video and Photos Reveal What Apple's Plastic iPhone Will Look Like

Looks quite ugly. Yay for unimaginative design!
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
I doubt this will benefit Apple. Until now, whereever you read a review about phones, the result was: If you want premium build quality, get an iPhone. Now that's not true anymore. And let's face it, it very probably won't be cheap enough to make up for that.
The iPhone is going to be just another phone.

How can you doubt anything about this product w/o any solid details about it? For example, we don't know price, target demographic, whether it will be available as a subsidized phone or exclusively for the Pay-Go market.

And as for build quality, the only thing that's true right now is that you can't judge an iPhone that doesn't exist.
 
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