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High-Resolution Renderings of Apple's Lower-Cost Plastic iPhone
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This is something that Android OEMs _will_ do once Apple starts it and starts selling
thats so true lol.
I concur. Shortens the retirement cycle by a year. The 4s will likely top out with a iOS 8.x version, and the 4 at 7.last. Then they can introduce a 'big' phone' ;-).
I'm not sure it will cannibalize anything, especially if it just takes the price point of the current iPhone 4 (free on contract, $450 unlocked) or maybe slightly lower... $399 or $349 would be a pretty big deal.
If it is only 8gb like the current cheapest iPhone, they can price it at $349 without cannibalizing the 16 gb $229 iPod Touch OR the 16gb iPhone 5 at $550 unlocked.
As for the Classic... It needs to be discontinued or updated with a lightning connector. It only makes sense.
I goes Apple didn't go to business school
Here's Apple's rule that you don't learn in business school: If you don't cannibalize your sales, someone else will.
Wasn't talking about new stuff (which they would cannibalize those sales as well). BUT, they would primarily cannibalizing older models that they hang onto, which was my point - they would have to either reduce or eliminate the inventory/sales for those older models for the intro of a lower cost model to make sense and not just be a duplicate price point option with higher specs than a 4 or 4S.
Thanks for your misguided tips though.
Although I don't like the mock-up we have to remember if Apple does indeed release a cheaper iPhone then its gonna look less superior to the products we're used to from Cupertino. Also look around us most big name designers now sell there stuff on the high street just to survive , so why not Apple
Just like the iPad mini was right?
I've never said that about the mini - my prediction was that it would be a flop; which it is margin-wise.
From my understanding, it's actually cheaper to make a bigger device at a lower price point. That's the real reason Android phones have bigger screens... More room on the inside for bigger batteries and pieces. I could be wrong.
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Funny, I didn't know you had the insider knowledge on iPad Mini margin.
Apple wouldn't make it if they weren't making money on it.
So exactly where will this fit in the lineup???? In the fall the 5 will be $99 and the 4S will be free.
I don't know why people have such a hard time seeing this... It will take the place of the 4S, almost definitely. No sense continuing with 3 lightning 4" devices (5, 5S, this thing) and 1 3.5" 30-pin device.
No, the 4S will be discontinued, following the trend we've always seen. So we'll end up with:
High end: 5S (whatever the current top price is)
Mid-range: 5 ($99 on contract)
Low-end: Budget model (Free on contract)
Seriously, this affects the markup, margin or sales in practically no way at all. All they are doing is nocking the oldest generation model on the head and creating a slightly more up to date, but cheaper to make model that is capable of running the latest OS.
The issue they had a few years ago was that the iphone 3 was still being sold as the latest iOS version was going through beta, only to be dropped and not supported when the iOS update came out. By running the budget model on the newer ARM7 architecture (and with a few other speed boosts) it can last longer without an update. IF they kept the 4S as the budget model it'd be almost crippled this time next year, and definitely crippled 24 months down the line.
Just think of this as an update to the 4S that would normally be going into the 'budget spot' the reasons for not using the 4S:
1 - Still costs more to make than the 3S did, so it makes sense to swap it with a lower cost model that has relatively similar specs
2 - They want to drop the dock connector
3 - It breathes a bit more life into the low-end model with it being new, so people who normally would never be able to afford an iPhone can do so, creating a new customer base.
Basically the iPhone and the iPod Touch are the same thing. Just minus the phone (and better camera).
In fact, we had some freelancers up here from South America and the iPod Touch is really popular down there according to them. Most just use Skype or Facetime for calling. They bought a bunch of them when they were released last fall before going back home.
I guess WiFi is more abundant down there or something.
This is the winning post. Time to pack up and go home guys... there's always next season.
Are you privy to info that nobody else is then, or are you going by the uninformed analyst speculation that was in the media?
You backing up a rumor with a rumor?
Umm, did you even read? Oh boy, let me explain it to you:
1. It is not the first time MR does renders for rumored products based on leaks, and I thank them for that.
2. The link showed renders for then-rumored iPad mini, which, a few weeks later, turned out to be true (gasp)
3. By power of reasoning, one might expect that hey, just like they were right last year, maybe they are right this year too! Funny things about human race, they seem to function in patterns.
4. The link there is meant to remind people of points 1-3, and many people got it, it seems
These cheaper phones might not be equiped with LTE chips that are compatible with the LTE services located in the USA. Apple might also discount their costs to carriers in developing markets and sell the unlocked version at a higher cost for the rest of us. I doubt you'll be able to get a subsidized version of the device in North America.
I tend to agree. I'm very fond of my white iPhone 5, but the white render shown does look very nice.
I have no problem with it being plastic either - seems like a bit of snobbery on some member's parts really.