iPhone "6c" or Apple's next entry level phone

[Andres Cantu]

As the OP I want to say thanks for taking part in an interesting discussion.

This is the year of the S iteration so we will likely see no new iPhone design just a refinement of the 6 and 6+

I think some people misunderstand the reason for introducing the 5C. People say Apple made a mistake or that they were heavily criticised for the 5C because it didn't sell well. They miss the point. The 5C achieved it's sales goals; essentially it was a rebadged iPhone 5. The look of it was not premium on purpose and this led to the huge sales of the iPhone 5S which was a far more expensive product to buy. This led to even greater profits for Apple.

But back to my original question what will be the new entry phone: I think the 5S will probably become the new entry phone and probably a 16GB version too. The slimmed down iOS9 should allow Apple to get away with only offering 16GB as the cheapest option. This would allow Apple to say they sell every iPhone with TouchID.

However, given how long Apple kept the original iPad mini around (almost three years and only removing it this week from stores this week) it should not shock anyone if Apple keeps the 5C around for another year before removing it.

The iPhone 5c has to go, if anything because it doesn't have a 64-bit chip, which is important for iOS going-forward.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I think what happens depends on if Apple feels that discontinuing the 5 and replacing it in the lineup with the 5C bumped sales enough to be worth the R&D cost to repeat the same thing with the 6. My guess is it didn't, so we will see the 5S as the low end and the 6 and 6+ as the mid tier with the new 6S and 6S+ being the high end.

I could also see them discontinuing the 5S and replacing it with a new version of the 5C (not sure what they would call it) that has touchID and NFC for apple pay with the other specs matching the 5S.

I think the reasons for the iPhone 5s were so that they sell more iPhone 5s's (due to the premium materials) and so that they didn't spend more by continuing to make iPhone 5's (with different colors, too). If they do replace the iPhone 5s with an iPhone 5c-like device, what would happen to it next year? Would they just discontinue it, since the iPhone 6 would become the low-tier?

 

[Paddle1]

I think they're going to release a 6c (aka 5s in plastic) this year, I don't know about 8GB or 16GB though. There have been more alleged "part leaks" for that than an iPhone 6s.

We'll see over the next couple of months.

 

[Tthomas612]

I think they're going to release a 6c (aka 5s in plastic) this year, I don't know about 8GB or 16GB though. There have been more alleged "part leaks" for that than an iPhone 6s.

We'll see over the next couple of months.

I agree about the part leaks...

However almost every part that has been leaked to my knowledge has been refuted. I'm not sure about that rear housing that leaked with the dual flash. Why would  use the pill shape dual flash again?

 

[Paddle1]

I agree about the part leaks...

However almost every part that has been leaked to my knowledge has been refuted. I'm not sure about that rear housing that leaked with the dual flash. Why would  use the pill shape dual flash again?

I read something about the 6c being manufactured somewhere else than the 6S. I wouldn't mind if they just kept the 5s though.

As for the flash, perhaps the iPhone 6 version wouldn't fit.

 

[Tthomas612]

I read something about the 6c being manufactured somewhere else than the 6S. I wouldn't mind if they just kept the 5s though.

As for the flash, perhaps the iPhone 6 version wouldn't fit.

I guess that's possible. However, it would seem as though a circle flash would've sufficed regardless of size, but possible nonetheless...

I just think that  bringing out3 new iPhones in one year is not going to happen.

 

[mtneer]

That would be the second brand new iPhone model that Apple would have discontinued on me.

Help me understand this. What is the cachet to have Apple continuously "sell" the phone that you already have purchased? The phone still works fine. It'd not like Apple stopped pushing iOS updates or bricked FaceTime or something else on the hardware or software. I would be more concerned about continued support from Apple versus whether they still "sell" that particular model in the store. I am more confident about Apple standing behind my "discontinued" iPhone 5 than an iPod Touch that Apple technically still "sells".

 

[eyoungren]

Help me understand this. What is the cachet to have Apple continuously "sell" the phone that you already have purchased? The phone still works fine. It'd not like Apple stopped pushing iOS updates or bricked FaceTime or something else on the hardware or software. I would be more concerned about continued support from Apple versus whether they still "sell" that particular model in the store. I am more confident about Apple standing behind my "discontinued" iPhone 5 than an iPod Touch that Apple technically still "sells".

Well. The iPhone 5 was the very first Apple product I ever purchased brand new through preorder and received on launch day.

Before that every Apple product I ever had was either a gift, bought through the Apple refurb store as last year's model or purchased off of eBay.

Apple iPhone 4 and 4s owners had several years past the launch of their phones where Apple was still actively selling their model. I was expecting the same thing to happen with the 5 when the 5s came out. The 5 would move down and the 4s would be the free entry model.

That didn't happen. Now, if Apple discontinues the 6+ it will be the second time I've purchased an iPhone that Apple has discontinued.

Yet had I purchased a 4 or 4s I would have enjoyed several years of knowing Apple still favored my model of iPhone instead of just kicking it to the curb after a year.

My post was more a tongue-in-cheek observation because this viewpoint of mine is really, pretty silly. Apple is a business. I recognize that it's a stupid position to hold and I don't really hate Apple for it. But, it's still a "Hey, wait a minute!" kind of thing for me nonetheless.

 

[andiwm2003]

the iPhone 5C is used as company phone all over the place. I can't imagine that companies would like to buy iPhone 6's for their employees because they are too large for some and overall certainly more expensive than 5's. So i guess apple will keep a iPhone 5 version around for quite some while.

 

[jonblatho]

The iPhone 4s still refuses to die and remains a popular seller, so much to the point that the rumor is there will be a special optimized version of iOS 9 for the 4s.

iPhone 4s is so popular that it's been discontinued. They were optimizing for A5 devices, which also includes iPad 2 and iPad mini 1.

None of these devices are being sold now, but Apple was presumably much more concerned with the longer replacement cycles of the iPad. My mom's iPad 2 is still being used.

 

[HarryWild]

I love my 5C Yellow 32GB! It sold well; not as good as the 5 or 5S but it was price only $100 less too!

 

[0007776]

I think the reasons for the iPhone 5s were so that they sell more iPhone 5s's (due to the premium materials) and so that they didn't spend more by continuing to make iPhone 5's (with different colors, too). If they do replace the iPhone 5s with an iPhone 5c-like device, what would happen to it next year? Would they just discontinue it, since the iPhone 6 would become the low-tier?

I would guess that they would discontinue it, or depending on how well it did maybe update it to the same internals as the iPhone 6 as a lower cost and smaller screened option.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I would guess that they would discontinue it, or depending on how well it did maybe update it to the same internals as the iPhone 6 as a lower cost and smaller screened option.

The naming would be the messiest part. Would it be the iPhone 5sc, or the iPhone 6c (but without an A8 chip), or iPhone Mini?

 

[ABC5S]

I'm assuming if the 5c is popular, and sells well, than Apple may release a 6c model as well. Isn't the 5c normally for third world nations that cannot afford the 5s ? Of course I have not read any rumors yet on a 6c model. Just thinking out loud

 

[Rayy42]

Hoping they just turn the 5s into the new low end device that Apple offers. I will be slightly frustrated if they discontinue the 6 and Plus models since I currently have a 6 Plus. Even if they still support the device, I just don't like owning things that are discontinued. Especially if I paid $1000 for my phone and it's only a year old and they released a "c" version of my device. Same thing happened when I had an iPhone 5 and that frustrated me then too.

 

[cambookpro]

Yes, that's true, but the iPhone 6 and 6+ has been SHATTERING what they used to sale. Just take a look at quarter over quarter from years past then this past year. The increase is substantial when compared to 2014 and 2013 and 2012 and so on... I mean every iPhone will outsell the iPhone before I presume, but not in the way the iPhone 6 and 6+ have done...

I think this logic is flawed - just because something sells well initially doesn't mean it should stay around forever. Every iPhone sells well; it's no huge surprise that the 6 and 6 Plus continued that trend. I think the lineup would seem a bit complicated with a 4" iPhone, two 4.7" ones and two 5.5" ones.

If that did happen, it's exactly what got Apple into the mess it was in the 90s verging on bankruptcy. Obviously that's not going to happen any time soon, but it's not the simple lineups with one or two products in each category which made Apple into what it is today.

They have history of killing off popular products too - iPod mini in early 2000s, iPhone 5 a couple of years ago.

 

[Tthomas612]

I think this logic is flawed - just because something sells well initially doesn't mean it should stay around forever. Every iPhone sells well; it's no huge surprise that the 6 and 6 Plus continued that trend. I think the lineup would seem a bit complicated with a 4" iPhone, two 4.7" ones and two 5.5" ones.

If that did happen, it's exactly what got Apple into the mess it was in the 90s verging on bankruptcy. Obviously that's not going to happen any time soon, but it's not the simple lineups with one or two products in each category which made Apple into what it is today.

They have history of killing off popular products too - iPod mini in early 2000s, iPhone 5 a couple of years ago.

Well the logic can be flawed all you would like it to be, but it does  no good to go from selling 4 different iPhones this year to selling 3 different next year. Absolutely zero. Then why did they go to four tiers?

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus was always going to sell well ... YES, but look at the growth year over year and quarter over quarter in comparison then get back to me. I understand the iPhone grows with every launch, but not in the way it has grown with the 6 and 6 Plus.

It makes me no mind what the discontinue and what they don't, but both the 6 and 6 plus both will not be discontinued. Not gonna happen. I'm no insider and don't claim to be, but while they could discontinue one or the other they won't discontinue both... If they do what do they have left to sale? The two new phones and the 5s? What a lineup!

 

[nj-morris]

I'm 6C and I know it.