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Low-Cost iPhone '5C' May Include 8-Megapixel Camera

bjsterilite said:
If this means the iPhone 5C is a repackaged iPhone 5 then this would be a good move for Apple. For the past year or so it seems that everyone was expecting something magical from the iPhone 5 and it ended up getting overshadowed by other phones like the Galaxy S3 and S4. If I were Apple, I'd drop the iPhone 5 name and just call it the iPhone Color so as not to bring over the negativity of the iPhone 5 like the scuff and scratch issues, the underwhelming (yet logical) 4" display, the maps fiasco (even though its a software related issue, I feel the average consumer can't really discern the difference and making it worse is the fact that both were launched about 2 weeks apart), and the purple lens flare (even though it was proven to affect other smartphones and DSLR cameras).

Now the name for the next gen iPhone, "iPhone 5S", I have no idea whether to keep the naming convention or go for "iPhone 6" or even "The all new iPhone" like they did with the iPad.

I love Apple and I think they have good intentions but you know what they say about that...:(
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you do realize that the average consumer has never heard of the purple lense flare, and the galaxy s3 to s4 was an incremental upgrade just like the 4 to the 4s. Also in the real world, or anywhere other than geek tech internet sites, the galaxy has not overshadowed the iphone one bit.
 
Laco said:
There's nothing "cheap" about $550. For me to consider this thing it would have to be under $400 because I could certainly buy something much better for $550.
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It will make iPhone dramatically more affordable in Europe where not many people want to spend $900 on a phone.
 
ThatsMeRight said:
So, basically, they are going for an iPhone 5 with higher profit margins (plastic, cheap material + cheaper to fabricate) and a Lightning connector?

$199 - iPhone 5S
$99 - 'iPhone 5C'
$0 - iPhone 4S

In otherwords: it's the iPhone 5 in a less expensive housing, reserving the 'premium aluminium design' for the $199-model.
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So the $0 4S will have a better housing than the $99 5C
Seems odd to me.
 
maxosx said:
The "Magic" is long gone. Apple would do well to put the well recycled iPhone 4 design and its three derivatives behind them. iPhone 5 was a placeholder at best. My 4S was a much nicer phone than my oddly elongated narrow screen iPhone 5. It's time to hop off the gravy train of profits based on their past efforts and create something fresh, before the believers wake up and realize Apple placed money above delivering a world class product.
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my iphone 4s feels like a fat heavy piece of junk compared to the 5. Using the iphone 5 and the new ipod touch, I don't get the whole "magic is long gone" view. There is only so much you can do to make mature products better. Is anyone pissed apple doesn't reinvent the ipod totally from scratch every year? Apple destroyed the market with the ipod, then the iphone, then the ipad. next is iwatch or TV or iCar or something else. you expect them to destroy a market every year or something? I hope you realize many were saying the same thing before the iphone and ipad came out.

You could be right, magic could be gone, or you could be just as wrong as the people who thought apple was done with their magic before the iphone or ipad. Time will tell, history has a way of repeating itself, but nothing lives forever.

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teknikal90 said:
So the $0 4S will have a better housing than the $99 5C
Seems odd to me.
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I think it is very unlikely apple is not getting rid of the 4s with it's different sized screen and 30 pin connector.
 
Megakazbek said:
It will make iPhone dramatically more affordable in Europe where not many people want to spend $900 on a phone.
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$550 is the estimated American price. I am sure if that is what it is estimated to be the price in the US then the price in Europe will be 700 or 800 Euro.
 
baryon said:
I'd be glad to have a good camera in there, so this is good news. So far, it doesn't really sound like the iPhone 5C will compromise on anything, other than the plastic back, which isn't really a "compromise". What will make people still buy the iPhone 5/5S at a higher price then? Surely not just the aluminum back and fingerprint sensor?
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sounds good to me. If this is the case, I'll be getting the 5C instead of the 5S this fall. Hate how bad my naked iPhone 5 looks right now.
 
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ThunderSkunk said:
It was cleaner when there was an iPhone, and one iPhone to buy. Now store will have an iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, and an iPhone 5C everywhere, not to mention the places that have the 4S, and 4 still on sale, if apple still indeed allows it. So much for one iPhone vs 100 droids eh?

The new iPhone should be called the iPhone 6.
The cheap iPhone should be the previous generations tech in a cheap plastic case, and continue the name of that generation, the 5.

Then every year just ratchet em down the line a notch.
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They will drop iphone5 shortly (if not when they release iphone5s).

THey have always sold atleast 2-3 iphones at once.
 
Disapointing

This is disapointing. It's become clear that this is not the long awaited low cost iPhone in the sense that it is intended to broaden the smart phone market, particularly in developing regions. It appears the intent is one of these:
1) A hedge against the possibility of not being able to import the iPhone4 because of a legal ruling.
2) A way to improve margins on the 2 year old iPhone design that comes with a $200 discount. It's the "free" under contract phone that is hitting Apple's margins because it is about as expensive to manufacture as the brand new version.
3) A phone specifically modified for the Chinese market to get China Mobile on board. China could be what the "C" stands for.

It's too bad. Apple is missing a real oportunity to make a lower cost iPhone that many more peopl earound the world could afford. To get the cost down to that point would require compomises that this phone apparently doesn't make (uP integted into radio, lower resolution screen, lower resolution camera, etc.).
 
Since it may be called the iPhone 5C I assume it will have the A6.

I think they will have a 0$ version (maybe limited storage (8gb) and maybe only 1 colour choice).

I think there will be a 16gb, multiple colours $99 version.

Then a 32gb $199 5S w/ 12mp, fingerprint sensor, A7 etc.
 
cclloyd said:
That's what I was starting to think. But I also wonder how just swapping out glass/aluminum for plastic would bring down the cost that much.
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It's possible apple will take more of a hit on this phone than their flagship. They already more than double their dollar on all iPhones, which is pretty much unheard of in the tech industry. Most others are operating at 10-20%
 
Seriously....?

$450-$550 is the price target for the ultra-hyped rumored iPhone "low cost"..:confused:......:eek:....I had hopes in the $200-$350 range. If $450 or something is a real price target, I will see scenarios where the "new" iPhone dont fare well: Countries with money but not so much IT technology deployed or in real user of the wide consumer base is one of them. Countries where Android have a stronghold can be other. And countries very cost-sensitive add another one (check EU as example).

Hope that price is an exagerated estimate.....:(.....:mad:


:):apple:
 
I think people here forget the average customer (or people who just don't know about cameras) don't know that an increase from 8MP to 12 MP isn't always a good thing.

Apple may as well do it to the iphone 5C though, and give it a larger screen to beat other OEMs at their own game and still offer a higher quality iPhone.
 
ghettochris said:
you do realize that the average consumer has never heard of the purple lense flare, and the galaxy s3 to s4 was an incremental upgrade just like the 4 to the 4s. Also in the real world, or anywhere other than geek tech internet sites, the galaxy has not overshadowed the iphone one bit.
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When it first hit the news I heard people talking about it whenever the topic of the iPhone came up. And the Galaxy has seriously gained a lead over the iPhone 5 unlike any phone before. So much in fact that its the most common phone I see today besides an iPhone.
 
Why do people assume this will be a phone that is relevant for a contract? What if the 'C' means, "Cloud services"? What if there isn't a cellular connection with this phone, and any calls are via FaceTime or Skype?

Why do people assume that Apple will suddenly start differentiating their products in a certain product family like they've never, ever done before, not based on functionality, but based on materials and other nonsense attributes (this one is faster than that one, but they do the same thing?!). A camera whether it is 5MP or 500MP, in two phones provides the same exact functionality - it takes pictures. When Apple differentiates products, they don't make one feature better in such a simple or simplistic way, they make the product different in other ways.

Stop thinking commodity manufacturers' solution to a new product member of a family and start thinking how Apple introduces new members of a product family. They are vastly different, there are plenty of examples we have to review.
 
bjsterilite said:
When it first hit the news I heard people talking about it whenever the topic of the iPhone came up. And the Galaxy has seriously gained a lead over the iPhone 5 unlike any phone before. So much in fact that its the most common phone I see today besides an iPhone.
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while that may be true, I was just stuck in an airport for 3 days, and 9/10 phones I saw were iphones. Maybe the people that can't afford plane tickets are buying them up, but it was iphones and ipads everywhere in the airport, more than I expected.
 
oh come on apple. i know you gotta make money on each product, but give us the goods! you'll sell enough to still make tons of money. someone with an iPhone 4S won't upgrade to something with the same camera in it (ok, they might, but a 12 mp camera would give a better reason to upgrade!)
 
Mariela said:
No news on 5s? Or 6 or whatever
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Not much that's leaked. A few last minute rumors that Apple's scrambling to increase screen size to 4.7" which if true is likely due to market pressure. But it's hard to believe that Apple would cave in after years of denial. Cook's proclamation that they are already using the "perfect" size is still rather recent in the overall scheme of things.

But who knows, Apple has a lot to do if they want to appear up to date on what's happening. I rather doubt that people will be wowed by something as sterile as a fingerprint reader.

With so much focus on the iPhone "C", it will probably be the best of the two anyway. Top of the line doesn't always mean it's the best. The C may be a prime example of that. Colorful and less expensive, people respond to lower prices and that's what the C is serving up.

I like what Apple has done with the Cheaper iPhone C.
 
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