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analysts will take any clue or fantasy to make what they want to happen (new lower price iPhone) a reality. apple doesn't backpeddle on their product offerings. they don't usually lower prices and they never offer new products simply to compete on pricing. plastic cases won't affect the pricepoint of anything by more than a few cents. what this rumor is missing is the specs on the internals so until it delivers that info, it's nonsense.

apple only delivers new skus when they can justify those features to that market (and themselves).
 
It seemed safe to assume the 4/4s would go away completely, they want to move everything to the lightning cable.
 
who said they were giving up quality? the 3gs and the 3g felt premium in the hand, and this design will be a radically improved 3gs/3g casing design tagged along with a very nice display for a phone that will be cheap to the masses

Then why not just make this the next iPhone? My point is that if they are specifically designing something to be a "low-cost" version of another product, that is a dangerous road to go down.

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You do realise Apple produced the iPhone 3GS, right?

Yes, and then they improved it. If they re-released the Apple II tomorrow would that also be okay?
 
I suspect it will look and feel identical to a redesigned cheaper iPod touch with the same colour options to appeal to a younger more trendy but less affluent customer base. The intention being to make the iPhone cool again.

It will be interesting to see how they differentiate the main iPhone. Maybe they will skip the iPhone 5s and jump straight to a 6 with a slightly larger screen. Now that would give Samsung something to worry about.

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It will be for emerging markets (China, India, etc) only.

There is absolutely no way in the world they would do that. It's just not what Apple do. They make one product for everyone no matter where you live. If they were going to make a BRIC only phone they would just do what they do in education and release a dumbed down version of the iPhone and only make it available in certain countries or more likely they would discontinue the iPhone 4s everywhere except those emerging markets.
 
I think Apple should just stick to premium products, that's always been their market. Leave the cheap, tacky, low cost products to companies like Samsung.
 
Guy No. 1: "I'd never buy a crappy POS Samsung plastic phone"

Guy No. 1 - 10 minutes later: "I see Apple are making a plastic phone, for emerging markets. That will help expand their market penetration, which is good for my stock."

Guy No. 2 - :confused:
 
Now that mobile-phones are becoming a popular web browsing and texting platform with lesser actual phone calling. I hate to admit it but the iPhone 5's screen is way too narrow for web-browsing in portrait mode, and fails in its landscape mode too. I'd rather it sport a wider 5" screen than the current skinny one.

If that is the case, why stop at 5"?

Maybe what Apple should do is add cell phone features to the iPad mini. Or heck, why not make the iPad the next iPhone?

Maybe Apple is already on this path. Maybe the much rumored Apple television is actually the iPhone 10. The entry level model is 32" of diagonal viewing area. Plus, with all that size, they can stick one heckuva battery in there. 32" iPhone. Surf the web, talk and text all day.

Of course, Samsung already has a 75" smart tv. Some cell phone components and a giant a$$ lipo battery and they will have the 32" iPhone killer ready to go.
 
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Beginning of the end for Apple if this happens.

They're not a company who competes on price by giving up quality.

I agree, which is why this won't be a low cost phone (per se), but merely a phone that will cost less - it's like calling the mini the "low cost" iPad, completely ignoring what the mini is all about as a product and how it is differentiated from it's full sized big brother.

The main feature of this supposed new phone and it's whole reason for being will not be "low cost" it'll be something else entirely that Apple has designed and manufactured the phone to be, but low cost is the one attribute that some (simplistically) have latched onto, given they either know nothing else about the phone, or don't understand product strategy or Apple.
 
Bring back the original iPhone, without 3G/4G/LTE, and put in a modern CPU & display. It would be perfect for all the people that don't only needs a phone & iPod without an annoying data plan.
 
If that is the case, why stop at 5"?

Maybe what Apple should do is add cell phone features to the iPad mini. Or heck, why not make the iPad the next iPhone?

Maybe Apple is already on this path. Maybe the much rumored Apple television is actually the iPhone 10. The entry level model is 32" of diagonal viewing area. Plus, with all that size, they can stick one heckuva battery in there. 32" iPhone. Surf the web, talk and text all day.

Of course, Samsung already has a 75" smart tv. Some cell phone components and a giant a$$ lipo battery and they will have the 32" iPhone killer ready to go.

Honestly, I see the Mini and even iPad sooner or later having cell calling capability...or by then calling has become obsolete and we're doing everything over data/wifi.

Everything is blurring in terms of smart phones and tablets. It's really the size that is up to you.
 
Numbers

With two models, Apple will abandon numbers, just like they did with the iPad. Since they won't keep old models, numbers are redundant.

iPhone and iPhone Pro?
 
If they can get one in the $350 range with no contract and not a clunker hardware wise, it doesn't have to have the latest chip.

I'd buy on release day.
 
Just a note to those who aren't aware. Modern handgun designs (like Glocks, and many other polymer designs) use 'plastic mixed with glass fiber' for the bulk of the handgun. This is likely to be a very durable casing if the rumor is right.
 
All I want for my next iPhone would be 5's screen with 4S's glass material. I don't really care about weight and thickness.
 
Guy No. 1: "I'd never buy a crappy POS Samsung plastic phone"

Guy No. 1 - 10 minutes later: "I see Apple are making a plastic phone, for emerging markets. That will help expand their market penetration, which is good for my stock."

Guy No. 2 - :confused:

Any Apple Fanboy would say you are mixing apples and oranges.

The plastic Samsung uses is cheap.

Apple's plastic is an innovative miracle product came out of 3 years of research by Apple, it is advanced than medical grade plastic, it is advanced than carbon fiber reinforced polymer used in defense industry. It is amazing. It just works. I can go on and on...
 
There is absolutely no way in the world they would do that. It's just not what Apple do. They make one product for everyone no matter where you live. If they were going to make a BRIC only phone they would just do what they do in education and release a dumbed down version of the iPhone and only make it available in certain countries or more likely they would discontinue the iPhone 4s everywhere except those emerging markets.

If they can get one in the $350 range with no contract and not a clunker hardware wise, it doesn't have to have the latest chip.

I'd buy on release day.

It will be for emerging markets only.
 
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