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Lower-Cost iPhone's Plastic Rear Shell Reportedly Surfaces

M-O said:
We are approaching the iPod mini stage in the iPhone lifecycle. Cheaper, colorful, not better but still pretty good.

The only problem, at least in the US, is the carriers. It doesn't matter what the phone costs because the subsidy will make it the same price as every other phone. (the actual problem is the customers who put up with it...)

This phone is for China/India/T-Mobile US. And I welcome it.
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You forgot Europe?

It's for everywhere except the US. BUT, I think Apple will do two things:

1. Maintain the current price of $199 in the US
2. Terminate the iPhone 4/4S and price the 'cheap' iPhone at $0 or $49.

That'll be two good price points.
 
smoking monkey said:
Yep. The 3GS was a joy to hold. It just felt right in the hand. I personally don't like the brick design for usage, but it does look good from an industrial design point of view.
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I do agree with the look of 4/4S/5. It is just fantastic to look at without having a case on. A naked iphone is a beautiful thing. Now my wife...
 
Squilly said:
Yes. Just like they do on every other revision... upgrade the technology, same price.
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iPad 3 was thicker and heavier than iPad 2. iPad 4 is same thickness and weight as iPad 3. I don't doubt when a retina mini comes out it will be the same price as the current mini. What I don't agree with is that Apple could have released a retina iPad (that is as thin and light as mini/iPad 2 with same battery life as mini/4) last year but purposely chose not to do so. Apple is obsessed with making things thinner and lighter. Why would they make something thicker and heavier (iPad 3/4) if they didn't have to?
 
Steve jobs would be turning in his grave if this is true, apple made a thing of beauty with the iPhone 4, it felt and looked good in your hand and then they did it again with iPhone 5 brushed metal.

Apple is not about turning out cheap and nasty, it's about the whole user experience, something that would be lost if user affordable comes into the equation.:(
 
steve119 said:
Steve jobs would be turning in his grave if this is true, apple made a thing of beauty with the iPhone 4, it felt and looked good in your hand and then they did it again with iPhone 5 brushed metal.

Apple is not about turning out cheap and nasty, it's about the whole user experience, something that would be lost if user affordable comes into the equation.:(
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So something affordable has to be cheap and nasty? Got it :rolleyes:
 
steve119 said:
Steve jobs would be turning in his grave if this is true, apple made a thing of beauty with the iPhone 4, it felt and looked good in your hand and then they did it again with iPhone 5 brushed metal.

Apple is not about turning out cheap and nasty, it's about the whole user experience, something that would be lost if user affordable comes into the equation.:(
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Whats wrong with having a cheaper affordable option? Stop acting like you know Steve Jobs or Apple for that matter. Times have changed. Not everyone can afford a "luxurious" model Apple product.

Hence the reason for the iPad Mini and this rumored cheaper iPhone.. The iPod Shuffle. iPod Nano. etc
 
This is most likely fake and makes zero sense. Why in the world would they revert back to 3.5" screens. All they need to do is take the current iPod touch (which is 4" and has colored backs) and add in a phone chip.
 
steve119 said:
Steve jobs would be turning in his grave if this is true, apple made a thing of beauty with the iPhone 4, it felt and looked good in your hand and then they did it again with iPhone 5 brushed metal.

Apple is not about turning out cheap and nasty, it's about the whole user experience, something that would be lost if user affordable comes into the equation.:(
Click to expand...

Steve Jobs released two very similar looking phones and they weren't called cheap and nasty. Maybe Apple have raised the bar since then in some ways, but we've also seen that glass smashes and metal scratches.

Steve Jobs wasn't against releasing cheaper versions of products as any glance at the iPod line-up will show you. I think people are being a bit elitist, which is rather amusing when iPhone-ownership is hardly an elite at all.

Apple do need to release a cheaper iPhone because it's getting pwned by Android makers and it would be sensible if they made some kind of visual distinction from the more expensive model. By, for instance, making it out of plastic.
 
samcraig said:
That would be ironic

/s (because ironic is also used incorrectly very very often)
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Not really, just a form that is increasingly common.

Oxford dictionary said:
In recent years an extended use of literally (and also literal) has become very common, where literally (or literal) is used deliberately in non-literal contexts, for added effect, as in they bought the car and literally ran it into the ground. This use can lead to unintentional humorous effects (we were literally killing ourselves laughing) and is not acceptable in formal contexts, though it is widespread.
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Also:

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-literally-and-figuratively.htm
 
singhjeet29 said:
I really hope it doesn't have a 3.5 inch screen. I was hoping that with the release of the next iPhone. The 3 models available would be the iPhone plastic, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S. All with 4 inch screens. Rather than the iPhone 4S still being purchasable. Leading to more significant 4 inch screen development/adoption etc.

Whether this is real or not, I like the throwback to the old school MacBooks, looks better than I would have expected.
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I agree. I think it doesn't look bad at all for what they're trying to do. If it feels as solid as a 3g or 3gs then it will be an easy decision to pay my ETF on Sprint and get one of these unlocked. Sprint sucks and I'd like to go pre-paid.
 
gibbz said:
Why? This isn't aimed at the typical iPhone user. This makes a lot of sense for countries where people can't afford the normal iPhone prices. This helps expand their user base, in my opinion. Perhaps I am wrong.
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Yep, also great solution for Europe. Right now, Asia needs a cheaper iPhone, but I expect Europe to need it to.

Why? Europeans are becoming really poor and Europe is going downhill. It won't be long before an iPhone 4S or 5 becomes too expensive for 90%+ of the European population. Take France, for example: the forecast of their economic situation is really bad and if they continue like they do today, they'll be bankrupt in a few years.

Or the Netherlands, one of the few economically triple A countries in Europe, which announced just today that almost 10% of the population is unemployed.

It is not going well in Europe and Apple will lose marketshare without a cheaper iPhone.

I'm not so worried about Asia: launch a cheaper iPhone there this year to grab some marketshare, and in a few years they'll take Europe's place and those folks will be able to buy the premium iPhone (right now, iPhone 5).
 
jason2811 said:
This is most likely fake and makes zero sense. Why in the world would they revert back to 3.5" screens. All they need to do is take the current iPod touch (which is 4" and has colored backs) and add in a phone chip.
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I'm not in a position to comment on whether putting a phone chip in the iPod Touch is as easy as you imply, but rather the whole notion I believe depends entirely on what they want to do with this new device. Personally, I don't believe they'll build a cheaper phone, but they could be planning on building a phone that has a different feature set from the current iPhone (like the various versions of iPod are different from each other aside from price). The nano isn't merely a cheaper iPod, and if this new phone happens it will follow the same logic, meaning it'll have a different feature set that carries a smaller price.

Someone suggested on this forum it could be a device that uses a SIM (data only) and employs iMessage and FaceTime (and Skype and others) for communication - that makes much more sense than merely a cheaper materials iPhone.
 
samcraig said:
Congratulations to those who think that plastic is crap. Apple has certainly done its job in marketing their devices well if you believe that. And believe that only metal and glass are viable materials (now).

unbelievable.
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Heh heh...awesome isn't it?And God forbid people who have less money should be able to afford an iPhone with up-to-date internals.The filthy unwashed masses should have to make do with carry over models from previous years with old hardware!
 
Saladinos said:
Apple have always tried to make the best products they can. It's when they stop focussing on that and start focussing on cost that they will have 'lost their way'.
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so apple was "DOOOMED!" when it released the cheaper ipods? and "DOOOMED!" when they released the Mac mini? and "DOOOMED!" when they released sub-$1000 notebooks? oh, wait...
 
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