New 4-Inch 'iPhone 5e' Could Feature A8 Chip, 1GB of RAM, Apple Pay and VoLTE Calling

[prizm]

I get this haunting feeling that Apple is running out of steam and ideas. A smaller phone with gimped specs is appalling. They're stretching margins to the max to keep the profit train rolling. The Macbook, the iMac, now a smaller phone, all with gimped specs. I think this is going to bite them in the arse eventually.

 

[dstew201]

If this is true, I predict it's going to flop, much like the 5c! Or at least I hope the does, so Apple can get their heads out of their @#@#?$ and back on track!!

 

[gaximus]

Why is it so hard for you to understand that Apple doesn't do that in any of their products. Apple always equates a larger screen with higher end specs. They do it with the iMac, with the Macbook Pro, with the iPad, with the iPod, and with the iPhone. I can't think of a single instance in the last 20 years of Apple ever giving a smaller screened device equivalent specs to a larger one. Maybe the 12/14" iBook? I'm not saying it's right; I'm saying it's the way they do things, and they aren't likely to change.

Its almost as if the bigger screen adds more room for better specs, battery, and heat dissipation.

 

[lincolntran]

Low range specs and paltry 4" screen for $500? I expect this phone to flop dramatically. At these prices you can get high-end Android phone with 32GB base storage.

Yeah but it'll be running androids so that's a deal breaker right there.

 

[HiRez]

To me this phone is still the worst of two worlds instead of the best (if this rumor turns out to be accurate). Downspecced and overpriced. For $500+, either give it near-top-end specs, or drop the price at least $100. I can't imagine who is going to buy this thing when a full iPhone 6S is so close in price. It's not cheap enough to sell in significant quantities in India, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it'll be a decent enough phone in day to day use, but it's neither here nor there. Then again, there's been a lot of Honda Civics sold over the years so maybe I'm wrong

 

[LizKat]

This is a dumb argument. The 64GB model didn't just magically lower in price. Storage is cheaper than it used to be. The only reason Apple doesn't bump the default storage to 32GB is because they don't want to lose the $100 upsell they can get on all the people who need more than 16GB but less than 64GB.

It's not dumb from Apple's point of view, as you say. It's not dumb of me to point out that 16GB is plenty for plenty of people, either. Who needs 32GB on a phone used to make phone calls, snap some pics or send a few texts or emails. We here are not representative of smartphone users in the entire marketplace. Apple knows how their stuff gets used. When 16GB won't cut it, the base storage will get bumped. Or, heh, maybe it will get bumped when the mainstem of Apple's profit margin comes from cars instead of phones... but meanwhile it doesn't make a lot of sense to get all fired up over a decision that belongs to the manufacturer. One still has choices, and can go elsewhere if they're not appealing enough. So far the number of times that happens is apparently not significant enough to force Apple's hand.

 

[SirCheese]

- Rumour hits from non-Apple source
- MR users assume it is correct, and also invent other things about said device off the top of their heads that they also assume are correct
- MR users get mad at Apple

Much irony here... .

 

[\-V-/]

To me this phone is still the worst of two worlds instead of the best. Downspecced and overpriced. For $500+, either give it near top-end specs, or drop the price at least $100. I can't imagine who is going to buy this thing when a full iPhone 6S is so close in price.

People will buy it because ... people.

 

[Vanilla35]

(6, 6+), 6s, 6s+, 7, 7+, 5e.
Hardly complicated.

Oblivious Apple Customer: "So those are your models? What was that colored iPhone that some of my friends had?".... "Ohhh, and so that came out after the iPhone 5?" "And you said the 5e is newer than the iPhone 6?" "Ok well either way, I just want rose gold; I'll go with that one."

 

[Jsameds]

Did you even read the headline of the article? And honestly ... that's your defense now? How old are you?

Yeah, I did.

New 4-Inch 'iPhone 5e' Could Feature A8 Chip, 1GB of RAM, Apple Pay and VoLTE Calling

 

[coolfactor]

Whatever it's called, hurry up and release it! My iPhone 4 is really showing its age, and there's no way I'm paying several hundred dollars, PLUS two more years of payments, just to get the iPhone 6s. Far too expensive.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Oblivious Apple Customer: "So those are your models? What was that colored iPhone that some of my friends had?".... "Ohhh, and so that came out after the iPhone 5?" "And you said the 5e is newer than the iPhone 6?" "Ok well either way, I just want rose gold; I'll go with that one."

The fact that a customer is oblivious about six or seven different versions of a product before paying $700 is the customer's fault, not Apple's. It's three blocks of a product: block 6, block 6s, block 7.

 

[ChrisCW11]

You mean a NORMAL sized device

Lol, use a 5" screen for a few days, and you will change your stance on what "normal" sized device means. Being stuck in the past should not determine what "normal" means.

 

[Jsameds]

Lol, use a 5" screen for a few days, and you will change your stance on what "normal" sized device means. Being stuck in the past should not determine what "normal" means.

I use a 6s and have been since launch. iPhone 5 size is still "normal" to me.

 

[newlifer]

its official: it will have an expiry date printed on the box. it lasts a couple of years depending on the stock price. if the chinese stocks fall, we'll have another next year with same specs

new phones will self-destruct after they expire

 

[\-V-/]

Yeah, I did.

New 4-Inch 'iPhone 5e' Could Feature A8 Chip, 1GB of RAM, Apple Pay and VoLTE Calling

That's what we're discussing ... the article ... lol.

 

[npmacuser5]

The phone for me is becoming less and less important for interaction with me and becoming a hub for no better term. I use my Watch for payments, etc, my iPad and MacBook for 95 % of anything I do online or in apps. The phone calls, texts, controls the watch, sends notifications, plays some tunes, GPS is helpful, soon CarPlay, essentially a hub to control and inform me by other devices. Very little interest in watching anything on the phone screen. At onetime the phone was the most important but as other devices are coming on the phone is sliding fast. The new phone purchase is now in a three year or more cycle for me, unless something out of normal happens. The new 4 inch phone will be OK for me, even with limited tech specs. Things are changing and the change will most likely have an impact on Apple moving forward.

 

[BMJT]

I'm waiting for the iPhone 5GS.

I'm holding out for the iPhone 5GSe Plus Pro

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Look folks, Tim Cook is an operations guy. He wants to convert people to the 4.5" size in order to lower the number of phones in the pipeline. This is a classic transitional measure until they completely remove the 4" phone offering.

 

[rp2011]

BTW i just want to comment that i like the way this article was put together. Broken down into quickly glance-able bullets to get the gist of.

Nice. More like this please.

 

[dearfriendx]

This isn't for everyone and that's incredibly obvious. It's for those who cannot afford a flagship iPhone. Think about the market in other countries like India, China, etc. So they release an updated "economy" iPhone so even more users will come to iOS and use things like Apple Pay (which Apple gets a slice of the transaction). I don't see why the privileged can't see beyond their own nose. If you don't agree with Apple's choice of 4.7" and 5.5" phones there are other manufacturers out there.

 

[citysnaps]

Nope! Tim (and the fanboys around here) will tell you 16 GB is ALL you need. And if you want more, simply pay Apple more money. Funny, I can see that being Tim's viewpoint, but the guys around here, who are the ones who have to pay that "more money?" That never made sense to me.

All the data and every app we use has gotten larger in size, yet that good ole 16 GB is standing strong. I kinda wish my rMBP only had 16 GB HDD. It was make it much easier to organize things, as I could just throw out 90% of the stuff I don't "need."

No. What Apple is saying is that for many, those who want a smartphone but don't have a lot of music and photos/vids etc., 16GB will work fine and people can pay less money. For those that have greater storage needs, simply pay for that option. Don't assume your needs are like everyone else's.

You probably do not understand that automobile manufacturers, such as BMW, Audi, Chevrolet, Ford, Mercedes, and all others, sell a base model automobile at a base advertised price. For those that need more features beyond what the base model offers, manufacturers have options available to meet those needs for more money.

Simple.

 

[\-V-/]

This isn't for everyone and that's incredibly obvious. It's for those who cannot afford a flagship iPhone. Think about the market in other countries like India, China, etc. So they release an updated "economy" iPhone so even more users will come to iOS and use things like Apple Pay (which Apple gets a slice of the transaction). I don't see why the privileged can't see beyond their own nose. If you don't agree with Apple's choice of 4.7" and 5.5" phones there are other manufacturers out there.

But people want the flagship phone to come in the old size ... not the old phone to be available for the flagship price. This phone is not "affordable" by any means if this information is true. I don't know anyone that is hard up on cash that can just shell out 500 bucks.

No. What Apple is saying is that for many, those who want a smartphone but don't have a lot of music and photos/vids etc., 16GB will work fine and people can pay less money. For those that have greater storage needs, simply pay for that option. Don't assume your needs are like everyone else's.

No, Apple is just cheap. Pretty much every other manufacturer now offers 32 GB as base storage. You're making an assumption that people don't need that. It's not that people only need 16 GB. It's that people don't know they need more. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard family members ask why they keep getting low storage warnings on their phones. And having to explain to them about their phone storage. I hear all the time how they wish they had more storage. They honestly had no idea what they needed when they purchased the phone. That is not entirely Apple's fault ... many customers just don't know any better. But app sizes and image/video are becoming higher quality all the time and eating up space. And 5 GB of free iCloud storage is also a bit silly compared to other offerings (Google offers unlimited photo and video storage).

 

[LizKat]

Lol, use a 5" screen for a few days, and you will change your stance on what "normal" sized device means. Being stuck in the past should not determine what "normal" means.

Who's stuck in the past? I have begun to use a smartphone more like just a phone or an iPod touch ever since I got a mini iPad and an iPad. I just don't care for the larger sized smart phones and the 6 was over the top for me. I have long said I'm ready to revert to a little dumbphone unless Apple updated the 4" form factor. I have a 5c now but I still use my old 4S as a WiFi device for a few things and still love it. I am beginning to think fondly of that little Verizon clamshell thing hardly bigger than a golfball for phone calls...

 

[bollman]

This isn't for everyone and that's incredibly obvious. It's for those who cannot afford a flagship iPhone. Think about the market in other countries like India, China, etc. So they release an updated "economy" iPhone so even more users will come to iOS and use things like Apple Pay (which Apple gets a slice of the transaction). I don't see why the privileged can't see beyond their own nose. If you don't agree with Apple's choice of 4.7" and 5.5" phones there are other manufacturers out there.

Right, I do not care what OS is on my phone. I have iOS, Android, Windows Phone and even Ubuntu on my phones (WP and Ubuntu being the primary ones). So, just please show me a 4" top-of-the-line phone and I'll be happy because I'll be darned to find one!