Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
You haven't been around for the iPhone 3G/3GS, have you? Or polycarbonate MacBooks, the white Apple keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Magic Mouse surface, PowerPC iMacs, PowerMacs, any MacBook Pro/Air keyboard etc. pp. All are plastic, and all are high-quality devices. Plastic and cheap look and feel isn't something that's mutually exclusive.

I temember them very well. I wasn't impressed...
 
lol thats no surprise there then! Apple sell something cheap!! actually in fairness it's software has been amazing but they aren't developing that anymore, iLife, Final Cut, Logic, all run by marketing guys who know sod all about the product.

Phone contracts in the UK are dead with companies like Tesco offing such amazing deals for only £10 a month, who the hell is going to pay top money for a new iPhone with a screen size being the same as the old 5, when they can get an S4 or a HTC or a Sony for cheaper! Apple your being ruled by your money grabbing accountants.
 
Oh... I get it now. Samsung uses cheap plastics for their phones but Apple is going to use expensive plastic so that means that Samsung's phones will still be cheap but Apple's Cheap Plastic phone won't be "the cheap category of plastic" but they will be Cheap.

One can say plastic feels cheap when the review from The Verge states that hedidn't like to hold the device in his hand due to it feeling slimy and unpleasant in his hand.

The Nokia Lumia 800 - also made from "plastic" - on the other hand, has often been praised for the feeling of holding it, not feeling like plastic at all.
 
Cell phone price schemes are so confusing. I wish the American system wasn't so locked down. It doesn't really make much sense to buy an unlocked phone in America because you are still limited in your carrier choices. An unlocked iPhone 5 in America really only fully works 100% on the carrier it was designed for. It would be nice to just have 1 iPhone 5 that worked with all carriers in the US. But I know that's asking for a lot given the various network technologies involved and the carriers want to lock you in. It's annoying.
 
So let me get this straight.

The original plastic iPhone wasn't cheap because it was plastic but it was cool.
Then Apple stopped making plastic phones and Samsung entered the market and their top end flagship phones which are selling for as much off contract as the iPhone 5 are cheap plastic junk.

Now Apple is going to make a Cheap. Sorry Mid Range Plastic phone but it's not going to be cheap because it's plastic.

Got it.

So by this forums logic Samsung and ALL the other high end flagship phones that are made of plastic are not cheap poorly made garbage because Apple is going to do it again.

Yeah baby. Plastic for everyone. Pigs are flying and the new Cheap. Sorry, Plastic iPhone will be an innovative magical marvel for the industry.

Tim Cook is brilliant.

How in the world did you come up with this in response to the person you quoted? :confused:

Goodness what a long way to go
 
Then it will fail when for around the same price, you can buy an S3 or S4. The iPhone (compared to other current phones) ain't that special anymore!

I take your point but that's not the case in my experience. Both the S4 and the HTC One cost over £500 to buy unsubsidized contract free, which puts them at the bottom end of the iPhone 5 pricing.

The real issue is that the unsubsidized price for the iPhone 4 and 4s is simply too high for people in that marketplace. You can get them for nothing or very little if you get a contract but many people don't want or can't get a contract. Apple simply has no solution for those people.

The unsubsidized iPhone 4s costs £450 and iPhone 4 £320. Take that level of pricing into the emerging markets where demand is exploding and you see why so many people are buying cheaper Android phones instead.

Apple will simply continue to lose market share rapidly if they do not have an iPhone solution starting at around £200 - £300 unsubsidized. Apple may not be all that bothered if they can rake off all the profits with their current strategy. Who can blame them. But it's a gamble. Today's £200 smartphone buyer could very well be a £500 smartphone buyer in a few years time. If they go android at £200 why would they want to switch to another OS later on. Chances are they probably wouldn't.
 
One can say plastic feels cheap when the review from The Verge states that hedidn't like to hold the device in his hand due to it feeling slimy and unpleasant in his hand.

The Nokia Lumia 800 - also made from "plastic" - on the other hand, has often been praised for the feeling of holding it, not feeling like plastic at all.

Okay... Now you're just confusing me.

The article written by the journalist on the Verge said that he/she didn't like to hold the Samsung phone because it felt slimy and unpleasant and "One can say" that the cheap plastic phone by Nokia doesn't feel slimy and cheap and has been "praised for the feeling of holding it"...

But... Apple's Cheap Plastic phone isn't going to be slimy and cheap because of the way that is feels to hold it and is going to be "praised" for being cheap plastic that doesn't feel slimy when you hold it.

So the Cheap Apple Plastic phone won't feel slimy and then because of that it should be "praised" because Apple has cheap plastic that doesn't feel slimy.

Does that about sum up Apple's Cheap Plastic cheaper new rumored iPhone?

Samsung's feels slimy so it's Cheap but Apple's Cheap Plastic won't feel Cheap and Slimy so it's good.

Got it.

Last question. Are the cheap plastic pens in my pen holder on my desk slimy because their cheap plastic and they don't have the Apple logo on it or are they still okay to use? I don't want to give the wrong impression to people when they walk into my office and just want to be sure I'm using the correct Cheap Plastic.

----------

How in the world did you come up with this in response to the person you quoted? :confused:

Goodness what a long way to go

I was just following his logic (or lack thereof) and by the logic used that was the only assumption I could make. I know what you mean, it get's kind of confusing to know which cheap plastic is the right cheap plastic to buy when you buy a cheap plastic phone.
 
Last edited:
Because Apple thinks that doing so will increase their total profits.

Seriously, this isn't even very hard. Anytime apple does anything, it is always for exactly the same reason: Apple thinks it will increase their total profits.

That is why they are releasing a cheap iphone. That is why they remade the MacPro into a MacMini on steroids. That is why they made the iMac unable to be upgraded and emphasized "thin" over "functional". That is why they got rid of Scott Forstall.

That is why they do anything and everything that they do: to send more of our money to the Hedge Funds..

You really get your panties in a bunch don't you :mad::mad:
 
As so many people like pointing out just because a company/product or whatever has a higher market share doesn't make that product better;)

I didn't say it did. It does mean that more people are "choosing" to buy Android phones.

But no worries, Apple is rumored to be in production with a really cheap plastic phone that doesn't feel slimy so it will feel good to hold it.
 
How can any iPhone now be classed as a 'luxury' item when so many other manufacturers offer better speced models (S4) and (IMO) better quality casings (HTC One). There isn't really anything that special about the iPhone other than the way it integrates with other Apple kit and it's aluminium casing ... Which I personally don't like due it it's ease of scratching, dings etc!!!

----------



Then it will fail when for around the same price, you can buy an S3 or S4. The iPhone (compared to other current phones) ain't that special anymore!

Not really. Take ipad mini for example. Priced 100 bucks more than other small tablets and clearly not failing.
 
Okay... Now you're just confusing me.

The article written by the journalist on the Verge said that he/she didn't like to hold the Samsung phone because it felt slimy and unpleasant and "One can say" that the cheap plastic phone by Nokia doesn't feel slimy and cheap and has been "praised for the feeling of holding it"...

But... Apple's Cheap Plastic phone isn't going to be slimy and cheap because of the way that is feels to hold it and is going to be "praised" for being cheap plastic that doesn't feel slimy when you hold it.

So the Cheap Apple Plastic phone won't feel slimy and then because of that it should be "praised" because Apple has cheap plastic that doesn't feel slimy.

Does that about sum up Apple's Cheap Plastic cheaper new rumored iPhone?

Samsung's feels slimy so it's Cheap but Apple's Cheap Plastic won't feel Cheap and Slimy so it's good.

Got it.

Last question. Are the cheap plastic pens in my pen holder on my desk slimy because their cheap plastic and they don't have the Apple logo on it or are they still okay to use? I don't want to give the wrong impression to people when they walk into my office and just want to be sure I'm using the correct Cheap Plastic.

----------



I was just following his logic (or lack thereof) and by the logic used that was the only assumption I could make. I know what you mean, it get's kind of confusing to know which cheap plastic is the right cheap plastic to buy when you buy a cheap plastic phone.

You really need to start making sense:confused::confused: because your arguments are really pathetic, you take this so seriously don't you, I suggest Yoga or Medititation of some sort

----------

I didn't say it did. It does mean that more people are "choosing" to buy Android phones.

But no worries, Apple is rumored to be in production with a really cheap plastic phone that doesn't feel slimy so it will feel good to hold it.

Who cares I like what I like you like what you like, get that stick out of your backside.

----------

Oh sorry, i thought i was talking to a grown-up, but i just realized you're just a juvenile cave troll.



Oh, iGrip is just another troll, but i think he's more like a mountain troll.

Agreed so many po-faced geeks who have no life :D:D
 
Oh sorry, i thought i was talking to a grown-up, but i just realized you're just a juvenile.

So when I'm "grown-up" does that mean I'll know which cheap plastic phone to buy?

Growing-up and choosing cheap plastic phones are going to be really confusing when Apple enters the cheap market.

Next thing you know Walmart will start selling iPhones and it will get even more confusing buying a luxury phone let alone a cheap plastic phone.
 
I didn't say it did. It does mean that more people are "choosing" to buy Android phones.

But no worries, Apple is rumored to be in production with a really cheap plastic phone that doesn't feel slimy so it will feel good to hold it.

The fact that more people are choosing to buy android phones is meaningless. There are simply way too many types out there. Here's a more meaningful statement: more people are choosing iphones than any other smartphone. Apple just feels they'll gain more market share and thus more profit by producing a cheaper model.
 
The fact that more people are choosing to buy android phones is meaningless. There are simply way too many types out there. Here's a more meaningful statement: more people are choosing iphones than any other smartphone. Apple just feels they'll gain more market share and thus more profit by producing a cheaper model.

Is it meaningless that more people choose to by Microsoft Windows Computers?

Your logic doesn't seem to add up does it?
 
No, but assuming that the United States is the country in which most people subsidize Iphones, then you would see why my question would be more so focused on the United States. If not, I would not have made a big point about subsidizing.

Maybe the cheaper version won't be subsidized as much. Say, the cheaper version sells for $400 unlocked and $0 with 2 year contract, the iPhone 5 sells for $550 unlocked and $100 with 2 year contract, the iPhone 5S sells for $650 unlocked and $200 with 2 year contract. That difference in subsidization amount could effectively encourage more people in the US to buy iPhone 5 or iPhone 5S instead of the cheaper version. Then, Apple could set the price difference between iPhone 5/5S and the cheaper version to be even larger in other countries, to compete better with other mid-range smartphones.
 
Is it meaningless that more people choose to by Microsoft Windows Computers?

Your logic doesn't seem to add up does it?

Every company is different, some companies want market share, some companies make money from hardware or software or both and some companies want high margins, there's room for all types, if companies employ narrow minded fools like you we'd be in trouble.

You have no point at all except your hatred of Apple which is fine it's YOUR opinion just don't go shoving YOUR opinion down everyone's throat, my opinion is I buy Apple products as I like Apple products hence why I come on forums like MR, what your excuse is I don't know, why would you spend your life looking at and reading things you hate, time for a therapist:D
 
Every company is different, some companies want market share, some companies make money from hardware or software or both and some companies want high margins, there's room for all types, if companies employ narrow minded fools like you we'd be in trouble.

You have no point at all except your hatred of Apple which is fine it's YOUR opinion just don't go shoving YOUR opinion down everyone's throat, my opinion is I buy Apple products as I like Apple products hence why I come on forums like MR, what your excuse is I don't know, why would you spend your life looking at and reading things you hate, time for a therapist:D

I have have owned many macs in the 90's. I purchased the original iPhone and 3GS and have owned or been given as gifts more iPod's than I can even remember.

I love tech and I love staying current with all "new" technology related information.

I don't hate Apple. I just gave up on waiting for anything worth buying after the 3GS and returning the iPhone 4 after a week.

But you miss the point. Market Share is very relevant in the market today.

If you don't have Market Share you start to loose vendors that make products for your devices and then the developer community follows.

Who would have thought that Samsung would be where it is today in 2009 when the iPhone was the phone to have and Blackberry (Rim) would be in the position of Apple in the early 90's.

Market Share matters regardless of what you want to believe.

If you like Apple Products right now then buy them while you can because times change.

Microsoft with the elephant share of the Enterprise PC and Home PC market doesn't have the volatility that the Smart Phone market does.
 
I have have owned many macs in the 90's. I purchased the original iPhone and 3GS and have owned or been given as gifts more iPod's than I can even remember.

I love tech and I love staying current with all "new" technology related information.

I don't hate Apple. I just gave up on waiting for anything worth buying after the 3GS and returning the iPhone 4 after a week.

But you miss the point. Market Share is very relevant in the market today.

If you don't have Market Share you start to loose vendors that make products for your devices and then the developer community follows.

Who would have thought that Samsung would be where it is today in 2009 when the iPhone was the phone to have and Blackberry (Rim) would be in the position of Apple in the early 90's.

Market Share matters regardless of what you want to believe.

If you like Apple Products right now then buy them while you can because times change.

Microsoft with the elephant share of the Enterprise PC and Home PC market doesn't have the volatility that the Smart Phone market does.

Just because you say you've owned Macs and iPhones etc.. doesn't make it so, so many members say they have but who knows except you, and I don't care for you to prove it.

With that said I agree with you to a degree on market share but I don't feel Apple will fall into the trap Nokia or BlackBerry did and if they did it would be their fault, I feel Microsoft are falling into this category of late.

They have innovated lately (Windows 8 is innovative but hasn't caught on) but no-one seems to be caring and as for the enterprise sector PC's are going downhill (which I don't like to see) and tablets are going to become more powerful so who knows in 5-10 years companies will be tablet and cloud based making Microsoft even more of a small player, their CEO and marketing dept need to go. All of this is my opinion of course and I don't expect anyone else to agree nor do I care.
 
I'm with most of you: Apple doesn't do cheap (or inexpensive, which is really what this means) and there's no real need to further fracture the product line.
 
.....Image.....Tung addressed the iPhone at a meeting of the company's shareholders, expressing his displeasure with reports referring to the lower-cost iPhone as "cheap" and noting that the "price is still high". Tung apparently believes that attaching the "cheap" description to the lower-cost iPhone gives the impression of a low-value feature phone rather than the full-featured smartphone it will actually be.

Article Link: Pegatron Chairman Says Lower-Cost iPhone Will Not Be Cheap

I still don't understand the need for this. We already have this as the iPhone 4 and 4S, and soon the iPhone 5 will be in this category once the 5S is released. Why waste resources designing an entirely new product when they already have older iPhones they sell for less with no additional costs to build.

I never understood the obsession with a lower-cost version of the iPhone. When the 5S comes out, the lower-cost versions will be the 5 and 4S. This has worked just fine in the past, I don't see why Apple would put much of an effort behind another product to fill the same gap.

I believe the 4 and 4S will be gone for good when the 5S is introduced, so there'll be the 5 at a lower contract price, and the 5S flagship model, both mostly geared towards the post-paid market segment, while the introduction of the lower cost iPhone will be geared towards the prepaid market, as well as emerging markets. This lower priced phone will have most of the functionality of the 5 and 5S, and will run iOS7, but will be manufactured with slightly less expensive components, and of course no (expensive) CNC'd shell. Their whole line-up will therefore have the 4" screens.

If this scenario unfolds, and the phones look anything at all, like in the article above, and the unsubsidized price for the entry-level model will stay at or below $450, I believe this thing will sell like hotcakes people. Think iPad Mini or better. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words.
 
But you miss the point. Market Share is very relevant in the market today.

If you don't have Market Share you start to loose vendors that make products for your devices and then the developer community follows

Ah, the church of marketshare :p

You do realize that Android's marketshare comes not from a single phone or a line of three consecutive phones from the same company, but from a legion of different phones, many of them from the lower and lowest end of the price and technology point?

You can get Android 2.3 phones for 50€ and Android 4.0 phones for 75€.

That's the price Apple is selling the iPod Shuffle for!
(And I expect you to rant about how it is totally overpriced)

That means two things:

1.These things will be bought by people who will never buy an accessory that is more specialized than a generic One-Size-Fits-All case.

If their car will ever have some kind of support for their Android smartphone, it will be integrated bluetooth hands-free talking, something that is not something new and certainly not something only limited to Android devices or support for audio via line-in, the low-tech approach.

2. These things will be so vastly different from each other, that there's no chance that there will ever be an advanced accessory that will be compatible for them all or even a number larger than 1.

You can't even get a good dock for Android devices, due to some of them having the USB-port at the bottom, some at the sides and some at the top.

And then there's also the increase in size every generation, stuff simply won't fit on a new device.

That has also been true for the Galaxy S series in the past, a dock you bought for an iPod in 2006 could still be used with the iPhone 4S in summer of 2012 - A dock for the Galaxy S can't be used for the S2 due to different size and iirc Samsung also changed the location of the USB port.


In the last few years we have seen a few periphals and accessories for the Galaxy S series, due to their relative success (It's funny how Samsung boasts 10 million sold GS4 in it's first month - while you were always be able to walk to a random store and pick one up. iPhones have to be preordered for 2 months after their release - and I doubt that Samsung is able to produce so many more of their devices than Apple/Foxconn) - but still not even remotely comparable to the number of Made for iPhone devices.



Apple is creating devices that are more or less compatible with each other, so accessories can be re-used (Hell, you can buy a case for an iPhone 5 now and will most likely be able to use it on an iPhone 5S!) and they are sold to people who are earning more money than the average Android user - more money to buy accessories, fancy cases and gadgets.


And my last point: Do you understand that there are case manufacturers which are NOW producing cases for the cheaper iPhone mentioned in this article?


When was the last time case manufacturers cared so much for an Android device at least three months before release?

And the situation with cases is exactly the same as with all other accessories - Apple is where the money is, makers of gadgets, cases and whatever else always go to the platform that promises the most money.

The game XCOM was released yesterday for iPhone and iPad, a port of the full PC/console game, price is 20$. Has entered the top 10 on bestselling paid apps and highest grossing apps in a whole load of countries.

It hasn't been announced for Android yet and do you see the slightest chance that this would have been released on Android first?

Where only a minority of the "marketshare" would be able to run it (while iPhone4S and iPad 2 and better run it) and quite a lot of people just don't like to pay for stuff.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.