i loved my 3gs, and still prefer the design and feel of them in my hand to the 4 or 5. i only upgraded because i saw the retina screen. i'd love a 4s/5 in a 3gs body so assuming the plastic phone is a good spec i'll be first in line!
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What if plastic iPhone is the lone iPhone release?
- Thread starter SoIsays
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i loved my 3gs, and still prefer the design and feel of them in my hand to the 4 or 5. i only upgraded because i saw the retina screen. i'd love a 4s/5 in a 3gs body so assuming the plastic phone is a good spec i'll be first in line!
I don't even foresee a cheaper version let alone it be the flagship.
Lets look at the 5 vs some of the competition.
4" screen
Comparatively low PPI
Camera MP lower (if that means anything)
Not as much RAM
No NFC
No barometer and other sensors
Mono only speaker
No expansion slots
Etc
What is the cheaper version going to feature? Tin can and a string? It surprises me that Apples profit margin + aluminum case has convinced people there needs to be a cheaper version of it.
I feel now is the time that Apple needs to knock it out of the park. No one gets excited for "cheap" product releases, that's why you never hear about the junky Android phones. You guys really think Apples "come back, in your face Android and Windows phone" is going to be an iPhone 4S in a plastic case?
Want a cheaper version of the 5S when it comes out? Its called the 5....its pretty nice and less expensive....
Lets look at the 5 vs some of the competition.
4" screen
Comparatively low PPI
Camera MP lower (if that means anything)
Not as much RAM
No NFC
No barometer and other sensors
Mono only speaker
No expansion slots
Etc
What is the cheaper version going to feature? Tin can and a string? It surprises me that Apples profit margin + aluminum case has convinced people there needs to be a cheaper version of it.
I feel now is the time that Apple needs to knock it out of the park. No one gets excited for "cheap" product releases, that's why you never hear about the junky Android phones. You guys really think Apples "come back, in your face Android and Windows phone" is going to be an iPhone 4S in a plastic case?
Want a cheaper version of the 5S when it comes out? Its called the 5....its pretty nice and less expensive....
Apple is no longer the unchallenged phone maker. They are having to compete just like all the others. They enjoy a great lead against Android but must adapt to todays market. The economy sucks and a cheaper ticket to iOS phones would not hurt Apple.
Lucy
The PPI is quite favorable when you consider that lots of Android makers, including Samsung, use Pentile displays whose effective PPI is a lot lower than the stated PPI. Megapixels don't mean anything anymore. The iPhone camera isn't the best (Nokia PureView models are), but they are in the top tier. NFC is mostly gimmicky at this point (and not yet secure enough for prime time). Apple is pretty good at putting in the features that people actually need and leaving out what most people don't miss if they don't have. That's true pretty much across their product line.
That said, the "cheaper" iPhone is probably more important to its growth prospects. It might supplant the iPhone 4 or 4S as the "free" phone in 2014 in developed markets, but where it is really more important is in emerging markets like China and India where subsidies are uncommon, but the market is booming. Samsung pretty much owns that market now (having taken the crown from Nokia). Apple doesn't need to be #1 in those markets, but they need to have a serious offering that people there can afford without a carrier subsidy. A "cheaper" iPhone can feature a 4" Retina display, perhaps with an A5 processor. The iPad Mini is getting virtually all of iOS 7's new features. There's no reason a less expensive iPhone model couldn't, either. In the US and Europe, the 5S would still likely be the preferred model because subsidies are more common.
I really like the design of the 5 and hope to get the very similar, but more powerful 5s. I do agree with the other posters who say that a "cheaper" iPhone would help with emerging markets.
I agree with a lot of your post but not all. To me and my eyes certain HTC and Samsung phones with higher PPI clearly look better. My Nexus 10 (now sold) screen looked better then my iPad 3.
And NFC. How many places need to adopt this before its not a gimmick? McDonalds, Foot Locker, GAP, CVS, plenty of gas stations, Best Buy, Walkgreens, 7-11, WaWa, Home Depot, Lowes, Old Navy, the soda machine at my work...
Along with PLENTY of other places as those are just off the top of my head accept NFC.
Its already more secure then a credit card and MILLIONS of people use those.
I can tell when Apple starts using it though people will think those places never had it till then.
Apple doesn't compete by innovating, it competes by copying and suing others.
Most Apple loyalists will never want a cheaper iPhone because the mere thought of a more affordable revision makes the company lose its perceived cachet of "high quality".
While I agree regarding pixel count, PureView isn't the top of the game, that title belongs to larger physical pixels. Only the HTC One has that right now.
That's because America lags behind other nations by at least 2+ years in consumer technology adoption.
Apple is pretty good at putting in the features that Apple thinks people actually need and leaving out what Apple thinks most people don't miss if they don't have.
Too easy.
Meh, that flimsy Kevlar is just for looks. While I agree it looks and feels nice its more show then anything else.
Actually, that was Samsung who has a large judgment against them.
Which is why Apple never came out with a $49 iPod. Oh, wait a minute.
Which is why Facebook, Twitter, and Dropbox were all designed by Europeans. Oh, wait a minute.
They sell a lot and make more profits in mobile than everyone else combined, so they are pretty good at it.
Too easy.
Does Apple really make "cheap" products though?
Generally there cheaper products are previous versions of expensive products or new products entirely.
An iPod shuffle isn't really a cheap iPod touch. An iPad Mini isn't full size. An iPad 2 (w/o retina) came out as an expensive product prior the the now expensive iPad w/ retina. Same with the Mac books.
A lot of these products function similar but are either in different categories or are previous generations.
I'm willing to eat my words but I feel the iPhone is as about as cheap as it can be. Sure it has a nice case but other then that its mostly profit margins you are buying and iOS (that's assuming you like/want iOS). I don't see Apple intentionally fragmenting iOS with lesser CPU/GPU and other hardware.
Generally there cheaper products are previous versions of expensive products or new products entirely.
An iPod shuffle isn't really a cheap iPod touch. An iPad Mini isn't full size. An iPad 2 (w/o retina) came out as an expensive product prior the the now expensive iPad w/ retina. Same with the Mac books.
A lot of these products function similar but are either in different categories or are previous generations.
I'm willing to eat my words but I feel the iPhone is as about as cheap as it can be. Sure it has a nice case but other then that its mostly profit margins you are buying and iOS (that's assuming you like/want iOS). I don't see Apple intentionally fragmenting iOS with lesser CPU/GPU and other hardware.
The low cost iPhone needs to happen so Apple can finally end the 3.5" 4/4S screen. I see the 5S being the flagship, the 5 being the mid level, and the plastic being the bottom end, getting older internals most likely to keep cost down.
Think about it, if Apple can eliminate the 4/4S size, then thats 1 whole additional line of product that isn't needed to be kept around. That can start saving a whole lot of jack in storage, manufacturing, service, etc. This is the year they start that transition. Plus, for developers, that would be a weight off their shoulders, having to scale images for a 3.5" non retina display, 3.5" retina display, and a 4" retina display, all to support one app.
Think about it, if Apple can eliminate the 4/4S size, then thats 1 whole additional line of product that isn't needed to be kept around. That can start saving a whole lot of jack in storage, manufacturing, service, etc. This is the year they start that transition. Plus, for developers, that would be a weight off their shoulders, having to scale images for a 3.5" non retina display, 3.5" retina display, and a 4" retina display, all to support one app.
i don't speak myself when i say many of us don't care much about the 5S if it's the same of iPhone 5 but with IOS 7 and random features most of us can live without.
all eyes on iPhone 6 or anything NEW and Different including the plastic iPhone...
all eyes on iPhone 6 or anything NEW and Different including the plastic iPhone...
I think this is unlikely, given that there are photos floating around showing a modified iPhone 5 aluminum body with dual LED flash for the camera, and spy shots of the new system board. I am fairly certain that there will be a 5S to coincide with the iOS 7 launch.
The plastic phone in colors will probably get more headlines though.
Apple is the victim, not the aggressor. Oh, wait a minute.
Which is still more expensive than other rivals. Fail.
Facebook and Twitter are not examples of consumer technology. Dropbox, hah, you can do the exact same thing with bog-standard FTP and a web host, it just comes with a pretty UI.
Taking a page from Tony Swash, I see. Make more profits because 1) Apple customers will pay more for less and 2) they never feel they're getting ripped off.
Too easy.
Neither Apple nor Samsung are victims or aggressors. Both are technology companies fighting over IT. It happens all the time. But Apple has the only monetary award so far.
The "cheap" iPhone is likely to be more expensive than its Android competition. As for the $49 iPod, $49 is pretty cheap even if there are "competitive" devices at $39 or $29. Software is consumer technology just as much as hardware. If you don't accept Facebook or Twtter, surely you must accept iOS and Android, as well as Google's other services. So we are a little slower to adopt vending machines that accept mobile payments. We have been the fastest developed economy to adopt LTE on a wide scale. The UK just got started this year.
As for profits, Samsung is more profitable than HTC even though the One has gotten better reviews. The purpose of companies is to make profits. In mobile it appears that there are two companies that "get it."
Too easy.
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They shouldn't release a cheap iPhone but they should release a more affordable iPhone. Lots of markets, particularly where the growth will be, don't have subsidized phone contracts. A $329 phone for those markets would be a good idea.
Anyone need to be reminded that the 3GS was plastic so these materials in an iPhone is not new.
However a two tier iPhone strategy does allow Apple to be more ambitious with their flagship iPhones in the future.
However a two tier iPhone strategy does allow Apple to be more ambitious with their flagship iPhones in the future.
If thats going to happen then I am personally going to fly over to Cupertino and throw rotten tomatoes at Ive and Cook.
Then again I don't really care because I am not going to upgrade for another 2 years anyway.
Then again I don't really care because I am not going to upgrade for another 2 years anyway.
Imagine if Apple made a metal iPhone and then the very next year ditched it for a plastic one.
I know, right? Never gonna happen
And they'd never make a metal Mac Pro then ditch it for a plastic one. Unheard of!
I think the iPhone 5S with a cheaper casing will be the only iPhone this fall.
It simply replaces the 4/4S because of its dock connector.
It will enable Apple to improve on margins because of the mass market effect.
There's not much new hardware available to justify a new "expensive" design.
The new CPU and GPU combos still need to be developed (by Apple) and the sensor additions will come when the infrastructure is ready.
NFC is a gimmick at best, fingerprint sensors aren't that useful too.
If you need a better camera, switch the brand.
Apple had to deal with lots of exchanged phones because IP5 was marketed as the "best design ever". Lots of people who could not really spend that much money on a phone where disappointed that it couldn't fly and shoot lasers.
Apple has looked at the high frequency of cheap releases of all competitors and WILL market the cheap iPhone as the most affordable model.
The highend stuff will be sold at premium prices next year.
Believe me, you will be disappointed.
The iPhone5 is not that old. No time to develop something different with regards to design.
They still need to do the wristband that everyone thinks is a watch.
(Which it will not be, because it would be stupid to market this device as a watch)
It simply replaces the 4/4S because of its dock connector.
It will enable Apple to improve on margins because of the mass market effect.
There's not much new hardware available to justify a new "expensive" design.
The new CPU and GPU combos still need to be developed (by Apple) and the sensor additions will come when the infrastructure is ready.
NFC is a gimmick at best, fingerprint sensors aren't that useful too.
If you need a better camera, switch the brand.
Apple had to deal with lots of exchanged phones because IP5 was marketed as the "best design ever". Lots of people who could not really spend that much money on a phone where disappointed that it couldn't fly and shoot lasers.
Apple has looked at the high frequency of cheap releases of all competitors and WILL market the cheap iPhone as the most affordable model.
The highend stuff will be sold at premium prices next year.
Believe me, you will be disappointed.
The iPhone5 is not that old. No time to develop something different with regards to design.
They still need to do the wristband that everyone thinks is a watch.
(Which it will not be, because it would be stupid to market this device as a watch)
So you buy your phones based solely on the material the body is made of? Really?
