• Apple Rumored to be Working on a Less-Expensive iPhone
    45 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Apple Inc. working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in its corporate strategyas its supremacy in smartphones has slipped. While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan has been progressing and a less expensive version of its flagship device could launch as soon as later this year, one of the people said. The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said. One possibility Apple has considered is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic; in contrast, the iPhone 5 currently has an aluminum housing. Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models. Apple could decide not to move forward with the device. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company declined to comment. The move towards multiple iPhone models is new territory for Apple. Under former Chief Executive Steve Jobs, Apple historically prided itself on prioritizing profits over scale and offered a relatively small number of products targeted at the high end. In more recent years—and especially since Tim Cook took the reins as CEO in August 2011—that has started to change. In October, Apple unveiled a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, to go alongside its bigger iPad tablets. Still, the company has sold only one main new iPhone model, with different storage capacities, at a time since launching the smartphone in 2007. Today the iPhone is Apple's chief revenue driver, with sales of iPhones and related products and services accounting for 48% of revenue in the quarter ended in September. Apple has been considering a less-expensive iPhone since at least 2009 to grab market share and hook people on the brand, said people familiar with the efforts. Before the launch of the iPhone 4 in mid-2010, the company developed designs for cheaper phones that were very similar to the latest iPhone but had a less expensive back and sides, one of the people said. Apple tabled the plan as some executives worried a second iPhone would complicate its manufacturing processes. The company decided to keep older iPhone models on sale for less, a strategy that didn't require designing new products. But Apple now faces greater pressure to make the iPhone more affordable. An onslaught of lower cost rivals powered by Google Inc.'s GOOG -0.20% Android operating system are gaining market share. In the 2012 third quarter, Apple held only 14.6% of worldwide smartphone shipments, down from a peak of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, according to IDC. Samsung Electronics Co.'s 005930.SE -1.32% share, meanwhile, rose from 8.8% to 31.3% from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2012. The Korean electronics maker on Tuesday said it capped its best year ever with another record quarterly profit, adding that it expects operating profit of $8.1 billion to $8.5 billion for the three months that ended in December. While the iPhone remains the top-selling smartphone in the U.S., Apple's share of the high-end cellphone market has been falling fast in China and remains low in other emerging markets. The iPhone 5 without a wireless contract starts at $649 in the U.S. on Apple.com, and can cost even more overseas. That's out of reach for many customers in countries where carriers don't help cover the cost of the phone and where Android phones with similar capabilities can cost less. In the U.S., the iPhone starts at $199 with a two-year wireless contract, while older models are available for $99 or for free with a two-year contract. Apple's stock has fallen 25% since it reached an all-time high of $702.10 in September as investors worry competitors are gaining ground. On Tuesday, Apple's shares closed 4 p.m. trading at $525.31. A less-expensive iPhone risks crimping the company's profit margins, which executives have been loath to sacrifice. Even small changes in margins often sway investors. Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said that a less expensive iPhone won't necessarily hurt Apple's overall profit margin if it attracts buyers who haven't bought iPhones before and not those who would have been willing to purchase the higher-end device.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324391104578230060513922882.html"]Source (Wall Street Journal)[/URL]
The iPhone mini.
or maybe they could just lower the markup price. oh wait that'd never happen
They should make an iPad Nano.
[QUOTE=AustinM;39147840]The iPhone mini.[/QUOTE] Coming soon: The iphone mini mega
But like, it says "Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models." So why not just, y'know, sell older phones!?
Same shit, different price.
lol okay apple are you going to chop off like 3-8 bucks and then sell it?
[QUOTE=Protocol7;39147913]But like, it says "Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models." So why not just, y'know, sell older phones!?[/QUOTE] Cheaper materials.
Now ninety nine cents cheaper!
[QUOTE=Protocol7;39147913]But like, it says "Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models." So why not just, y'know, sell older phones!?[/QUOTE] Selling last years tech is hard to advertise as[I] "new and revolutionary[/I] It'll just further damage the image Steve Jobs spend so many years on building up. Making a cheaper model is the less evil alternative, seen from Apple's PoV
Old rebranded iPhone 1's, 2's and 3's would be my guess.
[QUOTE=Van-man;39147977]Selling last years tech is hard to advertise as[I] "new and revolutionary[/I] It'll just further damage the image Steve Jobs spend so many years on building up. Making a cheaper model is the less evil alternative, seen from Apple's PoV[/QUOTE] Tim Cook is really dropping the ball as CEO. Jobs is probably rolling in his grave so much that it could be used for sustainable power for the entire world by now
[QUOTE=Protocol7;39148012]Jobs is probably rolling in his grave so much that it could be used for sustainable power for the entire world by now[/QUOTE] English teachers have already been powering the world for a decade now.
Then it breaks after two days.
[QUOTE=Noth;39148024]English teachers have already been powering the world for a decade now.[/QUOTE] I went to school in the US, grammar is definitely not my strong point :v:
How can they make a lower end iPhone? The hardware is basically dirt cheap already, and if they're thinking of putting even weaker hardware in there in order to keep their massive markup, that's just fucking stupid.
[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;39148122]How can they make a lower end iPhone? The hardware is basically dirt cheap already, and if they're thinking of putting even weaker hardware in there in order to keep their massive markup, that's just fucking stupid.[/QUOTE] Buyout a Chinese knock-off company, tell them to recreate the iPhone?
Just sand the logo off the back and call it a day. No engineering required.
[QUOTE=TestECull;39148771]Just sand the logo off the back and call it a day. No engineering required.[/QUOTE] I mean it's not like every other manufacturer ever puts their logo on their phones either
If its something like the iPhone 3GS with a few touches and tweaks here and there, it could be good competition for the less expensive market
[QUOTE=ZombieWaffle;39147860]They should make an iPad Nano.[/QUOTE] Aka iPod Touchpad
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;39150057]If its something like the iPhone 3GS with a few touches and tweaks here and there, it could be good competition for the less expensive market[/QUOTE] I hope that it would be easy to repair like the 3GS/3G.
[QUOTE=frankie penis;39147859]or maybe they could just lower the markup price. oh wait that'd never happen[/QUOTE] why would they want to do that if it sells well
[QUOTE=Ezhik;39151632]why would they want to do that if it sells well[/QUOTE] Let's view things from a consumers PoV.
if iphones are so popular people are fine with that price
The iphone 4 and 4s? These are still great phones and lot less expensive than the iphone 5.
[QUOTE=frankie penis;39147859]or maybe they could just lower the markup price. oh wait that'd never happen[/QUOTE]They probably won't until they don't sell as well :suicide:
Cheaper for Apple maybe.
[QUOTE=Protocol7;39149073]I mean it's not like every other manufacturer ever puts their logo on their phones either[/QUOTE] I mean it's not like that apple with a bite took of it is worth much more than all other manufacturer logos.
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