Comments on: Analyst expects Apple to offer $200 unsubsidized iPhone model in 2013

By: ApplePi

ApplePi — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:31:44 +0000

@jmmx: Yep. Keeps costs down for US companies. Call-centres, manufacturing…

In these other countries, coverage will generally only be great in cities, where it’s inexpensive to have a tower service a lot of people.

In the US, people demand coverage everywhere, so when they take road trips, their data doesn’t cut out… so high population areas subsidize low population areas…. averaging out the costs but costing more on average.

By: jmmx

jmmx — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:59:33 +0000

I would guess also that the much lower labor costs in developing countries help keep costs down.

By: MacFreek

MacFreek — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 07:36:55 +0000

Just $200. The bloodbath continues, Apple reigns victorious.

By: kingmel

kingmel — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 02:39:48 +0000

Yeah, and this analyst is Eddie, I mean, Gene Munster, to boot. Make no mistake, Apple will respond to market pricing pressures, as necessary, to maintain iPhone momentum. And a lower cost, pre-paid version makes a lot of sense. But you have to take Gene with a shaker of salt.

By: Orange

Orange — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:19:21 +0000

“takes in” = “raked in”

By: Orange

Orange — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:18:09 +0000

“That’s why plans in most of the world are much cheaper than in America”

Not entirely true.

Mobile operators in the rest of the world actually have to compete. Unlike the oligopoly in the US.

And they dont nearly make as much in profits compared to the obscene amounts takes in by US operators.

By: Predrag

Predrag — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 22:46:07 +0000

Indeed, Thailand is fairly developed, compared to some other countries where the case is still the same. People by $150 Androids and put them on limited data plans, where they get plenty of data throughput for rather little money.

Unlike America, which is a vast land with a fairly sparse population density, carriers in the developing world work with much smaller total area that needs coverage, making investment in towers not nearly as challenging as in America (and getting much faster return on that investment). That’s why plans in most of the world are much cheaper than in America, and why most of the world can easily affort smartphone data plans. And that is precisely why Android is following in Nokia’s footsteps (selling ultra-cheap, crappy phones to developing world at razor-thin margins). No wonder they claim largest market share…

By: Ralph from berlin

Ralph from berlin — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 22:26:44 +0000

BS. You have no idea what you are talking about. Most people that buy smartphones in emerging markets use it with data. Mostly prepaid packages like a certain amount of hours. And it comes cheap. For instance 7 bucks for 70 hours of 3g data in thailand. Just because you americans pay insane amounts of money for data doesn’t make it true in the rest of the world.

By: Federico

Federico — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 21:38:49 +0000

In the emerging markets, anyone who buys a cheap smartphone, is not actually using data. They just cannot afford it. The so-called smartphone they bought is nothing more than a feature phone. It s dumbed out phone and only shyster WS would label them as smartphones.

By: Raymond

Raymond — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:48:58 +0000

Apple is earning enough , eating 75% of the market profit .

By: thethirdshoe

thethirdshoe — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:36:54 +0000

Just because an Analyst dreams something, does not make it so.

Not happening.

By: breeze

breeze — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:52:42 +0000

It will be curtains for the telcos at that point.