“Could this be another sign that Apple is preparing to launch a more affordable iteration of its world-changing iPhone handset?” Chris Smith asks for Tech Radar.
“[This] is a purported plastic rear casing for a device which, speculation suggests, Apple could reveal in September or October,” Smith reports. “The leak comes from Chinese blogger 7mob, who SlashGear reports, is renowned for his connections to ‘factory sources’ in the country.”
Smith reports, “The device is expected to target emerging markets rather than the US and Europe, opening up iOS and the App Store to those who may not have been able to afford an iPhone for the first time.”
Read more in the full article here.
No Hello Kitty version, No sale!
I predict it will have the name of another apple variety. My guess:
The Crab Apple. 😉
What the Hell are you 2 rambling on about what have cats got to do with iOS.
Titi wot?!!!! Moi???!!! Mon due!!! Cordon blar!!!! Horse d’ vors!!!!!
How dare you sir! suggest that my name be used in a product?! Am I not product enough already???
Yours Sincerely
Crabapple
Apologies. No lawsuit required! I relent sir!
Why is a “modern” photo blurry?
It spent a long time in the hold of a rusty freighter, exposed to extreme temperatures and Sumatran rats, slowly degrading from its proximity to other smuggled goods including leaking isotope canisters and toxic mould samples. Either that or a kid fired up photoshop for laughs
Because Bigfoot couldn’t hold the camera steady.
Probably taken with a Samsung phone.
So, Apple is into obscuring their own logo now?
I think not.
Hey MDN. The video doesn’t play on an iPad. Probably Flash involved. This article is completely unbelievable. I doubt if Apple would ever use a flesh color, and there’s just a plastic cover over the phone…like dance dance said….covering the logo? To whoever is making the cover: you better go back and re-think your cover.
If the iPad won’t play the video, check your “Settings”. The BS detector is probably set to “Annihilate”.
1st gen iPad here in hands. The video played flawlessly. I have (2) words for ya ….. User……..Error.
Fake. There will be no cheap iPhone. Apple doesn’t do cheap.
Maybe they don’t do cheap, but they may have to do inexpensive if they expect to sell a large quantity of iPhones in China. I would really like to see Apple’s share price somewhat above $400 sometime this year and I’m sure so would Timid Cook.
🙂 L_Boy48: Your dreams will come true. 🙂
Cheap. Inexpensive. It’s just semantics. And Apple isn’t too good to make them Scottr. They’re coming. By the millions.
I hope that this will help Apple’s bottom line also LB48. I think it will. I believe the margins will be good on these phones. It would be nice if they could roll these phones into China Mobile. But India may be just as big a market as China eventually. And with less political and economic concerns.
The last time Apple did cheap, that being the lower percent profit iPad Mini, the Wall Street wolves had a howling match.
Where exactly is the logic of Apple putting out a cut rate, low profit POS phone to compete with the rats and weevils? That’s not Apple. And the Wall Street wolves, despite all the hype Hype HYPE!, would rip on Apple for attempting to compete in the crap-on-toast market.
IOW: Total BS rumors. Then again, I never saw the point of the iPad Mini, so don’t quote me. 😉
Do it.
They look like the proposed iPhone 6 (or 5S) back. The low cost iPhone, I suppose, will have polycarbonate back. 🙂
Can any developer out there shed some light on this? I assume dev build of iOS7 contains some sort of plist files indicate new iPhone models…
This was the silliest piece of fluff ever to waste bandwidth on the internet.
But apparently you read it anyway. Just saying.
Seems like this would go without saying, but it’s difficult to judge it without reading it.
The headline is not indicative of the actual piece. Surprise! I am interested in rumors that seem substantial, part of my investment parameters, don’tcha know. I did keep watching, looking for the pony, but alas, nothing but horse shit.
A smart move. When the new iPhone is released they discounted the older model, expensive fancy CNC milled aluminum and all. WTF? It took them long enough, but they finally got smart. The discount model should always be discounted for a VALID reason. The ate it and cannibalized themselves senseless with outgoing model.
So if the iPhone 5 now carries a plastic body we all win. People get a great phone and Apple higher margins. If you do not like plastic bodied iPhone, well there is always the iPhone 5S
The value phone will not be released in first world countries, if it exists.
Dunno? Maybe? But I think it will be sold over here in the good old USA. It’s not going to be a $99 phone. Better to make a profit from someone buying your product if they can’t afford your more expensive product. Lost sales are lost profits. Apple doesn’t mind selling you a Mac mini an iMac or a Mac Pro. Same goes for the Mac Book Pro retina, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. They will take your money for any of these. Gladly. It’s just more revenue.
It will most definitely be sold here. With so many defects and returns with this current aluminum body (in the millions according to reports) there is no way they will still sell it at a discount as they have previous models. A plastic iPhone is now the norm for the previous version. No more premium bodies for the discounted version.
What reports?
here is one from this site
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/04/22/apple-returns-5-8-million-defective-iphones-to-foxconn/
..and that is not including all the folks who returned them multiple times because of minor scratches on arrival. This aluminum body was a disaster from the get go and a mistake. They would be nuts to then continue making them and sell them as the cheap phone. If they did they rumors pointing tho their demise would be true.
Smart move, but stupid article and video. Guy talks that aluminium has to get a boot if Apple would want cost-effective device — which is nonsensical as even the cheapest iPods are done of aluminium.
(after seeing the video)
In other words, they have no idea.
Apple “might” also be coming out with a Bondi blue flux capacitor!
Who told you? That was supposed to be a surprise! Damn! Now everybody knows!
hmmm its shape is similar to the original iphone wich i love it!!!
I don’t care if it is made of plastic, glass or metal… as long as it comes in black or white
china china china.
Sell cheap crap in china. gotta have that cheap crap china market. gotta sell cheap crap in china.
Let the desperate companies bother with China’s cheapness. Let them split up the cheap crap China profit margin. Apple has better things to do and make.
Regardless of the source of those photos, the colors are insanely hideous.
Would a low cost iPhone even be a fullscreen touchscreen? If they’re going to make it lower priced than buying an older model currently is then you would think it would have to be of lower spec which seems like it would rule out running the latert iOS and destroy the market for old phones. Maybe they’ll launch a really well done feature phone.
Apple’s brand position is a premium one – not a bottom market brand.
IF Apple does do a ‘cheap’ iPhone then it better be very high quality otherwise its going to destroy Apple’s international brand value.
Apple are not Samsung – leave the low end of the market to them where they belong.
No.
They need a cheaper/reasonably priced (which ever the picky mob prefer) iPhone in Europe if they want to to keep, let alone build market share. Can someone please pull their finger out before they blow it.
You know nothing about brand value.
I make my living from branding large corporations.
All because a market exists doesn’t mean that a brand has to enter it.
Apple is a quality, premium brand and has always been that. The Apple brand represents innovation, simplicity. In their Cupertino office they have a sign that reads “simplify, simplify, simplify”.
Just those words alone show you exactly what they’re about – simplification.
As Leonardo de Vinci said ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” and sophistication represents quality.
Apple does not enter markets at the bottom level, if they do expect it to be an extremely high quality product that is made better, designed better and works better than all the other low end dross.
Unless they provide this their brand value will go through the floor and this will negatively effect their premium brand position which will reduce sales of their top end/pro product lines which could cost them billions.
First of all, plastic does not equal cheap. It’s about purpose and execution. Quality does not equal material or vice versa. There is no good material or bad material just purpose. Just as there is no bad tool or good tool, it’s about purpose.
Now, plastic to look like chrome, or wood grain, or stone, that’s cheap and tacky. Plastic that follows form and function and is true to itself, that’s smart.
Article remains unread. Standard answer is provided.
Apple already got a cheaper iPhone in iPhone 4S and an even cheaper iPhone in iPhone 4.