Category Archives: iPhone Nano / Mini
Apple COO Tim Cook Drops Hints At Less Expensive iPhone for Emerging Markets
During an interview with Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook hinted at a new, cheaper iPhone on the horizon, writes Business Insider.
Photo: DeviantART
During the interview, Cook said that Apple isn’t ‘ceding any market’ and that he doesn’t want Apple to be a brand ‘just for the rich’.
Mentioning Apple’s recent
Apple Considering a Less Expensive iPhone Model, But iPhone Nano / Mini Is Not On Cards Right Now – NYTimes
Recently, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and CultofMac all weighed in from their different sources about iPhone nano / mini rumors which according to them would launch alongside the next iPhone in summer this year.
But The New York Times has dismissed all such rumors, according to them, Apple is considering a cheaper iPhone model to broaden its appeal, but a smaller iPhone model is not on the cards right now.
Apple has been exploring ways to broaden the appeal of the iPhone by making the popular device less expensive and allowing users to control it with voice commands.
But contrary to published reports, Apple is not currently developing a smaller iPhone, according to people briefed on Apple’s plans who requested anonymity because the plans are confidential.
Another person who is in direct contact with Apple also said that the company would not make a smaller iPhone at this time, in part because a smaller device would not necessarily be much cheaper to manufacture and because it would be more difficult to operate.
More important, a phone with a smaller screen would force many developers to rewrite their apps, which Apple wants to avoid, the person said.
The focus right now at Apple is to launch a new iPhone model in summer this year, which will be similar in size to the current iPhone 4 model:
No iPhone nano, says New York Times
The New York Times has cast a pall over the iPhone nano rumors by stating that Apple will not release such a device (despite the Wall Street Journal’s suggestion to the contrary). Referencing “people who have been briefed on Apple’s plans,” the NYT states that Apple is “not currently developing” a smaller phone. Instead, according to sources, Apple is working on the iPhone 4′s successor, which many expect to hit shelves this summer.
Sources also suggest that a smaller iPhone wouldn’t necessarily be cheaper to produce (and hence, sell), and adding yet another screen to the lineup wouldn’t be fair to developers, something we recently pointed out with the power of math.
Meanwhile, the same sources suggest that Apple’s MobileMe suite of services, which has failed to catch on at US$99, will become free and allow cable-free synchronization.”The goal is that your photos and other media content will eventually just sync across all your Apple devices without people having to do anything,” a source said. MobileMe could allow Apple to use less internal storage on iPhones, reducing one of the most costly components.
Analyst: iPhone mini could increase Apple’s market reach by 6X, revenue 2.5X
Analyst Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research predicts Apple could increase its addressable handset market by 6X in unit volume and 2.5X in revenue with the launch of a smaller, less expensive iPhone model, says Forbes. These projected numbers come from his analysis of handset market share and Apple’s current market reach. Sacconaghi suggests Apple misses 60% of the handset market with its current strategy that limits distribution to select carriers and sells the iPhone at a relatively high price point.
Sacconaghi predicts Apple could take two approaches with the cheap iPhone. In one scenario, Apple would produce the iPhone Mini, a scaled-down version of the iPhone that would offer a less robust Internet and App experience. The handset would be less data-intensive and would debut with a low-cost data plan that costs $15 or less per month.
The other option would be to sell an ‘iPhone touch,’ which would be an iPhone without a data plan. This hypothetical beastie would have all the capabilities of the iPod touch plus voice calling, but no cellular data. 3G connectivity would be available but optional, a scenario that would let users rely on WiFi for all their data needs. [It's not clear from the Forbes excerpt of the report if Sacconaghi is explicitly saying that hardware-wise, an 'iPhone touch' is identical to an iPhone -- Apple would need to include all the 3G radio chips, antenna and corresponding battery power to handle 3G data if it's a customer-selectable option. --Ed.]
Sacconaghi suggests that both of these handsets could debut with retail prices close to or less than $149. if Apple could capture even 5% of its missed market share with a cheap iPhone, the Cupertino company could see a minimum annual profit boost of $4.50 a share. [Another bit of confusion here; it’s not at all clear that Toni S. is considering the unsubsidized price of the current iPhone, which starts at $599 and goes up from there.
How we get from that price down to $149
Apple Working On 3 New iPhone 5 Prototypes, 1 With Slide-Out Physical Keyboard
We tend to take rumors from Taiwanese blogs with a pinch of salt here at Redmond Pie, but this one caught our eye courtesy of AppleInsider. The report, from tw.apple.pro claims that Apple is currently working on not one, not two, but three iPhone 5 prototypes. What’s more, it’s rumored that one of these handsets possesses a slide-out hardware keyboard.
Unfortunately, the original report has been run through a very rough translation, but another point raised is the existence of one prototype closely resembling the current iPhone 4 model. This would be akin to the iPhone 3G/3GS update where the exterior remains identical but the innards receive a slight upgrade with improved battery life, faster CPU and more RAM.
The reason this particular rumor
