Xiaomi Mi2 looks basically the same and sells pretty well.
Press shot of Apple iPhone 5C (budget model) leaks
- Thread starter Kiraly
- Start date
- Status
Xiaomi Mi2 looks basically the same and sells pretty well.
And it'll be a long time before that happens again, from apple or anyone else.
The only cellphone release that was even somewhat comparable was the hype surrounding the GS3 last year.
iPhone 4 and 4S sell very well, but a great number of those units are in America where they're being heavily subsidized. They also do well in off-contract markets in China and India in no small part because Apple is offering specially-targeted pricing incentives there - rebates, installment plans. But they don't do as well as they could in these markets because the iPhone 4 in 2013 is quite simply a poor product, dated and sluggish relative to other phones you could buy off-contract at the same price (and the iPhone 4 is a relatively expensive phone in these markets!). The iPhone 5C changes that.
They do make money on 30-pin, but it's legacy tech that Apple's trying to drop as fact as they can. Selling it is problematic for a number of reasons:
1) The longer accessories keep being made for 30-pin, the longer older devices stay relevant, and the longer customers can go without upgrading to a new model.
2) Accessory manufacturers will target the 30-pin connector over the Lightning connector because the Lightning customer base is smaller, and the sooner all products move to Lightning, the faster the market for Lightning accessories will grow, and more Lightning accessories makes newer phone models more attractive.
At present they only sell four products with it, and all of them are older products that you can bet your ass are all going away this year (with the single possible exception of the iPod classic, and if they can get a 128GB touch out even that might go out the window). The only reason they still sell those products is because
1) They sell the iPhone 4 and 4S because they don't have anything else to sell in their place, and the iPhone 5C will solve this problem.
2) They sell the iPad 2 because, for whatever reason, the iPad 2 keeps selling. Gruber speculated they kept it around after the iPad mini came out to determine if people are buying it just because it's the cheapest iPad, or the cheapest full-size iPad. In any case, it will undoubtedly be killed off by the end of the year and all iPads will also be on Lightning.
3) They sell the iPod classic because it fills a niche no other iPod currently does (tons of capacity), they don't have any other product to replace it, and it keeps selling, but it doesn't sell so much that keeping it on 30-pin significantly impacts their business and it would be more effort than it's worth to redesign it to use the Lightning connector.
Shit, the 4th gen iPad was rushed out the door in no small part to get the full-size iPad to use the Lightning connector (the A6X chip was a bonus due to dissatisfaction with the performance of the A5X). The 3rd gen iPad was selling just fine, by your logic they would've kept it around the full year because from a pure financial standpoint, there was no reason to replace it. But they didn't.
What I'm saying is the pricing isn't changing (or at least not as significantly as people speculate - $400 I could see, but no less than that). What is changing is that you get a much better product for that price than you would if they continued their model of selling older iPhones. They're making it more appealing to the low-end by making it a better phone, not a lower-cost phone.
Under your above rationale, it behooves Apple to switch to a new connector constantly because it encourages people to upgrade. But I don't think it really encourages upgrades. Buying a Lightning device today does not encourage me to upgrade to a newer device any faster than buying a 30-pin device today.
If you see that it could be $400 and that it is designed to compete with other low-priced phones, than you're right in line with what many people are saying. It is not taking the place of the 4S as an afterthought, it is directly targeting that market.
DeathGlobe
Member
I am not sure where to ask this but what are the odds of a new macbook air announcement?
0% if anything people are expecting a new MacBook Pro retina.
DeathGlobe
Member
Alright I'll go ahead and get one lol
they just released new macbook airs. its the pros that people are waiting for. and it wont be revealed at an iphone event
Ether_Snake
å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®
Still happy with my 3GS!
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
lol $500?! Apple gonna App
H_Prestige
Banned
Yep, this is basically the parallel that I'm expecting. Cheaper (but not "cheap") with weaker specs and different materials, but still roughly equally functional
killertofu
Member
I guess the big story here is matching iOS7 wallpapers!
They remind me of Windows phone now.
ew
Yeah. And that being said, that's the most flattering picture of them I've seen yet.
layzie1989
Member
GAhhhh no white front at all? Makes me sad...
Horse Detective
Why the long case?
I guess the big story here is matching iOS7 wallpapers!
They remind me of Windows phone now.
Ew, oh wow
such repulse
will throw up now
I guess the big story here is matching iOS7 wallpapers!
They remind me of Windows phone now.
Unlike the other leaks of just case backs, this looks fake to me. the hideous colours of the wallpapers and the black front faces instead of white faces (like the ipod touches with colour backs).
something’s wrong here.
IdreamofHIME
Member
I dont understand the point of making a cheap phone that costs half a thousand dollars. I know it will still sell, but the thinking behind it is madness.
It's like
"Hey, let's make a new phone that's about $100 cheaper"
"whaaaaah? think of the profits we'll miss out on! Better make it out of dog shit, toilet paper and used chewing gum as adhesive."
It's like
"Hey, let's make a new phone that's about $100 cheaper"
"whaaaaah? think of the profits we'll miss out on! Better make it out of dog shit, toilet paper and used chewing gum as adhesive."
Ninja Scooter
Member
When all the rumors were firing up about a "cheaper iPhone", I think people didn't realize it probably meant "cheaper for Apple", not "cheaper for the consumer".
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
All it's really about is making it so everyone has the tall screen and Lightning port. People are overthinking this.
fizzelopeguss
Banned
feature parity with the flagship but made out of shittier materials.
Ar you saying there will be the same amount of discussion about this as they do with the 4/3GS when they moved into the free on contract bracket (barely any mention)? I think you are underthinking how much they will emphasize and market this model.
ryutaro's mama
Member
Yuck.
I wonder if the next generation iPod Touch will follow a similar road.
If so, it may be time to pull the trigger before the current stock runs out.
Ninja Scooter
Member
That's the other thing. The cheap option for the iPhone was always buying an older model and those still sold by the boatloads. With the 5C, now Apple can give those consumers the perception that this is a NEW product, not just last year's model. I think that will spur sales even further.
I am shocked this got past their packaging design team. The icon set look horrible with the colored background. The black front looks meh.
Is it me or the colors they picked off?
I can only guess the background is there to illustrate the color, since the back of the phone is not seen. Packaging looks cheap as well. I think this is their first iPhone big MISS. Who am I to say though?
Clearly aimed at teens and the iPod touch demographic.
If this is real, it is a really smart move.
The iPhone 5 is already kimda a unibody design.
Lol this thing is gonna be huge for Tweens and teens. Can't wait for the initial sale numbers.
I hope they announce the next gen iPod touch at the iPhone event, the one now is going to be very outdated when iOS 7 hits :/
This isn't for me, but I'm sure as hell not writing it off.
The last time I did that was when they announced the iPod mini. "Who the hell wants to buy an iPod with a pissy little 4GB HDD for just $50 less and not that much smaller than a 15GB full iPod? Just because it comes in a pink case?"
Turns out it was LOTS OF PEOPLE.
People are seeing cheap plastic here, all I'm seeing are pink iPhones.
The last time I did that was when they announced the iPod mini. "Who the hell wants to buy an iPod with a pissy little 4GB HDD for just $50 less and not that much smaller than a 15GB full iPod? Just because it comes in a pink case?"
Turns out it was LOTS OF PEOPLE.
People are seeing cheap plastic here, all I'm seeing are pink iPhones.
A photoshop with so many phones in different angles and distance from the camera is almost impossible. This has to be real.
jts
...hate me...
iPhone 3 had plastic, don't see the issue.
Well, because at this point it would be considered a step backwards.
Still the most comfortable iPhone in the hand.iPhone 3 had plastic, don't see the issue.
iPhone 3 had plastic, don't see the issue.
The iPhone was ugly up until the iPhone 4.
iPhone 3 had plastic, don't see the issue.
You're in a pre-release iPhone thread. Everyone's gonna hate it till they see it in person, then it'll be that best thing ever.
- Status