New Qualcomm LTE chipset could bring truly global iPhone with support for China Mobile - Page 2

Originally Posted by SolipsismX 
It's possible but at some point the cost of maintaining a completely separate build that uses older tech can start to become more costly that it just doesn't make sense to continue production. 

But this won't be separate, and it will still have been in production otherwise anyway.

Originally Posted by SolipsismX 
You lost me. Are you talking about the iPhone 4?

Sorry, 4S! My rebuttal to his iPhone 4 proposal was to state the same but about the 4S.

My proposal was that since this year we'll ("probably") see the iPhone 4S, 5, and 5S as Apple's phone lineup in the current prices, why not change the off-contract price of the iPhone 4S to $299 (same price, $0, on-contract) to shut up the people talking about the "cheaper" iPhone. The iPhone 4S could even be sold at (the) $299 (equivalent) only in the countries that Apple deems necessary.

Drop the iPhone 4 from production entirely and end its cycle.

If Apple uses this chipset it would make the iPhone compatible with pretty much every carrier in the world. It would hopefully spark increased competition between the carriers as even small regional carriers would be on equal compatibility footing with the big players.

In Canada the iPhone is supported by the "big three", their subsidiaries and Virgin. Pricing and features are nearly identical across the board and most promotional plans exclude the iPhone.

Mobilicity, Wind and others have much lower prices and unlimited data, but you can't use an iPhone on their networks.

We have quite a few Android users in this office. Some are geeks who like the freedom of Android, some (mostly Asian women) like the big screens and some are on Android only because they can't use an iPhone on their preferred carrier.

I personally want an iPhone with a larger screen that isn't going to cost me >$2500 over the course of a 3-year contract. 2013 might be the year I finally get what I've been waiting for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

Sorry, 4S! My rebuttal to his iPhone 4 proposal was to state the same but about the 4S.

 

My proposal was that since this year we'll ("probably") see the iPhone 4S, 5, and 5S as Apple's phone lineup in the current prices, why not change the off-contract price of the iPhone 4S to $299 (same price, $0, on-contract) to shut up the people talking about the "cheaper" iPhone. The iPhone 4S could even be sold at (the) $299 (equivalent) only in the countries that Apple deems necessary.

 

Drop the iPhone 4 from production entirely and end its cycle.

I'd wager that it actually costs Apple more to make a 4S than it does to make a 5, but the 5 is saddled with amortizing design costs that the 4S has already paid off. Stick the basic guts of the 4S into the iPhone 5 body, use the less expensive iPod touch 5 camera and not only do you reduce production costs you kill the 30-pin connector at the same time, something I'm sure Apple is eager to do.

I wouldn't be surprised to see an all 4" aluminum cased, Lightning connected lineup when the 5S debuts.