Yeah, it's not like Apple sold a couple hundred million 5 and 5S iPhones for $600. /s
Apple would know better than anyone what the market for 4" iPhones would be. When the 6 launched, they would know how many people still purchased the 5S. And with customer feedback they'd know the type of customer that wanted a 4" iPhone and the specific reasons they purchased one (taking out the $100 lower price, which would be the deciding factor for some).
The A9 and 2GB seems like a given, to ensure this new iPhone would be able to run the latest Apps for years to come. However, I'd expect that to save battery power the A9 might come in clocked a little slower than the 6S. With the lower res screen even a lower clocked A9 would still provide blistering performance.
Ha ha. Amazing the number of people who operate on the "Apple is run by stupid people" assumption. And it's corollary, the "I know Apple's sales figures better than Apple themselves" assumption.
Maybe. I'm still not completely convinced the entry level phone should be defined by screen size. I'm sure there are some who would love a top of the line phone in a smaller form factor and others who prefer the larger screen but don't have $650 to spend. I'm kind of bummed that the 5C didn't work out. I think quality wise it was a really great phone. Didn't feel like cheap Samsungy plastic at all. But unfortunately people equated plastic with cheap so the device could never shake the 'it's an expensive phone in a cheap plastic case' tag.
People who don't have $650 to drop at once will buy it on the various installation plans out there including Apple's now.
Model numbers aren't required to mean anything - and indeed Apple has never explained how they choose to name their models. Many have speculated on what they mean - but that's all it is - speculation.
Having said that - if I were Apple, I'd name this thing the 7c instead of the 6c - especially if the 7 is expected as early as June this year and this 4" model won't be out until April.
Naming it the 6c and then releasing the 7 a couple months later is going to give some people the perception that it is a dated model and potentially impact sales. Regardless of the form factor and the internals - calling it the 7c would give it staying power and keep it relevant post-release of the next flagship.
Many will disagree with this - because it doesn't align with what they believe the model numbers to "mean". That's why I started this post by reminding everyone that nobody outside of Apple knows for sure what they mean - and also that Apple can go ahead and redefine it whenever they feel like it.
So the line up in Jan will be: 6+S $750 6S, 6+ $650 6, 6C (6-S?, 4", lol) $550 5S $450. And in Sep: 7+ 7, 6+S 6S, 6+ 6, 6C? probably 6+ and 6 will be discontinued inthis Sep to clean up the lower tiers.
I hope they put a sleep/wake button on the side just like on the iPhone 6 and 6S.
I find the side power button inferior to the top one - I still accidentally press the volume when trying to put the phone to sleep and hold both sides.
So the line up in Jan will be: 6+S $750 6S, 6+ $650 6, 6C (6-S?, 4", lol) $550 5S $450. And in Sep: 7+ 7, 6+S 6S, 6+ 6, 6C? probably 6+ and 6 will be discontinued inthis Sep to clean up the lower tiers.
You forgot 7c (read the imbedded like labelled 'spotted by')...
So the line up in Jan will be: 6+S $750 6S, 6+ $650 6, 6C (6-S?, 4", lol) $550 5S $450. And in Sep: 7+ 7, 6+S 6S, 6+ 6, 6C? probably 6+ and 6 will be discontinued inthis Sep to clean up the lower tiers.
The 4" phone will maintain its price between the 6S & 7 transition, dropping in March 2017 with the next mid-cycle update, the reason being is that it will have improvements over the 6S, despite having a smaller screen and fewer features due to size. These rumors are already suggesting it may have better battery life. I see this more as an early 7 than a late 6S. Of course it's possible this could follow the CDMA iP4 release, especially if the iP7 is released in the normal Sept. window. If so, the 4" phone could be replaced by a model 7 version at the same $600 price, with the enhanced 6S 4" version dropping to $500.
The 5s is as close to an entry level phone as it gets, since the 5c isn't sold here anymore.
A lot of people want a smaller iPhone but not a lesser iPhone. The phone as rumored makes absolute sense. It would be a current, high performance phone, just in a smaller form. Apple has trouble getting all the silicon it needs for it's iDevices. So it makes perfect sense that it's two biggest sellers, the 6s and 6s+ get the A9 processors first. Even so, Apple fell behind in meeting the initial demand, even with two manufacturers making the processors. Now they're caught up, they can put 2G and an A9 in the 6c at an almost leisurely pace, especially considering the 6c would sell in smaller numbers. The 5s already has TID so that's a given. Apple Pay is probably a given as well.
Immediately after launch the shipping times for the 7 and 7+ w ill increase while Apple catches up to the demand. Maybe there'll be 3G and an A10 in these phones along with other tweaks. In six months, the supply has caught up and kept up with demand, and Apple has plenty A10 processors for the 7c.
Now if only those who think they're smarter than Apple engineers and Cook could keep from getting their panties in a twist until we see what actually ships as opposed to what what's being rumored.
The 5s is as close to an entry level phone as it gets, since the 5c isn't sold here anymore.
A lot of people want a smaller iPhone but not a lesser iPhone. The phone as rumored makes absolute sense. It would be a current, high performance phone, just in a smaller form. Apple has trouble getting all the silicon it needs for it's iDevices. So it makes perfect sense that it's two biggest sellers, the 6s and 6s+ get the A9 processors first. Even so, Apple fell behind in meeting the initial demand, even with two manufacturers making the processors. Now they're caught up, they can put 2G and an A9 in the 6c at an almost leisurely pace, especially considering the 6c would sell in smaller numbers. The 5s already has TID so that's a given. Apple Pay is probably a given as well.
Immediately after launch the shipping times for the 7 and 7+ w ill increase while Apple catches up to the demand. Maybe there'll be 3G and an A10 in these phones along with other tweaks. In six months, the supply has caught up and kept up with demand, and Apple has plenty A10 processors for the 7c.
Now if only those who think they're smarter than Apple engineers and Cook could keep from getting their panties in a twist until we see what actually ships as opposed to what what's being rumored.
Apple has trouble getting enough silicon? That's hilarious (and I'd be willing to bet it's completely untrue!)
Comments
Ha ha. Amazing the number of people who operate on the "Apple is run by stupid people" assumption. And it's corollary, the "I know Apple's sales figures better than Apple themselves" assumption.
Who said the 5C didn't work out? Apple?
6+S $750
6S, 6+ $650
6, 6C (6-S?, 4", lol) $550
5S $450.
And in Sep:
7+
7, 6+S
6S, 6+
6, 6C?
probably 6+ and 6 will be discontinued inthis Sep to clean up the lower tiers.
APRIL:
6S+ $750
6S/6+ $650
(4") $600
6 $550
5S $450
JUNE-SEPT:
7+ $750
7/6S+ $650
(4") $600
6S/6+ $550
??(old 4") $500??
6 $450
The 4" phone will maintain its price between the 6S & 7 transition, dropping in March 2017 with the next mid-cycle update, the reason being is that it will have improvements over the 6S, despite having a smaller screen and fewer features due to size. These rumors are already suggesting it may have better battery life. I see this more as an early 7 than a late 6S. Of course it's possible this could follow the CDMA iP4 release, especially if the iP7 is released in the normal Sept. window. If so, the 4" phone could be replaced by a model 7 version at the same $600 price, with the enhanced 6S 4" version dropping to $500.
A lot of people want a smaller iPhone but not a lesser iPhone. The phone as rumored makes absolute sense. It would be a current, high performance phone, just in a smaller form. Apple has trouble getting all the silicon it needs for it's iDevices. So it makes perfect sense that it's two biggest sellers, the 6s and 6s+ get the A9 processors first. Even so, Apple fell behind in meeting the initial demand, even with two manufacturers making the processors. Now they're caught up, they can put 2G and an A9 in the 6c at an almost leisurely pace, especially considering the 6c would sell in smaller numbers. The 5s already has TID so that's a given. Apple Pay is probably a given as well.
Immediately after launch the shipping times for the 7 and 7+ w ill increase while Apple catches up to the demand. Maybe there'll be 3G and an A10 in these phones along with other tweaks. In six months, the supply has caught up and kept up with demand, and Apple has plenty A10 processors for the 7c.
Now if only those who think they're smarter than Apple engineers and Cook could keep from getting their panties in a twist until we see what actually ships as opposed to what what's being rumored.
Citation?