Like most everyone else posting, I see the obvious drawbacks to a potential foray by Apple into a cheaper phone market. However, there's no doubt that Apple could profit greatly if it were possible for them to do right. And, whether or not they end up doing it, I bet Apple has already considered it.
I think the starting point in figuring out how it could be done successfully is to avoid looking at the problem in terms of how to cripple the standard iPhone. That said, unloading regular iPhones with only 4GB capacity might be one way to go, especially if 4GB models could be sold with even higher service rates and/or longer contracts. (It's still an iPhone, just lower storage and more expensive in the long run.) I'm not crazy about this notion, but I give it a maybe.
However, what I really want to post is a completely different perspective: a phone that would add functionality to the Touch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wbrasington
Does anyone really think Apple should get in the dumb-phone business? No.
Yes. In the context of making the Touch smarter. That is, Apple could market a $99 phone that was just a phone. OK, add on a camera to further supplement the Touch, and that's all it would need (outside of communication ability with the Touch and Mac, of course). Make it super thin, light, and stylish. Such a device could be small enough that users would carry it and a Touch with them, giving them the overall experience of "iPhone lite".
Make it work with any carrier--why not? Offer pre-paid versions that can have minutes swapped for song downloads, or app downloads on the touch. Offer discounts when purchased with a Touch...
Can you imagine the kind of money Apple could rake in by selling a "dumb-phone"? Their name has such cachet that people would pay $99 for a device of theirs that only made phone calls and took pictures; they'd do it gladly--as long as it still looked haut. It would need a different name. "Apple Phone" maybe, or "Pod Phone".
I think such a scenario is far more likely than a cheaper phone with a touch screen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PXT
I'd like to see a law passed so that the line rental and the finance for the phone are separated out. Phone deals are like unregulated finance. If you buy a car with finance, they have to tell you the total cost, the interest, how long it takes to pay etc. This could also help with carrier switching, since you could change your carrier, but of course you'd still owe them for the phone loan. Transparency is the consumers' friend.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Your law idea is worth several loads of asphalt. Not only would it be expensive to implement and complicated to parse, but the consumer would loose-out in the end. While it would facilitate shopping around, all choices would suddenly cost more (not to mention the new Transparency In Cell Phone Service surcharge that would appear on your phone bill each month). You don't have to finance a car. That's partly where your analogy fails. A cell phone has to have a service provider; and, in cases where you buy a pre-paid phone, you already know everything your getting and at what cost. Besides, there are probably consumer groups out there that already provide the kind of information you're looking for--without having to tax anyone to do it.
There will be no stripped down iPhone and no multiple models. There will always be one current iPhone that is extraordinary and secondary and (before long) tertiary models that sell for less with less on eBay.
Apple may bring the price down, though I kind of doubt they will. But they will not come out with multiple models.
The iPhone is what it is. Anything less would not be iPhone. I am surprised Wu doesn't get this.
I believe Apple will release a 32GB iPhone 3G together with a 64GB iPod Touch.
Then they MAY reduce the price of the 8GB iPhone to $99/-
This is more like it.
4GB is too small for a 3G, with applications, music, movies, photos, wallpapers, camera & internet!!!
That is highly unlikely, IMO. While NAND prices are dropping quickly, doubling the capacity every 6 months is not possible.
Their is new info this morning that will probably be posted on AI shortly that has Wal?Mart selling the 8GB iPhone at $197 come December 28th. This makes more sense.
PS: It's funny how our perceptions have changed. When the iPhone was announced their was no phone that came close to having that much included storage.
I believe Apple will release a 32GB iPhone 3G together with a 64GB iPod Touch.
Then they MAY reduce the price of the 8GB iPhone to $99/-
This is more like it.
4GB is too small for a 3G, with applications, music, movies, photos, wallpapers, camera & internet!!!
As solipsism added, the cost of flash is so low now, it's not funny. It would not save Apple much money, and it would probably just serve to reduce margins.
But the only things that take up much memory are the music and movies. All those other things are insignificant except to make the list seem impressive. The indicator for the space used for apps on mine is but a sliver. I have maybe 700 photos on mine and it's negligible - though it seems Apple uses several hundred k of space for each photo, 300-500k. It's still hard to consume much space with that. As for Internet, that comes over the air and you can't download a whole lot using 3G, 10MB an item. Other than downloads, 3G or other internet doesn't consume space.
That is highly unlikely, IMO. While NAND prices are dropping quickly, doubling the capacity every 6 months is not possible.
Their is new info this morning that will probably be posted on AI shortly that has Wal?Mart selling the 8GB iPhone at $197 come December 28th. This makes more sense.
PS: It's funny how our perceptions have changed. When the iPhone was announced their was no phone that came close to having that much included storage.
I see a 64GB iPhone 4 over the horizon...3GSs...4GSs
Comments
I think the starting point in figuring out how it could be done successfully is to avoid looking at the problem in terms of how to cripple the standard iPhone. That said, unloading regular iPhones with only 4GB capacity might be one way to go, especially if 4GB models could be sold with even higher service rates and/or longer contracts. (It's still an iPhone, just lower storage and more expensive in the long run.) I'm not crazy about this notion, but I give it a maybe.
However, what I really want to post is a completely different perspective: a phone that would add functionality to the Touch.
Does anyone really think Apple should get in the dumb-phone business? No.
Yes. In the context of making the Touch smarter. That is, Apple could market a $99 phone that was just a phone. OK, add on a camera to further supplement the Touch, and that's all it would need (outside of communication ability with the Touch and Mac, of course). Make it super thin, light, and stylish. Such a device could be small enough that users would carry it and a Touch with them, giving them the overall experience of "iPhone lite".
Make it work with any carrier--why not? Offer pre-paid versions that can have minutes swapped for song downloads, or app downloads on the touch. Offer discounts when purchased with a Touch...
Can you imagine the kind of money Apple could rake in by selling a "dumb-phone"? Their name has such cachet that people would pay $99 for a device of theirs that only made phone calls and took pictures; they'd do it gladly--as long as it still looked haut. It would need a different name. "Apple Phone" maybe, or "Pod Phone".
I think such a scenario is far more likely than a cheaper phone with a touch screen.
I'd like to see a law passed so that the line rental and the finance for the phone are separated out. Phone deals are like unregulated finance. If you buy a car with finance, they have to tell you the total cost, the interest, how long it takes to pay etc. This could also help with carrier switching, since you could change your carrier, but of course you'd still owe them for the phone loan. Transparency is the consumers' friend.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Your law idea is worth several loads of asphalt. Not only would it be expensive to implement and complicated to parse, but the consumer would loose-out in the end. While it would facilitate shopping around, all choices would suddenly cost more (not to mention the new Transparency In Cell Phone Service surcharge that would appear on your phone bill each month). You don't have to finance a car. That's partly where your analogy fails. A cell phone has to have a service provider; and, in cases where you buy a pre-paid phone, you already know everything your getting and at what cost. Besides, there are probably consumer groups out there that already provide the kind of information you're looking for--without having to tax anyone to do it.
There will be no stripped down iPhone and no multiple models. There will always be one current iPhone that is extraordinary and secondary and (before long) tertiary models that sell for less with less on eBay.
Apple may bring the price down, though I kind of doubt they will. But they will not come out with multiple models.
The iPhone is what it is. Anything less would not be iPhone. I am surprised Wu doesn't get this.
i'm not. surprised that is.
Then they MAY reduce the price of the 8GB iPhone to $99/-
This is more like it.
4GB is too small for a 3G, with applications, music, movies, photos, wallpapers, camera & internet!!!
I believe Apple will release a 32GB iPhone 3G together with a 64GB iPod Touch.
Then they MAY reduce the price of the 8GB iPhone to $99/-
This is more like it.
4GB is too small for a 3G, with applications, music, movies, photos, wallpapers, camera & internet!!!
That is highly unlikely, IMO. While NAND prices are dropping quickly, doubling the capacity every 6 months is not possible.
Their is new info this morning that will probably be posted on AI shortly that has Wal?Mart selling the 8GB iPhone at $197 come December 28th. This makes more sense.
PS: It's funny how our perceptions have changed. When the iPhone was announced their was no phone that came close to having that much included storage.
I believe Apple will release a 32GB iPhone 3G together with a 64GB iPod Touch.
Then they MAY reduce the price of the 8GB iPhone to $99/-
This is more like it.
4GB is too small for a 3G, with applications, music, movies, photos, wallpapers, camera & internet!!!
As solipsism added, the cost of flash is so low now, it's not funny. It would not save Apple much money, and it would probably just serve to reduce margins.
But the only things that take up much memory are the music and movies. All those other things are insignificant except to make the list seem impressive. The indicator for the space used for apps on mine is but a sliver. I have maybe 700 photos on mine and it's negligible - though it seems Apple uses several hundred k of space for each photo, 300-500k. It's still hard to consume much space with that. As for Internet, that comes over the air and you can't download a whole lot using 3G, 10MB an item. Other than downloads, 3G or other internet doesn't consume space.
That is highly unlikely, IMO. While NAND prices are dropping quickly, doubling the capacity every 6 months is not possible.
Their is new info this morning that will probably be posted on AI shortly that has Wal?Mart selling the 8GB iPhone at $197 come December 28th. This makes more sense.
PS: It's funny how our perceptions have changed. When the iPhone was announced their was no phone that came close to having that much included storage.
I see a 64GB iPhone 4 over the horizon...3GSs...4GSs
my at&t bill is nice and high