Smartphone upgrades slowing as Apple is rumored to be prepping low-cost iPhone

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 58
    Seems a waste to not upgrade every 2 years, $200 bucks gets you a $650 phone that you are indirectly paying full pop for anyway through the big carriers that have decent 4g coverage
  • Reply 42 of 58

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacBook Pro View Post





    People are dumb enough to not realize that a less expensive mobile phone ($300 off-contract, for example) are likely not nearly as capable as iPhone 4S ($549 off-contract).







    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.



    - Albert Einstein


    On the contrary, the Nexus 4 16GB, can be had for $299 (unlocked/off contract) and it's able to compete with the iPhone 5 in terms of performance. It even offers some features the iPhone 5 doesn't have, such as NFC and OpenGL ES 3.0 support.


     


    I think a budget iPhone in the $300~$400 price range could be a great competitor to devices like the Nexus 4. A real game changer for Apple.

  • Reply 43 of 58
    ecsecs Posts: 307member
    I hoped the new Mac Pro announce was going to increase the quality and interest of rumors, but now I understand the "Apple fan" is just an iPhone fan nowadays. When Apple releases the rumored cheapophone, then they'll be mad about the watch toy, and later about the cheapowatchtoy. Very demanding fans. Hopefully, when the new Mac Pro is released, I'll have less need for entering these phone fans sites.
  • Reply 44 of 58
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    ecs wrote: »
    I hoped the new Mac Pro announce was going to increase the quality and interest of rumors, but now I understand the "Apple fan" is just an iPhone fan nowadays.

    Or you could read our extensive Mac Pro thread.
  • Reply 45 of 58

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ecs View Post



    I hoped the new Mac Pro announce was going to increase the quality and interest of rumors, but now I understand the "Apple fan" is just an iPhone fan nowadays. When Apple releases the rumored cheapophone, then they'll be mad about the watch toy, and later about the cheapowatchtoy. Very demanding fans. Hopefully, when the new Mac Pro is released, I'll have less need for entering these phone fans sites.


    I tend to find there is less interest in computer's such as the Mac Pro. The MacBook and iMac series of computers offer an all-in-one package for everyday computing, that's the appeal. 


     


    Anyone interested in purchasing the Mac Pro clearly requires a higher level of performance. The problem being the price, just about any pre-built computer offers terrible value. These days it's extremely easy to build yourself a very powerful desktop PC with all the parts you want. Not to mention the individual warranty on each component (usually 3~7 years). 

  • Reply 46 of 58
    jamjamjamjam Posts: 17member


    Does a new cheap iPhone have the potential to reduce the  second hand phone market?  Will people opt for a new cheaper iPhone than an older second and phone?


     


    Will this effect people who use the resale value to fund the purchase of a new phone every year?


     


    J

  • Reply 47 of 58
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    So what happens next year?

    The way Apple has done it before was to design one phone per year and cycle it down the line each year.

    But if Apple introduces a brand new phone in the "cheap" spot... what will they do next year?
    Really? Are you that dense that you can't figure it out?

    Next year the new flagship iPhone comes out. Along side it, the Lite iPhone gets spec updated. Mostly with 5/5S components at that point.

    This is not hard to understand. At all.
  • Reply 48 of 58
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    captmatt wrote: »
    AT&T isn't helping matters by pushing upgrade eligibility out to 24 months. I was set to upgrade this fall but was pushed to spring. By that point I'll likely just wait for the iPhone 6.
    Or you could pay attention to the news, in which case you'd be aware that all carriers have done this because they all have a new scheme for upgrading:

    See AT&T "Next" & T-Mobile "Jump" & Verizon "TBA"
  • Reply 49 of 58
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pmz View Post





    Really? Are you that dense that you can't figure it out?



    Next year the new flagship iPhone comes out. Along side it, the Lite iPhone gets spec updated. Mostly with 5/5S components at that point.



    This is not hard to understand. At all.


     


    First, what's with the rudeness to him?   Yes, it's summer and forums get filled with ill-mannered kids on vacation, but there's no need to emulate them.


     


    Second, it's a valid question.  One very probable reason why people liked buying the 4 and 4S, was because those were still considered posh phones, even though less expensive than the 5.


     


    For either good or bad reasons, an updated plastic Lite iPhone will likely not be seen as the same as a one year old aluminum/glass (or whatever the material of the year is) iPhone, even if they have the same guts.


     


    Some people would still be willing to pay a premium for the "better" materials and look.

  • Reply 50 of 58
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by LAKings33 View Post

    ...


    A real game changer for Apple.


     


    Yeah, they become a maker of cheap items. They are in the luxury market and do quite well.  As stated previously, they already have tiered products that are very capable.  The 4S will be a nice phone at the $.99 price point on contract after the next iPhone is introduced and will run iOS7.

  • Reply 51 of 58
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post





    So what happens next year?



    The way Apple has done it before was to design one phone per year and cycle it down the line each year.



    But if Apple introduces a brand new phone in the "cheap" spot... what will they do next year?


    Have a lineup that looks a bit more like their laptops and iPods? With different models with different features at different price points? And does anyone consider the lower price point Mac laptops "cheap"?

  • Reply 52 of 58

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by CaptMatt View Post



    AT&T isn't helping matters by pushing upgrade eligibility out to 24 months. I was set to upgrade this fall but was pushed to spring. By that point I'll likely just wait for the iPhone 6.


    I bought iPhone 5s on all three of my lines last December, so of course I got caught in that and saw my upgrade eligibility pushed out. 


     


    Despite this, all of my lines are currently eligible for "early upgrades" which essentially means you get $200 off. iPhone 5 for $449, iPhone 4S for $349 and the iPhone 4 for $250.

  • Reply 53 of 58
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    pmz wrote: »
    Really? Are you that dense that you can't figure it out?

    Next year the new flagship iPhone comes out. Along side it, the Lite iPhone gets spec updated. Mostly with 5/5S components at that point.

    This is not hard to understand. At all.

    Geez... what crawled up your ass? I had a serious question.

    The whole reason Apple is making this "new" entry-level phone is so they won't be selling a 2 year old phone at that price point anymore. Apparently selling old phones for such high prices is frowned upon.

    So I was wondering if they are gonna stop recycling parts completely... which is why I asked what they would do next year.

    BTW... we're ALL speculating here and asking questions... no need to be a jerk about it! :D
  • Reply 54 of 58
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Geez... what crawled up your ass? I had a serious question.

    The whole reason Apple is making this "new" entry-level phone is so they won't be selling a 2 year old phone at that price point anymore. Apparently selling old phones for such high prices is frowned upon.

    So I was wondering if they are gonna stop recycling parts completely... which is why I asked what they would do next year.

    BTW... we're ALL speculating here and asking questions... no need to be a jerk about it! :D


    The problem is your question was both dumb and assumed the conclusion. You seem to think that cheaper devices have to have last years components - rather than cheaper versions of this years - and from that premise you wonder what they will do next year. This is hardly a serious question. If they have two models this year they will upgrade both next year -- or every X months if they want to move away from 12 month cycles which is easier with more than one model.

    And its already been answered, you quoted me - possibly sarcastically - with "sweet". But they model we are suggesting is one which Apple use with Macs and every other company use with everything. Last years models are discontinued, there are new models this year.

    I really cant see why this is an issue.
  • Reply 55 of 58
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    asdasd wrote: »
    The problem is your question was both dumb and assumed the conclusion. You seem to think that cheaper devices have to have last years components - rather than cheaper versions of this years - and from that premise you wonder what they will do next year. This is hardly a serious question. If they have two models this year they will upgrade both next year -- or every X months if they want to move away from 12 month cycles which is easier with more than one model.

    And its already been answered, you quoted me - possibly sarcastically - with "sweet". But they model we are suggesting is one which Apple use with Macs and every other company use with everything. Last years models are discontinued, there are new models this year.

    I really cant see why this is an issue.

    Apple doesn't play the spec game. They want people to buy the flagship model over the inexpensive or older models. They won't say the 5S has a 1 GHz A7 chip while the new low cost has a 700 MHz A7 chip. They don't care about it that's why don't mention it. The 5S has an A7 and the low cost has a A5. Simple.
  • Reply 56 of 58
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    asdasd wrote: »
    The problem is your question was both dumb and assumed the conclusion. You seem to think that cheaper devices have to have last years components - rather than cheaper versions of this years - and from that premise you wonder what they will do next year. This is hardly a serious question. If they have two models this year they will upgrade both next year -- or every X months if they want to move away from 12 month cycles which is easier with more than one model.

    And its already been answered, you quoted me - possibly sarcastically - with "sweet". But they model we are suggesting is one which Apple use with Macs and every other company use with everything. Last years models are discontinued, there are new models this year.

    I really cant see why this is an issue.

    NO ONE knows about the 2014 iPhones. I was just curious... which is why I asked.

    And now I've been called dense... and told that I ask dumb questions.

    Is it really a dumb question if you don't know the answer?
  • Reply 57 of 58
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    NO ONE knows about the 2014 iPhones. I was just curious... which is why I asked.

    And now I've been called dense... and told that I ask dumb questions.

    Is it really a dumb question if you don't know the answer?

    Apologies for saying dumb.
  • Reply 58 of 58

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ankleskater View Post


    No one is wearing tech?


     


    I'm not agreeing that the analyst forecasts are accurate (they aren't intended to be). But to say there is no wearable tech market outside of iPods and wristwatches is to wear rather large blinders.



    You're right, i forgot about hearing aides and prosthetics.  But I still say that I don't see much wearable tech aside from ipods and wristwatches and hearing aides.   :)

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