iPhone 4 remains widely available in China after iPhone 5s, 5c debut

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple continues to offer the iPhone 4 in China through Apple retail stores, carrier partners, and authorized resellers despite China's status as a launch country for the iPhone 5s and 5c.

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Apple's mainland China online store continues to offer the iPhone 4 for delivery within 24 hours.


In an unconventional move for the company, Apple has chosen to keep the three-year-old iPhone 4 on mainland Chinese shelves even after the unveiling of the new flagship iPhone 5s and mid-tier iPhone 5c. While China is not alone as a first-party country where the iPhone 4 is still sold ? Brazil and Indonesia also offer it ? it is the only nation to list the iPhone 4 alongside the iPhone 5c and 5s.

The aging handset remains available through Apple's official online and brick-and-mortar stores for 2,588 yuan ($423), 700 yuan ($114) less than the iPhone 4S and 1,900 yuan ($310) and 2,700 yuan ($441) less than the newly-introduced iPhone 5c and 5s, respectively. Apple also continues to offer installment plans for the iPhone 4, advertising payments of "about 119" yuan ($19) per month over 24 months.

Similarly, iPhone 4 launch carrier partner China Unicom still markets the device for 2,648 yuan ($433), while authorized resellers like brick-and-mortar retail giant Suning and online behemoth jd.com make the iPhone 4 available at varying, but roughly equivalent, prices.

While speculation exists that Apple has kept the iPhone 4 in circulation as a way of drawing down remaining inventory, the breadth of the phone's continuing distribution and the lack of indications from official channels that supplies are constrained signals that its availability is not temporary, and may be Cupertino's way of addressing the low-cost market that many believed they would target with the iPhone 5c.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18

    Behold! The cheap iPhone!

  • Reply 2 of 18
    The iPhone 4 with 8 GB at $420 cannot hold a candle to the Nexus 4 with 16 GB for $250 direct from Google. I am as dyed-in-the-wool an Apple fanboy as you'll find (our house has 4 macs, 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, 2 iPods and an Apple TV), but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids. They're getting the Nexus 4 (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!! AND they have bigger screens- and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time. I guess Android is now the "OS for the rest of us" (who don't have that kind of money and who don't want to be locked into a plan).
  • Reply 3 of 18
    What inventory? Unattributed speculation is worthless in an otherwise factual article. Don't start degrading your own articles like that.
  • Reply 4 of 18
    Originally Posted by Macman1984 View Post

    I am as dyed-in-the-wool an Apple fanboy as you'll find, but

     

    Stop it.

     

     The iPhone 4 with 8 GB at $420 cannot hold a candle to the Nexus 4 with 16 GB for $250 direct from Google.


     

    Sure it can't¡

     

    I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids.


     

    Yeah, it's called a contract.

    Quote:


    (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!!


     

    I can buy two bags of M&Ms for less than the price of one bar of Richard Donnelly chocolate.

     

    …they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?).


     

    Sounds more like the failings you have here about buying quality products translate to your instruction as a parent in keeping your children from destroying their possessions. 

     

    I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time.


     

    How about you go too far away from us. To MacRumors, where this sort of crap is allowed.

  • Reply 5 of 18
    ifij775 wrote: »
    Behold! The cheap iPhone!

    Made of glass and steel. Also, iPod dock connector. It's pretty awesome for "cheap."
  • Reply 6 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Macman1984 View Post



    The iPhone 4 with 8 GB at $420 cannot hold a candle to the Nexus 4 with 16 GB for $250 direct from Google. I am as dyed-in-the-wool an Apple fanboy as you'll find (our house has 4 macs, 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, 2 iPods and an Apple TV), but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids. They're getting the Nexus 4 (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!! AND they have bigger screens- and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time. I guess Android is now the "OS for the rest of us" (who don't have that kind of money and who don't want to be locked into a plan).

     

    Nothing wrong with voting with your wallet. In my case, Apple has successfully locked me into the ecosystem (not just purchased apps, but iCloud, iTunes match, media purchases, iMessage, the list goes on ...). There is no way I would ever fathom switching to another platform at this point even if there was a huge price vs specs divergence. Luckily Apple continues to make (IMHO!) the best smartphones so despite my lock in to the ecosystem I feel I am getting a better value with Apple devices vs Android.

     

    As an aside, I had a friend recently who was frustrated with his iPhone and was looking to switch. I recommended he check out the HTC One, what looked to me like a really nice Android handset. He was pretty happy at first but now he is looking to sell it and come back to the iPhone. According to him, it was death by a thousand paper cuts -- too many minor issues here and there, even though it excelled at the important stuff.

  • Reply 7 of 18
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Macman1984 View Post



     and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). 

     

    If that's your attitude, why pay $250, when you can get an Android phone for $50!? Hell I can buy 5 of them for the same price as your Nexus 4! And I can use them to throw at parents who abuse their kids by giving them Android devices that can't play their iTunes content or their iOS games.

     

    You can buy an iPhone 4S on ebay for about the same price as the Nexus and have much more functionality and compatibility with your current devices. 

  • Reply 8 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by manicakes View Post

     

     

    Nothing wrong with voting with your wallet. In my case, Apple has successfully locked me into the ecosystem (not just purchased apps, but iCloud, iTunes match, media purchases, iMessage, the list goes on ...). There is no way I would ever fathom switching to another platform at this point even if there was a huge price vs specs divergence. Luckily Apple continues to make (IMHO!) the best smartphones so despite my lock in to the ecosystem I feel I am getting a better value with Apple devices vs Android.

     

    As an aside, I had a friend recently who was frustrated with his iPhone and was looking to switch. I recommended he check out the HTC One, what looked to me like a really nice Android handset. He was pretty happy at first but now he is looking to sell it and come back to the iPhone. According to him, it was death by a thousand paper cuts -- too many minor issues here and there, even though it excelled at the important stuff.


     

    I am going with the nexus phone for the bigger screen and low price,  I dont really need the "ecosystem" on my phone anyway. This will let me tryout android so I can compare it to iOS.  I am not sure yet if I should go wit the nexus 4 at $250 or wait for the nexus 5 that will be coming out soon.

  • Reply 9 of 18
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    macman1984 wrote: »
    The iPhone 4 with 8 GB at $420 cannot hold a candle to the Nexus 4 with 16 GB for $250 direct from Google. I am as dyed-in-the-wool an Apple fanboy as you'll find (our house has 4 macs, 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, 2 iPods and an Apple TV), but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids. They're getting the Nexus 4 (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!! AND they have bigger screens- and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time. I guess Android is now the "OS for the rest of us" (who don't have that kind of money and who don't want to be locked into a plan).

    Don't forget: "...and also don't care what kind of phone or operating systematicy thingamajig it is!"
  • Reply 10 of 18

    @macman1984

     

    Are you in China, Indonesia or Brazil? If not, then quit your bitchin'. 

     

    Buy your kids Android phones if you want. Maybe that's what they want anyhow. Maybe not. Who cares? Really, who cares what you or your kids want?

     

    I am not trying to be offensive or trollsome, though I probably did come across as both. Rather I am just being dead honest and making a simple point. If you do not like the price or any other detail, then just don't buy it. I am fairly positive that is what Steve Jobs would tell you if he could. After all, Apple is not, and never has been, in the business of satisfying EVERYONE'S needs. They pick their products carefully and not everyone will find satisfaction. That's how it goes. With over seven billion potential customers, I think Apple will survive perfectly fine with what they have. 

     

    Incidentally, I still have my three year old iPhone 4 and honestly have no intention of upgrading. I just do not see a compelling reason to do so. My wife might be getting an iPhone 5c from T-Mobile as has expressed a desire to have iOS7 and her 4 year old 3GS, which she is otherwise perfectly happy with, cannot run iOS7. I, however, will likely stay where I am unless there is some compelling reason I am not currently aware of. I just don't upgrade simply for the sake of having the latest bells and whistles. 

  • Reply 11 of 18
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member
    The all being said, the question remains. Who the heck is the 5c for then?
    The Chinese, Indo and Brazil have 4 options. Wanna guess which two will be the most bought?
    The price conscious will get the iPhone 4 and the status conscious will go for the 5s. So what's the middle tier for then? The maybe 25% that want a little better? Maybe, but to me, there's too many options. Perhaps those markets need that many options, but to a company like Apple that thrives on good, better, best...seems like a huge mistake to even offer a 4th option. If the 5c couldn't be the low-cost option, why bother? If its not meant for a low-tier option or a high-end option, then what's if for? I think Apple has really missed the mark here. They may think this is a good strategy, and they may say, "we'll, this was never meant to be the low-cost option", then they haven't clearly stated what it's for. From what I'm able to piece together, it seems like this pone is for the middle tier updaters. The people who don't need the latest and greatest but already have the low tier option from several years back. It's the incremental update customer this is meant to target. And to me, it's successful in features alone. They sorely missed the mark on price and one can only hope the majority of the customer base come Friday will be holding off for the 5s. That's the onl way to send a message. I can't think of a single post or comment I've read where someone has stated they would buy the 5c over the 5s. One can hope that this becomes much like the Gen 1 iPhone and they reduce the cost and drop the 4 and maybe even the 4s in the western worlds.
  • Reply 12 of 18
    macman1984 wrote: »
    The iPhone 4 with 8 GB at $420 cannot hold a candle to the Nexus 4 with 16 GB for $250 direct from Google. I am as dyed-in-the-wool an Apple fanboy as you'll find (our house has 4 macs, 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, 2 iPods and an Apple TV), but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids. They're getting the Nexus 4 (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!! AND they have bigger screens- and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time. I guess Android is now the "OS for the rest of us" (who don't have that kind of money and who don't want to be locked into a plan).

    Another scripted rant from the "I'm an Apple fan forever but Apple's gone too far this time Android is superior" crowd. Heard it so many times it had lost any semblance of verisimilitude. Double exclamation marks is a dead give away: feigned outrage at Apple's going too far this time doesn't sway anyone. It's not something anyone should get worked up over. Apple doesn't owe you a cheap anything, and they've never done cheap. You can copy and paste your rant for the next time Apple doesn't meet the competition's rock bottom razor thin margin pricing. Because they've never tried to undercut anyone on price. But this seems to outrage you, someone who claims to have an affinity for Apple products. Riiight. :no:
  • Reply 13 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by antkm1 View Post



    The all being said, the question remains. Who the heck is the 5c for then?

    The Chinese, Indo and Brazil have 4 options. Wanna guess which two will be the most bought?

    The price conscious will get the iPhone 4 and the status conscious will go for the 5s. So what's the middle tier for then? The maybe 25% that want a little better? Maybe, but to me, there's too many options. Perhaps those markets need that many options, but to a company like Apple that thrives on good, better, best...seems like a huge mistake to even offer a 4th option. If the 5c couldn't be the low-cost option, why bother? If its not meant for a low-tier option or a high-end option, then what's if for? I think Apple has really missed the mark here. They may think this is a good strategy, and they may say, "we'll, this was never meant to be the low-cost option", then they haven't clearly stated what it's for. From what I'm able to piece together, it seems like this pone is for the middle tier updaters. The people who don't need the latest and greatest but already have the low tier option from several years back. It's the incremental update customer this is meant to target. And to me, it's successful in features alone. They sorely missed the mark on price and one can only hope the majority of the customer base come Friday will be holding off for the 5s. That's the onl way to send a message. I can't think of a single post or comment I've read where someone has stated they would buy the 5c over the 5s. One can hope that this becomes much like the Gen 1 iPhone and they reduce the cost and drop the 4 and maybe even the 4s in the western worlds.

     

    If you are in the US, then what is your concern about China, Indonesia or Brazil? Seriously, are you just looking for something to bitch at Apple about?

     

    I myself have an iPhone 4 that I bought about a month after it was released in 2010. I have not seen any compelling reason to upgrade FOR MY NEEDS. My wife asked me last night if I wanted to buy a new iPhone. I told her "not really in any hurry, no" and asked why she asked. She said that she likes the 5c and iOS7 looks really nice and as her 3GS, which works perfectly fine, can't run iOS7, she would like to get the 5c, but did not want me to feel left out. I told her that I perfectly happy with what I have and to go ahead and get it. 

     

    There, you have one person who is not obsessed with specs that wants the 5c, but seriously, how many people that read, let alone post on, AppleInsider did you actually think would want anything but the top of the line model? Most techie people are obsessed with the latest technowizardry - some people like plastic cases, I guess. 

     

    Anyhow, what's the big beef about it? You come across as if Apple set out to upset you, personally, by name, publicly, on national television, internationally, with your photo on screen and how you wet your bed until you were 12, and were caught masturbating to a photo of the back street boys and so on. Chill.

  • Reply 14 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Macman1984 View Post



    The iPhone 4 with 8 GB at $420 cannot hold a candle to the Nexus 4 with 16 GB for $250 direct from Google. I am as dyed-in-the-wool an Apple fanboy as you'll find (our house has 4 macs, 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, 2 iPods and an Apple TV), but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids. They're getting the Nexus 4 (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!! AND they have bigger screens- and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time. I guess Android is now the "OS for the rest of us" (who don't have that kind of money and who don't want to be locked into a plan).

    1st post? lol

  • Reply 15 of 18
    Maybe they will offer cheaper like $350 when 5S and C are actually out.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    antkm1 wrote: »
    The all being said, the question remains. Who the heck is the 5c for then?
    The Chinese, Indo and Brazil have 4 options. Wanna guess which two will be the most bought?
    ...
    They sorely missed the mark on price and one can only hope the majority of the customer base come Friday will be holding off for the 5s. That's the onl [sic] way to send a message.
    ...
    One can hope that this becomes much like the Gen 1 iPhone and they reduce the cost and drop the 4 and maybe even the 4s in the western worlds.

    It's an iPhone 5. In colours. Why would this be any different than selling the 4S last month? If it had 4 or 4S components, it would be cheaper.

    It now targets both the iPod touch audience and the same demographic that have been buying last year's iPhone for years. This is not hard to understand.

    I don't know what you mean by your last sentence, but next year the 5C will still be around as an even more affordable model. In two year's time it could still be selling in developing markets.

    People expecting this year's hardware at half the price it's sold for this year are delusional. This is a long-term method of differentiation that will prove itself highly valuable in time.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Macman1984 View Post



    I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $550 on an 5c for each of my kids. They're getting the Nexus 4 (I can buy TWO of those for LESS than the price of ONE 5c!! AND they have bigger screens- and they're just going to drop it anyway- so why not trash $250 instead of $550?). I'm an Apple shareholder, but they've just gone too far this time. I guess Android is now the "OS for the rest of us" (who don't have that kind of money and who don't want to be locked into a plan).

     

    If you run a company I know some manufacturers who would love to sell you a multifunction printer based on cost-per-page statistics. Never mind that you will shell out much more money on the expensive service contracts to fix the problems.



    Why not get your kids an iPod touch and a disposable nokia for basic comunication? I survived with that combo just fine until the iPhone 4S came out. In a year the 5C will likely be much more affordable. Your kids will love you for it.

  • Reply 18 of 18
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member

    I'm really happy the 4/S was not eliminated. I don't like the larger 4" phone, and prefer a smaller form factor. 

     

    Is it possible that Apple might repackage the 4/S smaller screen size into a smaller 5c package next year? If developers have to support the 4/S screen size for another year of actual sales (possibly two for the 4S in China), and presumably an additional year after iOS 8 comes out, then clearly screen size is not as big a deal as some think? Either way, surely a smaller screen costs less and allows them to sell a cheaper and smaller form factor for those customers who want one, with current iOS features, while maintaining their profit margins. 

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