Taiwan Mobile opens preorders for limited release of gold iPhone 6 with 32GB storage

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion
Taiwan Mobile has started to accept pre-orders for a limited-edition release of the iPhone 6, with the Taiwanese carrier offering the gold version to customers on March 10 with 32 gigabytes of storage, a capacity that Apple hasn't offered in western markets.




The gold-colored iPhone 6 will be available to purchase only through Taiwan Mobile's retail outlets and online store. Digitimes reports the carrier's exclusivity means Apple will not be selling the device through its own outlets.

Taiwan Mobile will be selling the iPhone 6 32GB as part of a contract deal, with the NT$599 ($19) monthly charge for 30 months requiring an upfront payment of at least NT$6,900 ($222), though this initial charge reduces down to zero when the iPhone 6 is acquired on a plan costing NT$1,399 ($45) per month.

While Apple has offered iPhones with 32 gigabytes of storage before, it has not done so in western markets for the iPhone 6, releasing it only in 16-, 64-, and 128GB capacities. The same smartphone has also been made available in China, released in late February with the same storage capacity, but again only through one carrier.

The device was discontinued by Apple in September 2016, at the time of the launch of the iPhone 7. Its position as the entry-level iPhone was replaced at the time by the iPhone SE, with the iPhone 6s generation becoming mid-range devices at the same time.

It is not clear why the iPhone 6 is being made available in one new capacity in limited quantities, but considering the popularity of gold-colored iPhones in Asia and the relatively low cost, it may be a play to claw back market share after a slowdown in iPhone sales in the region.

Given the extremely limited release, and the existing range of iPhones available, it is unlikely Apple will be bringing the 32GB iPhone 6 to the US or Europe anytime soon.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    Why iPhone 6? At least the 6S supports 3D Touch/Live Photos. I thought the SE was Apple's budget play.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    sog35 said:
    rogifan_new said:
    Why iPhone 6? At least the 6S supports 3D Touch/Live Photos. I thought the SE was Apple's budget play.
    SE is too small for Asia
    So why not the 6S? Don't give me some financial reason. Apple should be about making the best products and having the best experiences and let the profits flow from that. Right now the iPhone 6 is not the best experience.
  • Reply 3 of 11
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 2,000member
    rogifan_new said:
    sog35 said:
    rogifan_new said:
    Why iPhone 6? At least the 6S supports 3D Touch/Live Photos. I thought the SE was Apple's budget play.
    SE is too small for Asia
    So why not the 6S? Don't give me some financial reason. Apple should be about making the best products and having the best experiences and let the profits flow from that. Right now the iPhone 6 is not the best experience.

    Maybe they have a buttload of iPhone 6 parts left over they need to use.   It is always financial.
  • Reply 4 of 11
    gmgravytraingmgravytrain Posts: 882member
    I'm sure everything Apple does is based on financial reasons. They seem hellbent to squeeze profits out of everything they do or make. A company can't have the highest market cap by offering products at low cost. I'm certain the iPhone 6 must have long ago paid for itself maybe a couple of times over. 32GB memory is probably the cheapest memory around. However, users may have to be stuck with some really slow memory like Apple did with their low-end iPhone 7. I wouldn't doubt Apple is using up excess inventory. I get that much. I'm sure there will be plenty of takers of an iPhone 6 at that price point and it shouldn't take away sales from the higher models. Apple appears to be taking urine and making lemonade out of it and no one will be the wiser. Still, it seems like a great deal.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    brakkenbrakken Posts: 687member
    Apple finally moves into Android territory. Now that Services have been organised and is bringing in income, it is natural that Apple will extend past the premium market and start expanding market share, as a specific business objective. The 6 is a great phone, and it stands to reason that 3DTouch is an excellent differentiator from the flag ship models. Projecting forward, the 4" will be redesigned with the entire product line, with the Upper level having a few different highlights, and the Lower level having less functionality. But I want my iPad mini Pro!!!
  • Reply 6 of 11
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    rogifan_new said:
    sog35 said:
    rogifan_new said:
    Why iPhone 6? At least the 6S supports 3D Touch/Live Photos. I thought the SE was Apple's budget play.
    SE is too small for Asia
    So why not the 6S? Don't give me some financial reason. Apple should be about making the best products and having the best experiences and let the profits flow from that. Right now the iPhone 6 is not the best experience.
    If that philosophy worked, everybody would be buying max'd out MacBook Pros and there would be no need for anything but max'd out IPhone 7's.

    Especially as the smart phone market becomes increasingly commoditized, vendors must adapt or perish. 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 7 of 11
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Reading these comments I have to chuckle:
    Camp #1 believes Apple is only about the the newest and the bestest.
    Camp #2 believes Apple is only about money.

    Perhaps Apple is smarter than that.   It knows it's not either / or.   It's both.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    Smart strategy for Apple. Long as this iphone 6 32GB has crippled frequencies to stays in that region and not sold to other countries to jeopardize premium price iphones. Samsung does it. For eample, Compare iPhone 6S or 7 LTE bands against Samsung's Galaxy 7 and you know how Samsung cheats consumers without consumers know about it. International SM-G930F - LTE Bands 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,17,18,19,20,26 AT&T SM-G930A - LTE Bands 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,20,29,30,38,39,40,41 AT&T version has missing band #17. Samsung pays less royalty to Qualcomm for less LTE bands activated on modem chip inside Galaxy or other models.
    edited March 2017
  • Reply 9 of 11
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,874member
    sog35 said:
    Why iPhone 6? At least the 6S supports 3D Touch/Live Photos. I thought the SE was Apple's budget play.
    SE is too small for Asia
    So why not the 6S? Don't give me some financial reason. Apple should be about making the best products and having the best experiences and let the profits flow from that. Right now the iPhone 6 is not the best experience.
    They do, and the 7 is the best experience. Maybe they're trying to use up some old inventory, or test new configurations, who knows. But whatever it is it's not a conspiracy and I doubt they need our advice to manage their historic successes any better. 
    edited March 2017
  • Reply 10 of 11
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,874member

    gmgravytrain said:
    I'm sure everything Apple does is based on financial reasons. They seem hellbent to squeeze profits out of everything they do or make. A company can't have the highest market cap by offering products at low cost. I'm certain the iPhone 6 must have long ago paid for itself maybe a couple of times over. 32GB memory is probably the cheapest memory around. However, users may have to be stuck with some really slow memory like Apple did with their low-end iPhone 7. I wouldn't doubt Apple is using up excess inventory. I get that much. I'm sure there will be plenty of takers of an iPhone 6 at that price point and it shouldn't take away sales from the higher models. Apple appears to be taking urine and making lemonade out of it and no one will be the wiser. Still, it seems like a great deal.
    What cynical nonsense. Urine? Give me a fucking break. 

    Profit is the air corporations breathe. Apple absorbs all of the profit in the space because they make the best products and people love to invest their money on these products for the value received. They do it gladly. Only the whiners on forums have a problem with this, not the actual market. 
    GeorgeBMac
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