Everything You Need To Know About Apple’s Cheaper iPhone [UPDATE]

by iTechNow Team on January 10, 2013

Apple lovers, in this post we are going to explain the story about this new rumored iPhone, that many folks talked about over the world wide web, the story in lines after the break, follow us!

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We started seeing it around November last year: the story about the cheaper iPhone. In an earlier post we discussed about expecting this cheaper version in 2014. It’s going to be similar in appearance as the original iPhone as far as the shape, but the inside will feature some changes.

Folks over at BusinessInsider say that Apple’s unsubsidized iPhone will cost only $200, [Click here to read more about the first rumors on this new iPhone].

Yesterday 9 January, the rumors have began to fly once more. Folks across the web are back talking about this less-expensive iPhone, which feeds us with more information that is allegedly coming from inside of Apple, from CBC:

The reports suggest that a less expensive version of the iPhone, using different materials and presumably fewer bells and whistles, is in the works and might retail between $99 US and $149 US. Apple might yet decide not to go ahead with this version

Moreover, from The Wall Street Journal…

Apple Inc. is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.

While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan is progressing and a less expensive version of its flagship device could launch later this year, one of the people said.

The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said.

One possibility under consideration is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic; in contrast, the iPhone 5 currently has an aluminum housing.

Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models.

Apple could still decide to scrap the plan. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company declined to comment.

Apple now faces greater pressure to make the iPhone more affordable. An onslaught of lower cost rivals powered by Google Inc.’s Android operating system are gaining market share. Read more

Also another reports suggested…

The lower-cost iPhone would look like a standard iPhone 5, but made with cheaper materials. Polycarbonate would replace the aluminum shell, and other components could be sourced from parts designed for older iPhones. [Mashable]

DigiTimes claims the cheap iPhone will have a larger screen, following the trend pioneered by Samsung and other Android makers.

UPDATE: We have got interesting updates about this story, Reuters shared another reports, with the following words changing the whole story!

But in a new version of the story published after the original, the Shanghai Evening News removed all references to cheaper smartphones, except for a mention of a “cheaper, low-end product.” It also amended its original headline from “Apple will not push a cheaper smartphone for the sake of market share,” to “Apple wants to provide the best products, will not blindly pursue market share.”

Apple confirmed the interview had taken place and that it had contacted the Chinese newspaper about amending its original article, but had no further comment and declined to provide a transcript of the interview.

TNW also updated their post, says…

So, at this point it appears that the newspaper may have taken some liberties with its quotes of Schiller’s interview. A new quote from Schiller simply says “Apple has always focused on providing the best products for its consumers, we’ve never blindly chased market share.”

This all still fits well in our original supposition. Namely, that Schiller was not specifically saying that Apple wouldn’t produce a less expensive iPhone, but would stay away from making one that is ‘cheap’ in either build quality or materials.

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