Apple working on 'cheaper, smaller' and dual-mode iPhone

[pauldmps]

Source: Bloomberg: Apple working on 'cheaper, smaller' and dual-mode iPhones, trying to kill SIMs along the way -- Engadget



$200 translates to 10k for an iPhone without subsidies. Imagine if it is sold in India for the same price.

Bloomberg is citing -- you guessed it -- "people who have been briefed on the plans" as saying that Apple is hard at work on taking the iPhone downmarket with a new model that's roughly one-third smaller than the existing iPhone 4, possibly with the intent on delivering it midyear using mostly carryover components from the iPhone 4 to keep pricing down. Thing is, Bloomberg says that Apple is looking at launching the "cheaper" model at $200 off contract, which would be the same as the 16GB iPhone 4 on contract currently. Let's not understate the fact that $200 off contract is dirt cheap by modern smartphone standards, which means Apple would have to be using every scrap of its enormous economies of scale to pull that off. In all likelihood, in fact, it'd have to abandon the 3.5-inch Retina Display -- it might be too big for a "smaller" model anyhow. The pub goes on to say that the device could've been delayed or scrapped altogether since its source saw the device last year, but it's something to keep an eye on; after all, Apple's probably leaving money on the table right now by failing to go after the midrange with a current-generation handset, so this could be its golden opportunity.

Moving on, they're also saying Apple's working on a dual-mode iPhone that'd work on both CDMA and GSM -- not a surprise at all, really (if anything, it was a little surprising to us that Apple didn't kill off the existing GSM iPhone 4 and replace all SKUs with CDMA / GSM ones when it announced the Verizon model). There's no mention of whether this model would have any manner of 4G support, but CDMA, GSM, and LTE in a single phone -- with at least five bands, if not more -- would be pretty wild indeed.

Finally, Bloomberg says (and our own sources have corroborated) that Apple's working on a so-called "Universal SIM" technology that would eliminate physical SIMs altogether and make using the iPhone on different networks a simple matter of provisioning, not unlike American CDMA networks today. Of course, this rumor's been through the mill before -- and has already been killed off -- so it's hard to say whether this is something Apple is actively working on or has been shelved. The device independence afforded by the SIM has been one of the chief advantages of GSM networks around the world over the past twenty years, and we'd hate to see Apple succeed in killing that off in favor of some sort of locked-up iTunes nonsense, but let's be honest: if anyone could pull off that kind of coup, it'd be Cupertino. More on all these rumors as we hear it.

 

[gagan007]

whoa...this could do wonders! If Apple enters the lower/mid end segment, I can't imagine what will happen to all the other players! We will have another revolution coming soon

 

[pauldmps]

Only if they launch it in India on time.

 

[funkysourav]

^^^^
not possible
India is 3rd world for the Dam# F##k fruit company
they will release it in India when they are ready to dump it for a newer model
even iPad is being released one year after worldwide release, when it is almost ready to transit to iPad2

 

[pauldmps]

^^ I'll get it from the US if it is priced under 15k & is available by aug-sept. 2011.

The problem is that Apple sells so much phones in the US itself that they're plagued by shortages. Hence they do not launch their phones in India.

Any company not launching their product in India is a big fool. Now aren't there Indian employees in Apple ?

 

[furious_gamer]

^^ I'll get it from the US if it is priced under 15k & is available by aug-sept. 2011.

??? Not a good idea..... IMO...

The problem is that Apple sells so much phones in the US itself that they're plagued by shortages. Hence they do not launch their phones in India.

Then why the hell they don't produce more.... Compared to other market, indian market is having a huge buying power, when it comes to mid range segment.

 

[gagan007]

I think there are..I do not know how do they device their policies...funkysourav is absolutely right....what is the point of launching iPad in India when iPad2 is on the brink of being launched...All Indians should boycott iPad..let it decay in stores (I think mostly BSNL)...

I do not think production is an issue...a company such a Apple can't make this mistake. They have huge cash reserves to setup many more production plants..

 

[pauldmps]

But owning such huge profits from a handful of countries makes them feel "Who cares."

Another thing is that the US & Europe have carrier-subsidised system of selling phones which makes them cheaper there. In India the same phone costs about three times without subsidy. It was probably this why the 3Gs did not catch up in India.

 

[NainO]

^ yeah, this contract thing has a huge impact on iPhone 4 price. It cost around $299 with contract and whopping $599 without contract.

 

[gagan007]

but then the service providers easily suck that money from the subscriber as the call rates are way way higher than they are in India...My friend's mobile bill in US, when used normally, went over $100 easily every month (that excludes the price of calling cards he used to call his folks in India)...so, it is easy to get back that money in 2 year contract

 

[dalethomas1]

Apple is a brand name & if it will provide i Phone in affordable price then any ordinary person can purchase & it may be good for both company and customer.

 

[pauldmps]

A new development to this news is that Bloomberg claims that the phone might be a dual-sim GSM-CDMA handset.

iPhone: Password Reveal Hack, Nano Incoming? > News on Smart Mobile > Tech2.com India

In other, more positive news, you could have the iPhone Nano as one of the options for your next purchase if you do end up losing your iPhone. According to Bloomberg, Apple's planning on releasing a smaller, cheaper version of the iPhone without any carrier locks. The estimated price is around $200, and it will also be a dual-SIM (dual-microSIM?) version that supports both GSM and CDMA.

 

[NainO]

^ won't that be great
But mystery still remains unsolved - will it be available in India?!

 

[NIGHTMARE]

The thing is in India we have don't have vendors who purchase ipad and iphone in bulk and provide to the customer in contract bases and like vodaphone and aitel they purchased in bulk but its not too much as compare to US and UK countries.

 

[thetechfreak]

iPhone 4 needs micro sim. We will have to cut our sim to work in it.
Not worth the hassle.

 

[pauldmps]

Micro-sim is available from major networks including BSNL(for iPad), Airtel, Vodafone, etc.

Even if we have to cut a sim, I believe it is worth the hassle.

 

[pauldmps]

News incoming by Wall Street Journal via Engadget:

Source: WSJ corroborates the mini-iPhone, says Apple may make MobileMe free (update: 'edge-to-edge' screen) -- Engadget

WSJ corroborates the mini-iPhone, says Apple may make MobileMe free (update: 'edge-to-edge' screen)

The Wall Street Journal has weighed in on rumors of Apple's smaller iPhone, and citing "people familiar with the matter" the publication says that the rumors are likely true. One such familiar person reportedly saw a device half the size of the iPhone 4, bearing the codename "N97," and said that the handset will be only about half the size of the original, and at only around half the price too. Amazingly, those anonymous sources continued to divulge information, expressing the idea that Apple could finally make its MobileMe cloud service suite free, and that it just might be the platform from which Apple could finally launch a streaming music platform and lessen the need for all those gigabytes of flash storage in your pocket. We'll let you know if or when any of that happens, okay?

Update: The WSJ's source proved even more talkative after getting an eyeful of the Samsung and Sony announcements this morn; the publication's article has been updated to read that the device is "signifcantly lighter" than the iPhone 4, has an "edge-to-edge" touchscreen, and "voice-based navigation" of some sort.

 

[thetechfreak]

I dont think this phone will be officially here before 15 months of launch.
iPad has taken over a year.

 

[pauldmps]

^^ Let it get released first in the US. It is too early to discuss that now.

 

[thetechfreak]

its almost official

Digit just released a fb wall feed that iPhone Nano rumoured to come out in Summer