"Category-killer" experience required by Apple to go after an entry level smartphone
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This last one, however, comes straight from the RBC analyst Mike Abramsky, who met with Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer on Wednesday, and issued "key takeaways" from the conversation.
While we don't know if these exact words have been used by Apple's senior managers, Abramsky writes that Apple is considering an entry level smartphone only if it provides "innovative, category-killer" experience. We'd say that whatever iOS-powered gizmo Cupertino produces for $100 bill of materials, slaps its logo on it, and sells it for $250-$300, will eat a sizeable chunk of the prepaid market anyway.
This might be the iPhone 4 fusion we saw suggested the other day, with the dual-core A5, but cheaper plastic chassis, an updated iPod touch with cellular radios, or something completely novel - it will still be the unique Apple experience, if it runs iOS, and will keep the huge profit margin range Cupertino enjoys on each of its cell phones. The watered down iPhone 4, however, might only be going to exclusive agreements with carriers like China Telecom, alongside with the premier next iPhone, as we heard the other day, while Apple is slowly testing the water for a full-on assault of the huge prepaid market. Such a move would definitely not be for financial, but rather strategic reasons, as Apple rakes in 2/3 of the mobile industry profits with only 6% of the market anyway.
Let's not forget also that Cupertino was working with Gemalto on a programmable embedded SIM module, which will allow you to switch carriers via a simple app, before the European carriers went Tony Soprano and threatened to cut the subsidies for the iPhone, afraid they might be rendered mere dumb pipes for voice and data by such a move. Apple might not have given up on the idea, though, and kept it for these eventual entry-level phones for emerging markets altogether.
via AppleInsider
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11 Comments
2. shafboy posted on 05 Aug 2011, 05:32 7 3
Launching it almost anywhere will be a success if its Apple right?
7. jroc74 posted on 06 Aug 2011, 01:38 3 1
Basically. They could launch it into orbit and it would be a success...
3. r2212xx posted on 05 Aug 2011, 10:28 5 0
If Apple does launch it then surely it might be a success everywhere. But the bonus factor is that it will help Apple gain a strong share in the developing countries phone market where iPhones are still on the expensive end and are considered to be the phone for the affluent.
8. dandirk posted on 06 Aug 2011, 10:59 0 0
The problem with that theory is that Apple makes HUGE margins, especially in the Asian market BECAUSE the phones are for the affluent.
Less so in the states, but the spin is they are still "cool".
While iOS and iphones work well together and they are stable good devices. A large part of their success is still image and marketing.
Will be interesting to see if Apple can keep that image with cheap plastic versions. The porche 924 and 944 were considered a watering down of the brand... Though Porche Boxter does have a bit more respect...
4. GALAXY-S posted on 05 Aug 2011, 12:01 8 3
All iphones are entry level smart phones already... ???? they are the picture books in the smartphone world...
5. taco50 (banned) posted on 05 Aug 2011, 16:05 2 6
Is that why you're named after an iPhone knock off?
6. GALAXY-S posted on 05 Aug 2011, 16:25 4 4
i think the iphone will now be an android knock off after their "update"
9. dandirk posted on 06 Aug 2011, 11:03 1 0
Once could say the iphone 5 is a knock off of the SG/SG2. If the recent images are accurate.
Sorry Taco design "knock off" arguments (at least visual/physical design) does not hold water, because virtually every industry does it, especially technology.
10. YoseYO posted on 06 Aug 2011, 12:09 0 0
Imagine if the next iPod will actually be prepaid enabled, it would sell like hot-cakes lol
11. beillax posted on 06 Aug 2011, 14:55 0 0
It's funny because whenever I see an android headline on Phonearena I don't click on it because i am not an android person. But when I click on iPhone headlines, android people are always commenting things like "the software is outdated" or "apple sucks". If Apple sucks so bad why did you waste your time even opening up this article??
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