Analyst expects a $200 off-contract iPhone in 2014, will it happen?
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
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If we're right on our predictions, that would mean that by 2014, Android devices will be cheap enough to be (at best) running Android 4.0 on ultra-low cost handsets. This would mean that the folk in emerging markets will have the choice between an Android handset with hardware and software that is at least 3 years old, and an Apple handset that could be as much as 4 years old. It's hard to say what version of iOS will be functional on a handset that old now that the iOS software has been put in new hands (and those hands may be tempted to push the platform faster).
Still, even if Apple does bring a $200 iPhone to market in 2014, and it isn't a terribly old piece of hardware, the question still stands: Is $200 cheap enough to be successful in emerging markets? The reason that emerging markets are still emerging is because the population doesn't tend to have a lot of disposable income (or the predilection for falling into debt like many Americans.) Because of this fact, many manufacturers have been aiming at sub-$100 prices for smartphones in these markets. Apple could very well try a $200 iPhone, but those without disposable income tend to not want to pay an Apple tax when there is a less expensive option available.
source: Business Insider
