It didn’t take long for additional reports to corroborate the Wall Street Journal’s ‘confirmation’ that Apple is planning to release a cheaper iPhone – Bloomberg is now reporting that the device will debut with a price tag of between $99 and $150, going on sale by the end of the year.
As is typical with Apple’s smartphone leaks, one major newspaper or media outlet runs the story and then it becomes a dogfight between Bloomberg, Reuters, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to offer additional pieces of information.
Yesterday, the WSJ said that Apple is currently working on a “less expensive” iPhone model that “could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body.”
Rumors of low-cost and smaller iPhones have floated around for quite some time — as early as 2011 — but such a device has failed to materialise as yet.
The <3 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
While Apple’s profit margins are perhaps the biggest in the smartphone market, the company is involved in a fight over sales volume. It’s possible that a low-cost iPhone would be positioned at emerging markets, allowing Apple to get more consumers into its iOS ecosystem.
The iPad mini shows there is a demand for low-cost mobile computing, perhaps Apple’s smartphone is the next to follow the same path.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.