Tony Fadell, Apple’s former Senior VP of iPod has suggested that a budget iPhone 5C will be ‘hard for Apple to do’.
Numerous budget iPhone 5C rumours have suggested Apple plans to launch a cheaper iPhone alongside the iPhone 5S on September 10, with leaked images suggesting a colourful, plastic 4-inch smartphone is on the cards. But Apple’s former Senior Vice President believes a low cost iPhone will be “hard for Apple to do.”
Speaking with TrustedReviews, Apple’s former Senior Vice President of the iPod Division, Tony Fadell suggested that given the company’s heritage of producing high-end, luxurious and desirable products, a budget iPhone will be a hard obstacle for it to tackle.
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With consumer expectations of Apple widely focussing, on premium design, high-end materials and cutting edge components such as the brushed aluminium iPad mini or the Retina display hosting MacBook Pro, the mooted plastic iPhone 5C will seemingly act as a step into more general, affordable territory for the company.
Despite this Fadell, who worked on the first three iterations of the iPhone and is known as the “father of the iPod,” has hinted that Apple could find a way to make a low cost iPhone work.
“I think they should [make a low cost iPhone],” he said. “We made really low cost iPods so I think there is a way to make a low cost iPhone.”
Fadell, now the Founder and CEO of Nest, didn’t claim any inside knowledge, however, adding: “I hope they find it in themselves to do so but I don’t know if they will.”
Budget iPhone 5C rumours
Tasked with bringing the Apple ecosystem to a wider audience and taking on the mass of wallet-friendly Android handsets, the budget iPhone 5C will reportedly land in “6-8 colours” and feature a spec similar to that of the existing iPhone 5.
Cutting costs with a new plastic form, the iPhone 5C price has been rumoured to be around the £320 mark, a fee which would see it go head-to-head with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One mini.
Given its estimated pricing and spec, it has been claimed the budget iPhone will replace the iPhone 5 in Apple’s revised smartphone line-up.
“We’ve learned that the iPhone 5 line will be terminated from 4Q13, while the iPhone 4S line will carry on,” KGI analyst and repeated Apple tipster Mingchi Kuo said in a recent note to investors.
“From this, we infer that iPhone 5C is launched to replace iPhone 5. In other words, the 5C model will be positioned as midrange. We forecast its retail price to be US$400-500.”
Fadell was speaking informally with TrustedReviews on his personal views on the possibilities of a low cost iPhone. His comments do not reflect any knowledge of Apple’s plans and are simply personal opinion.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
