Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted that the much rumoured cheaper iPhone could turn out to be an entirely new product altogether, instead of a lower spec handset.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference, Cook was quizzed on the existence of a cheaper iPhone handset. He admitted the existing Apple iPhone range is too expensive for PAYG customers, but said Apple would not do anything it didn’t consider a “great product”.
Cook outlined Apple’s attempt to make the iPhone range more affordable with the price reductions on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Such price drops actually led to supply shortages during Q4 2012 of the iPhone 4, with Apple “surprised” by the level of demand for the handset during those months.
On the production of a cheaper iPhone handset, Cook, like his predecessor the late Steve Jobs, was fairly evasive, instead suggesting that a cheaper iPhone could potentially be a new product.
“We are making moves to make things more affordable,” said Cook. “When we came out with iPod it was $399, today you can buy an iPod Shuffle for $49. Instead of saying how can we cheapen this iPod to get it lower, we said how can we do a great product, and we were able to do that. The same thing, but in a different concept, in some ways.”
Discussing the creation of an iMac costing less that $1000, Tim Cook was of a similar mindset: “We concluded we couldn’t do a great product, but what did we do – we invented iPad. Now all of a sudden we have an incredible experience and it starts at $329. Sometimes you can take the issue and solve it in different ways.”
If we follow the Apple logic presented here by Cook, the rumoured Apple Watch, a completely new product incorporating components and characteristics of the iPhone, could be what Apple releases as the cheaper iPhone option.
Would you buy an Apple iWatch if you couldn’t afford an iPhone? What specs would the Apple iWatch have to have to convince you it was an alternate option? Drop us a line via the Trusted Reviews Facebook and Twitter pages or the comment boxes below.
Via: IGN
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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.
