3G iPhone Specs and Prices?

[carsly]

Pricing games

I can see $500 and $600 price points again - Apple is a master of engineering a product to a price point rather than vice versa. Once you spill above $600 then you will quickly enter cheap laptop and mini-notebook territory. Yes, different devices but until now computers (PC and laptops) have had higher price points - call if $1,000-$2,500 than cell phones at $50 - 400 with significant room between the two. What Apple adeptly did with the first iPhone was choose a price point in between to test price sensitivity for mobile devices at something above a traditional cell phone price but below a computer price. I would fully expect something close to the original iPhone price points (which were quickly adjusted, if everyone remembers) with perhaps tests slightly higher for a premium offering - maybe additional storage space - not unlike the macbook air pricing with SSD.

 

[xintelinsanex]

I can see $500 and $600 price points again - Apple is a master of engineering a product to a price point rather than vice versa. Once you spill above $600 then you will quickly enter cheap laptop and mini-notebook territory. Yes, different devices but until now computers (PC and laptops) have had higher price points - call if $1,000-$2,500 than cell phones at $50 - 400 with significant room between the two. What Apple adeptly did with the first iPhone was choose a price point in between to test price sensitivity for mobile devices at something above a traditional cell phone price but below a computer price. I would fully expect something close to the original iPhone price points (which were quickly adjusted, if everyone remembers) with perhaps tests slightly higher for a premium offering - maybe additional storage space - not unlike the macbook air pricing with SSD.

If they are enterting it at the original price point, I would think they would drop the price again like they did for the original phone. I probably won't spend that much again on an upgraded iPhone. I don't use data a lot, so EDGE is fine for now.

 

[WatersWest]

I'd say $400 for 16GB and $500 for 32GB. After the original iPhone release and the pricing debacle, no way is Apple gonna make that mistake again. Plus, don't forget that Apple's prices tend to decrease with each new generation of product.

 

[xintelinsanex]

I'd say $400 for 16GB and $500 for 32GB. After the original iPhone release and the pricing debacle, no way is Apple gonna make that mistake again. Plus, don't forget that Apple's prices tend to decrease with each new generation of product.

If there is indeed a low end iPhone model, I think it would be $299 for the cheap one, $399 for the next level (16GB sounds right), and $499 for the next one. I wonder if they will have like an ultra high end model, cause the price point of $699 has been floating around.

 

[carsly]

I'd say $400 for 16GB and $500 for 32GB. After the original iPhone release and the pricing debacle, no way is Apple gonna make that mistake again. Plus, don't forget that Apple's prices tend to decrease with each new generation of product.

Actually, the prices for new product introductions happen at remarkably consistent price points. What you're confusing is that once launched, prices for that generation product decrement over time. If you think about the range of pricing, Apple has mastered engineering products to thresholds that exist:

$99 - shuffle (cheaper now)
$199/249 - nano/mini
$299 - ipod
$399 - ipod / iphone
$499 - iphone
$599 - iphone

Moving up to the $700 range with a mobile device would be pushing it.

 

[xintelinsanex]

Actually, the prices for new product introductions happen at remarkably consistent price points. What you're confusing is that once launched, prices for that generation product decrement over time. If you think about the range of pricing, Apple has mastered engineering products to thresholds that exist:

$99 - shuffle (cheaper now)
$199/249 - nano/mini
$299 - ipod
$399 - ipod / iphone
$499 - iphone
$599 - iphone

Moving up to the $700 range with a mobile device would be pushing it.

Good point on that pricing list you made. But what about that touchscreen tablet rumor that has been going around? If that were true, it could fill the 699 and 799 gap, depending on features and memory capacities.

 

[IrishJK09]

Well, hopefully all of our questions will be answered in 6.5 days... I am crossing my fingers for a $400 16gb price point though, because I actually have that much set aside. I can do $500 and just tell my wife to eat Raman Noodles (KIDDING), but $6-700 is pushing it too far right now.

June 9th, 2008 is starting rival childhood Christmas on my anticipation scale... lol.

 

[xintelinsanex]

I can't justify another $400 upgrade for my iPhone. If it is $400, I would like to see some type of subsidy or something. If it came in at $299, I would absolutely upgrade. And yes, 7 more days.

 

[cmaier]

Actually the rumored chip to be in the 3G iPhone, the PMB8878, can support up to 5 megapixels.

But you still need a 5 megapixel sensor, and I doubt it'll have one.

I also doubt they'll use the PMB8878. I'm guessing a broadcom chip, despite the rumors.

 

[Reaktor5]

But you still need a 5 megapixel sensor, and I doubt it'll have one.

I also doubt they'll use the PMB8878. I'm guessing a broadcom chip, despite the rumors.

We won't know until some poor iPhone is broken open!

 

[neolite]

I really wouldn't be trusting anything that was found in a reverse engineered firmware dump. It could just be useless testing code for some prototype, and I wouldn't even put it past Apple to put something like that in there just to throw people off.

Their acquisition of PA semi also complicated things quite a bit, in terms of knowing what the capabilities/chipset/price point will be.

 

[cmaier]

Their acquisition of PA semi also complicated things quite a bit, in terms of knowing what the capabilities/chipset/price point will be.

No it doesn't. At least not for this revision. PA semi designed a low power/high performance powerpc chip, not anything that could end up in this revision of iphone.

Maybe next time.

 

[IndyJonez]

More rumors, this time were hearing "thinner"!

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/06/02/3g-thinner-better-battery-rumors-and-more/

 

[xintelinsanex]

More rumors, this time were hearing "thinner"!

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/06/02/3g-thinner-better-battery-rumors-and-more/

Yup, just read a similar article... 22% thinner, thats incredible. Kind of puts it in line with the iPod Touch doesn't it? The iPhone is 11.6 mm the iPod Touch is 8 mm, 22% less on 11.6 mm is roughly 9.05 mm... so still thicker, but pretty close.

 

[inertialnav]

You know what Apple is going to do? They're going to aim at the 10 million unit mark by doing a low end phone, without the bells and whistles. Other phones with all of the options will be more expensive.

 

[IndyJonez]

You know what Apple is going to do? They're going to aim at the 10 million unit mark by doing a low end phone, without the bells and whistles. Other phones with all of the options will be more expensive.

I thought about this the other day also, the supposed $200 phone will be the version that up's the sells to hit 10 million while they will still sell a premium version, I agree.

 

[cmaier]

I thought about this the other day also, the supposed $200 phone will be the version that up's the sells to hit 10 million while they will still sell a premium version, I agree.

Won't happen. Nothing in Apple's history suggests they will seek volume over margin.

 

[Nick9283]

i feel the iphone will definitly be in the 300 dollar range and like cmair said apples more twords the profit instead of mass sales. they are high ticket items and they know it

 

[marcol]

Nothing in Apple's history suggests they will seek volume over margin.

While that's probably true at least to a degree (even the Shuffle apparently has good margins) the iPhone is different to other hardware products because the cash the user pays up front isn't the only income. I'm sure there's some room for manoeuvre and a lowish up front cost is far from impossible - unless they rip up the revenue sharing agreements altogether of course!

 

[xintelinsanex]

Won't happen. Nothing in Apple's history suggests they will seek volume over margin.

Ha! Yeah right, everything they sell is really marked up from manufacturering costs. All they care about is shiny skinny things and margins. With the exception of the Apple TV (the cheap model), that they just want people to adopt it.