Apple’s Budget iPhone

Aleksandra Mednikova August 8, 2013 in iPhone Tagged budget iphone, colorful iphone, iphone 5c - 3 Minutes

The budget iPhone seems to be on everybody’s lips nowadays. How can it not be? The legendary iPhone with a budget-efficient price tag is something that everyone would like to see. Leaked images on the internet seem to suggest that the new iPhone would be similar in look to the current iPhone device.

However, the budget device will come with a plastic rear-casing in a vibrant array of colors to choose from. Reports from various sources seem to suggest that the new iPhone is going to be called the iPhone 5C. The “C” here might stand for color.

Critically thinking, this might be a poor move on Apple’s part. Simply because the whole purpose for which this device is being made is all wrong. Let us consider the low-budget iPod phase a few years ago. The budget iPod had a clear-cut purpose. The shuffle was intended for people constantly on the move. The Nano was also a smaller version of the iPod with much less space but a lot more style. The classic iPod was the good old workhorse. Then came the iPod touch, which felt almost like an iPhone but just couldn’t make calls. The iPod Touch was the first real cheap iPod, and it eventually managed to break the iPod hierarchy. However, it is still the most popular iPod in the lineup.

The iPhone 5C: A Cheaper Device for the Sake of Being Cheap

The iPhone 5C, by all counts, seems to be cheaper just for the sake of being a cheaper device. This will be a device with yesteryear tech and cheaper manufacturing costs. It may not be as crummy as I seem to imagine, nevertheless, it will foster a low-cost commodity thought process in Apple. The expanding markets in India and the rest of Asia may be able to secure some profits for the iPhone 5C for now. But a few years down the lane, Apple would have run out of road products. Apple’s reputation of producing the sharpest quality products, irrespective of the cost, is one of its strong points. Once you lower the price point of your brand, it is really hard to go back.

The Dangers of Lowering the Price Point

People begin to expect you to make more and more devices to suit the low-end side, and technologically superior devices might take a hit. The company is then forced to raise the device prices. This situation is completely undesirable for any company. This is one of the main things that are haunting other manufacturers in the industry. A low-cost iPhone is a really splendid idea. However, if it eventually changes Apple’s thinking, then the only road further is towards the bottom. The iPhone 5C shows all the signs of blowing up in Apple’s face.