After rumor which indicates that Apple has already started work on an iPhone 4 CDMA only for the Verizon network in the US, now it has appeared another which indicates that Apple could release some new iPhone models next year, but they are of different sizes. The new models would be launched at various operators in the US, but certainly also at the European ones, and the main gain for the consumer would be a smaller but cheaper iPhone. At the moment, the iPhone 4 is available at prices starting from €500 and going up to over €1000, so it is not accessible to everyone, and some smaller, cheaper models with slightly less powerful hardware could be welcome for those who cannot afford a normal iPhone.
"Our sources believe these likely represent new high-end and low-end iPhone models to complement its current iPhone 4," Wu wrote in a note to investors. "One possibility we are picking up is a "mini" or "nano" iPhone with a smaller candybar form factor leveraging technology in its new mini touchscreen iPod nano.
We believe Apple moving to a more complete iPhone product line makes strategic sense in that its iPhone 4 addresses only the high-end of the market," he said. "We think Apple should take a page out of its iPod playbook where it has had a lot (of) success with a 3-tier strategy addressing entry-level, mid-range and high-end, making it difficult for competitors."
Of course, this is just a rumor and I for one find it hard to believe that Apple would complicate the production of several iPhone models considering that they can barely cope with the production of current terminals. However, if there were more options for the new iPhone, would you be inclined to buy a cheaper iPhone 5 model than the "main" model?
