Rumor: Apple working on smaller, more affordable iPhones

By Molly McHugh February 10, 2011

“According to people who have been briefed on the plans,” Apple is developing new, less expensive iPhone models to compete with lower level smartphones. In a move to compete with the rapidly expanding Android market, which integrates on smartphones of various makes and prices, Apple will market a cheaper, smaller version – about one-third smaller than the existing iPhone 4.

Bloomberg claims one of its sources has seen the prototype, and that it will sell for $200 without a contract – as opposed to the iPhone 4, which currently sells for between $200 and $300 with a two year AT&T or Verizon contract. Apple will be able to cut the price tag so drastically because it will use the same or similar hardware as the iPhone 4, and component prices drop over time, so the phone would be significantly cheaper to manufacture.

According to the insiders, Apple is concerned with fending off Android competition as the Google platform continues to rapidly grow and establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. By even minimally widening its customer demographic, Apple could see monumental sales growth, and the device could be introduced mid-year. But, seeing as no Apple product is a certainty until sitting it’s sitting in the palm of your hand, we wouldn’t mark your calendars.

In addition to a low-level phone, Apple is reportedly developing a “dual-mode” phone, which could be supported by GSM (used by AT&T) and CDMA (used by Verizon) networks. Apparently this is to eliminate the use of SIM cards, something else Apple is working on. According to multiple outlets, including Bloomberg, Apple is investing in a “universal SIM,” which would get rid of the cards entirely and let iPhones operate on different networks. Obviously, this would allow Apple to exist free of carriers and control its customers more directly.

Eliminating SIM cards and carrier-led contracts seems like a lofty goal, even for Apple. But we are interested to see what could become of these more affordable versions. If these versions truly cost Apple next to nothing to produce, they could equate to a whole new demographic that will have access to iOS phones, and more money in Apple’s pocket.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Mobile

How to find your phone number on iPhone or Android

Someone holding up an iPhone 14 to their ear.

Let's face it: Most of us don't call our own phones very often. If you're like most people, this means you probably don't know your own phone number off-hand, especially if you rarely give it out to people or haven't had it for long, such as after setting up a new account or changing your number after moving to a new town.

To make things even more complicated, many modern smartphones let you set up more than one line using an eSIM, which gives you more than one number to remember.

Mobile

Are you having iPhone alarm problems? A fix is coming soon

A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

If you’ve slept through an important meeting or missed your alarm lately, it may not be entirely your fault if you’re an iPhone user. For weeks now, iPhone users have been reporting on social media that their devices are no longer ringing.

Today, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern finally confirmed this. According to Stern, Apple has confirmed that it’s aware of the issue causing some alarms not to play a sound and is working on a fix.
iPhone alarm issues explained
The iPhone alarm problem seems to be tied to Apple’s Attention Aware features. For those unfamiliar, it’s a feature that lowers the volume sound of your alerts and alarms if you’re looking at your device and avoids dimming the screen, similar to how Samsung phones keep the screen on if they see you looking at your screen.

Mobile

Best cell phone plan deals: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Mint Mobile and more

Woman

One of the best phones deserves one of the best cell phone plans, and whether you’re shopping for yourself or you’re looking to add a line to your plan for a family member, there are more options out there than many people think. With larger carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile you can often find some great phone deals, but if you’re simply shopping for a cell phone plan, we’ve got all of the information you need to get yourself one of the best cell plan deals. Reading onward you’ll find the best cell phone plan deals to shop right now, and while these are general plans offered by each provider, they do include some of the best cell phone plans out there.
Mint Mobile: Get any 3-month plan for $15 per month
For a limited time, Mint Mobile has dropped the three-month price for all of its plans to just $15 per month. That means, the Unlimited plan, normally $30 per month, or $90 for three months, is no just $15 per month or $45 for three months. The base 5GB of data per month plan is $15 per month, and the 15GB per month plan is $15 per month, or $45 for three months. That is an incredible deal. All Mint Mobile plans include unlimited talk and text, access to 5GB high-speed data, free calling to Mexico and Canada, free mobile hotspot access, and WiFi calling support. You can't beat that!

U.S. Mobile: Pre-pay $23 per line per month
Prepaid wireless plans are a great option for light users, kids, and anyone else who won’t be consuming a lot of data on a daily basis. U.S. Mobile is one of the best prepaid service providers available today, allowing you to build your own custom plan, so you’re only paying for as many minutes, texts, and gigabytes of data as you want to. As just one example, its Unlimited Starter plan is just $15 per line, or $276 for 12 months -- saving you $72 per year. You get unlimited talk, text, and data, 10GB of hotspot data, international calling and texting, and more. If you're adding multiple lines to a plan, you can also unlock free extras like Disney+ and Netflix.