Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Apple's iPhone 2013 lineup - The way it should have been



As I browse through various social media websites, I am surprised to see the Apple iPhone 5C branded Apple's mid-range smartphone. In reality the iPhone 5C is overpriced despite its misleading $99 price tag as it has taken the rightful place of the Apple iPhone 5 which has mysteriously lost is place in this year's lineup. While expecting Apple to release a budget device to compete with the Nokia Lumia 520 seems far fetched, this is how I think the Apple iPhone 2013 lineup should have looked like.

Apple chose to discontinue the iPhone 5 in favor of the iPhone 5C. Keep in mind that the iPhone 5 would have been priced at $99 on contract if it had stayed around, and its $550 off contract price can be justified with its premium build. Now users have to settle for a polycarbonate (plastic) build, but not at a lower price.

Why discontinue the iPhone 5?

Generally Apple discounts the iPhones by $100 when a new model is released. This means the iPhone 5 which started at $650 unlocked (contract free) would cost $550. Apple obviously has a reasonable profit margin on this device, but its clear that with the iPhone 5C in its place, Apple will make an even larger profit on their middle offering.

Apple iPhone 5S as newest flagship

I am actually happy with the Apple iPhone 5S. Despite looking visually similar to the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5S brings some neat new features to the table. You have a brand new operating system in  powered by an Apple A7 processor, which is marketed as the first ever 64-bit mobile processor. Well to be honest the main purpose of 64-bit architecture is to bypass the 4GB of RAM limit, and since the iPhone 5S has only 1GB of RAM, we don't expect the 64-bit processor to offer a significant performance boost.

The fingerprint scanner, though a gimmick in its own right, is unique to the iPhone (at the moment) and will help boost the sales of the device. Other improvements like the battery life, camera and the new gold color are enough to justify the flagship stance of the iPhone 5S.

The overpriced iPhone 5C

Lets be honest. Apple's appeal has always been that its devices are built using premium material. Now the iPhone 5C is thinner and fatter than the iPhone 5, and we are still expected to pay the same amount we would have payed for the iPhone 5? Really Apple?

The way it should have been

Apple prides itself at offering its customers with quality, class and uniformity. A great example for its uniformity was the Apple iPad 4, which was released just months after the iPad 3 just to uniform the data ports between their devices. However we are now left with the iPhone 4S which still uses the traditional port and a 3.5 inch display, when Apple claims a 4 inch display is the perfect size.



It wasn't the iPhone 5 that should have been discontinued it was the iPhone 4S. Apple should have left the iPhone 5 as it was meant to be and introduced the iPhone 5C as a replacement to the iPhone 4S.

If Apple had priced the iPhone 5C at $450 (without contract):

  • Users would have not be so disappointed, 
  • All iPhones in the 2013 lineup would have had 4 inch displays,
  • All iPhones in the 2013 lineup would have had the same data ports
Apple's 2013 lineup is disappointing and users should not purchase the overpriced iPhone 5C. Apple should release a newly designed iPhone 6 in 2014, which should see the iPhone 5C step down to its rightful price point. However by then the hardware would be over 2 years old, giving users more reasons to switch to a powerful Android or Windows Phone.

You may also like to read:

DJs Mobiles Web Developer

Morbi aliquam fringilla nisl. Pellentesque eleifend condimentum tellus, vel vulputate tortor malesuada sit amet. Aliquam vel vestibulum metus. Aenean ut mi aucto.