Holiday Gift Guide »

3G-Less Entry-Level iPhone, Upgraded iPhone 3G Rumoured

By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 11:19 AM

RBC Capital Market’s Michael Abramsky has issued a note to investors about upcoming iPhone models. Remember, financial analysts are just as prone to get lumped into the rumor category as the rest of us, but here are the supposed specs on the two new devices (one entry-level, one an upgrade on the existing iPhone 3G):

Entry-Level iPhone

  • $99 after $200 subsidy
  • EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth
  • 3.5″ 480 x 320 touchscreen
  • Less than 2 megapixel camera
  • 8 GB flash memory
  • 4.5″ x 2.4″ x 0.48″
  • $15/month data plans
  • AT&T, Rogers, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone
  • June/July ’09 Availability

Upgraded iPhone 3G

  • $199/$299 after $400 subsidy
  • UMTS/HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth
  • 3.5″ 720 x 480 touchscreen
  • GPS
  • Greater than 2 megapixel camera with video recording
  • 16 GB memory, 32 GB of flash
  • 4.5″ x 2.4″ x <0.48″
  • Unlimited data for $30/month
  • AT&T, Rogers, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone
  • June/July ’09 Availability

If true, it would be a good move for Apple to extend both up and down from the iPhone 3G to appeal to different price ranges, although Apple COO Tim Cook has denied that the iPhone will make such a move.

“You know us, we’re not going to play in the low-end voice phone business. That’s not who we are. That’s not why we’re here,” he said. “We’ll let somebody do that, our goal is not to be the unit share leader in the phone industry. It is to build the best phone.”

Sounds reasonable, but what do you guys think? Is it likely that Apple would make a more accessible iPhone? Would you get an iPhone Lite?

[via AppleInsider]

About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

  • I’d do her …

    I’d lean on the COO’s side. Why make a Lite phone when your premium invention is such a cash cow. The Lite version would do little to inspire converts and it’s likely divert/dilute attention away from the 3G crowd. Why keep an old standard. Anyone still carrying around that PrimeCo brick from 10 years ago?

  • Jay

    Dunno about iPhone lite, how about an iPhone small? The thing is just huge!