Analyst: Apple readying two new iPhones for mid-Summer, tiered data from AT&T
By Will Park on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 5:15 PM PST In AT&T, Apple, Devices, Rumors, iPhone, iPhone OS
As we wait for Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to drop new iPhone hardware on us come this Summer, we can’t help but to try and make sense of the scraps of info we’ve gathered on the next-generation iPhone. The iPhone 3.0 OS betas have already yielded some juicy hints of two new iPhone variants coming down Apple’s product pipeline. Given their internal code references, we speculated that the hardware would be significantly different from each other. Now, Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu cites supply chain checks as confirmation that Apple does indeed have two distinct iPhone offerings planned for this Summer.
We’re expecting one of the future iPhone variants to sport higher-spec processors and batteries befitting a higher-end iPhone “Pro” model, with a down-rated iPhone “junior” model bringing up the bottom end. And, Apple’s planning to move some serious volume. Wu’s sources are apparently indicating that Apple has build orders for 5-6 million of the new iPhones.
We’d previously heard that Apple has orders on tap for both 3.2-megapixel and 5.0-megapixel cameras – presumably for use in the iPhone and some other undetermined future hardware. Some believe that Apple is aiming at taking a swing at the digital camera game with a 5-megapixel iPod camera. But, it would also make sense for Apple’s iPhone “Jr” to sport the 3.2-megapixel camera, with the iPhone “Pro” rocking the higher-end 5-megapixel shooter. Of course, this is all speculation until we get closer to Apple’s launch date.
The launch window is still set around mid-Summer, and there’s also talk of AT&T (NYSE: T) preparing to offer tiered data plans. If the two iPhones are really all that different, it would be fair to offer a cheaper 3G data plan to the less-powerful iPhone variant. With cheaper unlimited data plans floating around out there, it wouldn’t surprise us to see AT&T giving its customers a break as well.
iPhone 3G Pro. iPhone 3G Junior. It doesn’t matter. The only true “iPHone Killers” out there are the next versions of the iPhone itself. From not even being in the smartphone business to market domination in less then two years. Incredible. This year, the iPhone knocked the Razr off the top selling cell phone list. 2/3 of the mobile internet traffic measured on one survey pointed to iPhone activity alone and they’ve put a big dent in the business categories too leaving the stagnant Palm devices in the dust and giving RIM/Blackberry a real push in the email.
The iPhone(s) next may not have the great sales that the 3G version did over the original, but the wireless landscape is vastly different now. There are price wars raging which started in the prepaid sector and are threatening to spillover onto the Big 4 including ATT.
Boost, Metro PCS, Leap /Cricket, Tmobile and even the mighty Verizon have been affected by it.
The iPhone has set new standards and expectations are high not just for the iPhone itself but for all of its would be competitors. Witness Blackberry pushing to get out their Verizon Storm sequel less then one year after the original came out. Palm is hanging by a thread going all in with their much hyped Palm Pre in what might be their final gamble (especially partnered with a lameduck carrier like Sprint). Tmobile struggles with introducing its Johnny Come Lately 3G network with the upcoming G2 while Sprint and Verizon start to announce the arrival soon of 4 G networks in Wimax and LTE/Fios.
The iPhones will be the centerpiece of this tech war. Time will tell if the economy and heavy competition will hamper sales. But the bottomline is , that come summer, Apple and Att will again be raking it in.