Is the next iPhone going to be called the iPhone 5, or the iPhone 4S? It depends on which Apple rumors you believe–some think that the new smartphone will be completely overhauled with a new design and internals, others think that it will just be a beefed-up iPhone 4. However, one analyst thinks that there might be two models on the horizon.
CNN Money reports:
In a note issued early Monday, Deutsche Bank’s Chris Whitmore is telling clients to expect both — an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S.
“With Nokia and RIMM struggling,” he writes, “the time is right for Apple to aggressively penetrate the mid range smart-phone market (i.e. $300-500 category) to dramatically expand its [total addressable market] and market share.”
The idea is that the iPhone 5 will be the new model, the next iteration of the Apple smartphone, and the 4S model will be a slightly more powerful version of the current model intended to sell for budget-conscious users. It’s not unusual for an older version of the Apple smartphone to be sold at budget prices when a new model comes out (i.e. the 8GB iPhone 3GS for $49 when the new iPhone 4 was released).
It’s an opportunity for Apple to hold a wider range of the market – smartphone users who want the latest and greatest, and those who simply want the conveniences of a smartphone without the hefty price tag to come along with it.
The rumors swirling around the iPhone 5 have ranged from the processor it will use, a new display, a radical new design, the types of flash units its camera will employ and even its size. An infographic released last week does a nice job of rounding up some of the rumors and giving each one a percentage of likelihood.
If the new Apple smartphone is really coming this fall, we’re just two short months away from learning whether any of these rumors hold water, or if they’re just as wild as they’ve ever been in the past.
[Via: CNN]