Comments on: Vocal Apple investors may be getting what they want: higher dividend, lower-priced iPhone

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:48:01 +0000

Hate your carrier? Buy an iPhone.
Great idea. Think I will do just that

By: winstuff

winstuff — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:46:11 +0000

The iPhone costs are premised on its primary US market, where the carriers pay Apple about $450 per unit out of their own pockets and obviously profits. Carriers are tired of this subsidized model and are slowly replacing it. Wonder why? Once the user must pay full price in the US, it’s much more likely Apple will put out a lower cost phone, concentric with the iPhone and iOS ecosystem, but with reduced feature and materials spex. But why not soak the carriers as long as possible? Hate your carrier? Buy an iPhone.

By: Karthik Kumar

Karthik Kumar — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:17:48 +0000

Yet another case of short-sighted and uninformed shareholders wanting a quick buck at the potential cost of brand equity dilution and long term loss.. Every Apple fan (atleast in this post i won’t call them iSheep) has consistently harped about Apple’s “high end” construction and materials to justify it’s higher end prices and therefore sustain Apple’s own margins, whilst also creating the Halo around Apple’s products as “for the classes” while Samsung and other Android vendors were “for the masses”. Take away those, and Apple stock would in the medium term fall further. Plus once people get used to low prices, they won’t pay higher prices if Apple brings out a “signature” product down the road as well. Take lessons from Microsoft. People got so used to $499 netbooks, that now they’re unwilling to dole out more for the Surface or Surface Pro.

By: tom

tom — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:48:57 +0000

there are two ways apple could lower the cost of iphones;

1. lower the overall quality by using plastics, etc. instead of metal and glass giving the device an overall cheaper feeling.

2. lower the specs with a slower processor, etc.

the 1st would likely be rejected by consumers as ‘too cheap’ the second option may actually hurt sales of higher ends models since most consumer really do not care about specs that much and/or would never notice the difference, and the newness may actually sway people who would not mind spending more but want the newest device. the best option would likely be to just keep the older model around perhaps lower the price a bit more.