Apple splitting the iPhone into high-end and low-end versions?
Rumors have been building over the past few months that Apple was not only working on a new iPhone, but that it could have more than one version of the device in the works. Third-party usage logs and code within the iPhone 3.0 software seem to show this. So why would there be two versions of the device, with more than capacity size as a differentiating factor? Well, it could be part of Apple’s play to get the device into areas such as China, a new report indicates.
The report, made by Lazard Capital Markets’ analyst Daniel Amir (and yes, for the billionth time, analysts have a very sketchy record when it comes to Apple products) says that Apple is gearing up for production on two versions of the iPhone. One would be a high-end version meant for North American and Europe, while the other would be a low-end version meant for areas like China and possibly India, Russia and some other regions, AppleInsider reports.
Going along with earlier rumors, the high-end version would feature video recording capabilities, a better camera and more storage capacity. The low-end version wouldn’t have video and may not have the Wi-Fi capabilities. The latter is thought to be an important sticking point in getting the device into mainland China. Apple is thought to be pretty close to a deal with China Unicom, China’s second largest carrier, but the Wi-Fi capabilities could be a remaining hurdle.
This is not the first time a second class of iPhones for other parts of the world have been brought up. Previously, it was rumored that the so-called “iPhone nano” device could be meant for Asian countries that destire smaller devices. The iPhone nano stuff has always seemed a bit bogus, but the possibility of a low-end iPhone for these regions sounds much more plausible.
One would also assume that a low-end version of the iPhone would be significantly cheaper than the high-end version, which could help in other markets as well.
[photo: flickr/paro for peace]
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About the Author, MG Siegler
MG Siegler writes about technology trends and new media for VentureBeat, with a focus on mobile topics, social elements and key news stories. Before that, MG wrote about technology on his blog, ParisLemon. Originally from Ohio, MG attended the University of Michigan where he studied film. He's previously lived in Los Angeles where he worked in Hollywood and in San Diego where he did web development. He now lives in San Francisco.