Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • Networking
    • Small Business

    Apple Prepping Smaller, Cheaper iPhone: Report

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    February 12, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      In an effort to more directly challenge Google’s Android-powered handsets, Apple is reportedly designing a smaller, less expensive version of its top-selling iPhone. Bloomberg News reported the new phone would also be easier to operate on various networks. “Instead of targeting 25 percent of the global mobile-phone market, Apple would be going after 100 percent,” Needham & Co. analyst Charlie Wolf told the news service.

      The prototype would be about one-third of the size of normal iPhones, the report said, and would lack a “home” button. “Apple would sell it at a low price mainly because the smartphone will use a processor, display and other components similar to those used in the current model, rather than pricier, more advanced parts that will be in the next iPhone,” the Bloomberg article noted.

      This week, Apple moved forward in its efforts to broaden sales by offering the iPhone 4 on Verizon’s wireless network. Last week, Verizon stopped taking orders for the iPhone 4, reporting that it has already sold through its initial inventory. During a Jan. 25 conference call with media and analysts to discuss Apple’s fiscal 2011 first quarter, Apple executives announced that the company sold a record number of iPhones during the quarter, and could have sold even more had it had the inventory.

      According to Nielsen, Google’s Android platform ran on 43 percent of smartphone shipments from July 2010 to December 2010, while Apple iOS grabbed 26 percent and RIM’s BlackBerry took 20 percent. Nielsen’s numbers came one day after Canalys published its fourth quarter smartphone shipments across North America, Asia Pacific, EMEA and Latin America, finding that Android became the world’s leading smartphone platform.

      While Apple expands its market share with new carriers and a potential lower-cost handset, Nokia, the world’s leading handset manufacturer, is feeling the heat. CEO Stephen Elop recently announced plans to revamp the company’s strategy, noting the industry had changed and Nokia needs to move faster to compete more effectively.

      The Android platform is also helping push worldwide smartphone sales to new highs, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, released this week. In the fourth quarter of 2010, vendors shipped 100.9 million smartphones, up 87.2 percent from 53.9 million during the same period in 2009.

      IDC research suggested further gains for the smartphone market in 2011, as vendors deepen and broaden their offerings. “The high end of the market has been important to help grow the smartphone market in recent years,” said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s mobile phone technology and trends team. “IDC expects vendors to provide more midrange and low-end smartphones at lower prices to reach the mass market. In the same manner, even high-end devices will become available at lower prices. This will result in greater competition and more selection for users.”

      Android’s market penetration, helped by the numerous handset manufacturers adopting the platform (including HTC, LG Electronics, Motorola and Samsung) has become a cornerstone of the smartphone market’s growth, Llamas noted. Adding to the competitive landscape is the entrance of two refreshed operating systems, Symbian 3 and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×