Will There Ever Be a Budget iPhone?

Will There Ever Be a Budget iPhone?
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The iPhone Nano?

For months there have been rumors of a budget iPhone entering the market. Some of the rumors are even saying that this new iPhone will be called the iPhone Nano. What would an iPhone Nano be like? Well, the name Nano implies a smaller sized handset. If there was a smaller handset that would mean a smaller screen which would reduce the number of apps you could see on the screen at one time. It would also reduce the size of the screen for viewing video. It worked with the iPod why not the iPhone?

Besides the smaller screen others have suggested that an iPhone Nano would have fewer features. What could be taken out of the iPhone to reduce its features? Well, there is the retina display. The resolution of the current iPhone is incredible. It produces an extremely high quality image. A slimmed down iPhone could have a display of lesser quality. The iPod Touch has a retina display, but it is not as good as the iPhone. Apple could easily reduce the cost by using the iPod Touch screen, or even using the older non-retina display screen.

Another feature that could be removed or just lowered in quality is the camera. The current iPhone has a 5MP camera and is fantastic. It also has a flash. A so called iPhone Nano could have a lower megapixel camera and no flash. The iPod Touch has a camera that is nowhere close to the quality of the iPhone 4. I could definitely see this used as an option. Another possibility would be the next generation iPhone having a better camera and the Nano maintaining the 5MP camera, but still losing the flash.

One final option would be storage. Right now the smallest iPhone 4 is 16GB. A smaller phone could also mean less storage; why not a 4GB or 8GB version? That would definitely cut down the cost.

If there was such a thing as an iPhone Nano I think it would definitely sell. However, the above is all based on rumors – we’ll just have to wait and see if it happens.

Just The iPhone 4 Sold For Less

The other big rumor of a possible budget iPhone revolves around the current iPhone 4. Many rumors are claiming that there will be a budget

ipodtouch

iPhone, but it will just be the current iPhone 4 being sold at a reduced cost. This definitely makes a lot of sense. Currently AT&T sells the iPhone 3GS at a reduced rate that seems to get lower every week. The problem is the 3GS is AT&T only. Verizon cannot sell the 3GS because it is not compatible with the Verizon network. I cannot see Apple redesigning the 3GS for Verizon. It makes much more sense to just sell the iPhone 4 at a lower cost next to the next generation iPhone.

Some rumors have even suggested that the iPhone 3GS will continue to be sold as an even cheaper option with the iPhone 4 and the next generation iPhone.

The iPhone 4 is a great phone with a lot of great features. Even though it is over one year old it is still better than many other phones on the market. Reducing the price and making it a budget iPhone would allow many people the opportunity to get an iPhone for less. Plus, the iPhone 4 is available on Verizon and AT&T so having a model for both carriers would not be a problem. However, if the iPhone expands to other carriers like T-Mobile or Sprint, having an iPhone 4 for those carriers would be a problem. I guess it is possible that the new carriers would have to wait until the next model is released to get their low budget phones.

So will there be a budget iPhone in the near future? Only Apple knows, but I think a lot of people would like to see it happen. If it wasn’t attractive I think AT&T would have stopped selling the 3GS a long time ago. An iPhone (whatever the price) is always going to be an attractive proposition, and even if the release of an iPhone 5 doesn’t get you excited, a cut down version at a cut down price just might. After all it would still allow you to be seen with an iPhone and give you the possibility of all those wonderful apps to use.

I personally think many people would even be happy with an iPod Touch with 3G connectivity and no true phone capabilities. As I write this, that possibility is even floating around the rumor mill right now, but that is a topic for a different article.

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