iPhone 5C: Is Apple prepping a budget smartphone for a fall launch?
Apple is reportedly working on a budget handset called the iPhone 5C, which will retail for far less than the flagship device.听
Before we go any further, it may be worth noting that these kinds of rumors have been swirling for years, with little result. (Consider that way back in the fall of 2011, analysts were eagerly over the impact a cheaper iPhone might have on the China market.) The reason is simple: the iPhone has always been positioned as a luxury device, and Apple has historically seemed unwilling to dilute the brand with a stripped-down smartphone.听
But the Cupertino company may finally have changed its mind. to Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, this fall Apple will release the much-anticipated Apple iPhone 5S, as well as the Apple iPhone 5C, a device that would "exclude some software features, such as Siri" in an effort to keep down costs. Munster the unsubsidized price of the iPhone 5C at $300 鈥� so perhaps as little as $100 with a two-year contract.听
Apple isn't commenting, and again, take a look at the monster caveat above: We've heard these rumors before.听
Not deterred? Then you may be interested in some speculation on the iPhone 5C spec list. Will it run the same hardware as the iPhone 4S? The iPhone 4? Well, over at Gizmodo, .听
"Chances are iPhone 5c will be filled with repurposed guts from the iPhone 4S," Limer writes. "That should mean 8MP cameras and the same聽Samsung-made A5 chips聽that live inside the聽similarly colorful iPod touches. And, of course, a fancy new lightning port. It's probably not much different than how the iPad mini brought new use to聽aging iPad 2 innards."聽
