Apple CEO hints at cheaper iPhone variant, might it launch alongside iPhone 6?

Apple CEO Tim Cook has dropped yet another hint that his company will one day introduce a cheaper, more affordable, iPhone model. Could we see a cheaper iPhone model, one that mimics the company’s iPod range, launched this year?

A select faction of analysts and sources inside Apple’s supply chain reckon a cheaper iPhone is a dead-cert, however, many believe the company will stick to its current – and largely outdated – release schedule of incremental updates based around a singular flagship handset.

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On the subject of a large-screened iPhone, Cook had the following to say in a recent interview with AllThingsD:

‘A large screen today comes with a lot of tradeoffs. Customers are clearly looking at the size, but they also look at things like ‘do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, the reflectivity, battery life. The longevity of the display.’

Cook, however, was quick to point out that Apple may one day release a second model alongside a future flagship iPhone, perhaps with a different feature set and price point, reports Apple Insider.

When asked about why Apple hasn’t taken the iPod approach to its line of iPhone devices – i.e. make smaller and cheaper versions to create traction at a variety of price points in the market – Cook said: ‘My only point is these products all served a different person, a different type, they served different needs.’

‘For the phone that is the question. Are we now at a point to serve enough people that we need to do that?’ Cook added.

Err, yes, Mr. Cook, we’d say Apple is probably at the stage where it’s serving enough people to justify diversifying its smartphone range!

Apple is expected to launch its next iPhone, most likely the iPhone 5S, in Q3 2013. Expected to be yet another incremental update, many reports claim Apple to launch a cheaper iPhone model alongside the upcoming flaghship while other suggest it will happen alongside the iPhone 6 launch next year. Our advice? Don’t hold your breath.

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