New iPhone could be coming as locked-down consumers seek bargains

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Despite a pandemic-induced global economic crisis, Apple is widely believed to be set release a a reduced-priced handset that aims to fill a gap in its lineup, as soon as this month.

Google may possibly also follow a similar path, after Samsung the other day unveiled new devices costs significantly less than $500.

Reports suggest that the brand new Apple handset, to be called iPhone SE or iPhone 9, could have a starting price under $400, and generate some growth with the timetable uncertain for a fresh flagship smartphone for the California giant.

“While launching a mid-cycle budget/entry-level smartphone in to the backdrop of a consumer global lockdown and unprecedented pandemic will be head scratcher to some, we note that Apple is viewing this as a minimal volume, low touch release with little fanfare as the phones are already prepared to ship,” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said in a research note.

Ives said Apple is likely to be in a position to sell 20 million to 25 million of the new devices before a fresh flagship iPhone 12 is preparing to ship.

Any new smartphone release will be without the splashy unveiling for which Apple is known, and would rely on online sales with most retail stores closed.

- Consumers seeking upgrades -

South Korean colossus Samsung the other day introduced new smartphones that included a model designed to focus on much-hyped new-generation 5G mobile networks and priced less than $500.

“People might have less overall to spend, but concurrently they want better technology,” said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi.

“In the US, where it had been very high-end or cheap smartphones and the center had disappeared, that mid-tier has keep coming back.”

Milanesi said these new phones could have some appeal to financially strained consumers, as some high-end devices reach dizzying prices up to $1,500.

- Tis the season -

Design and production of smartphones launching this season began a long time before the coronavirus pandemic, meaning makers are locked into model specifications.

“We are getting into the season,” Milanesi said of escalating rumors that Apple and Google are poised to announce new handsets.

But some of the brand new devices may conclude being timely in appealing to budget-minded consumers seeking an upgrade or replacement.

A mid-priced iPhone has potential to appeal to users more interested features such as for example cameras, screens, and battery life and less thinking about “gimmicks” prized by early adopters, Milanesi maintained.

“This is not a reply to coronavirus for certain; it just seems to match the marketplace better,” she said.

Apple has remained mum on any iPhone plans.

Google has been recognized to introduce devices at its gross annual developers conference, that was slated for the following month but cancelled as a result of pandemic.

The likely entry for Google will be a Pixel 4A - a successor to its reduced-price sibling because of its flagship Pixel smartphone.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights and Strategy said Apple and others are having to consider the monetary upheaval.

“Forced to chose between investing in a new iPhone and eating, people will chose to eat,” Moorhead said.

“It’s important for Apple to just not lose iPhone sales.”

It remains to be seen if the new devices can generate traction through the deep economic slump.

The brand new models will be arriving at a period of surging make use of desktop or laptop computer computers by persons staying home rather than being on trips relying on smartphones, according to Milanesi.

“A lot of people are home, so mobility is not a high priority,” the analyst said. 
Source: http://www.theindependentbd.com

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