If Apple is going to make a second, cheaper iPhone, then it’s going to have to be a different approach than they have used in the past. Previously Apple has pushed previous generation iPhones down the pricing line, offering cheaper prices on older models. Recent rumors continuously suggest that Apple could be moving away from that approach, and instead, creating a brand new, cheaper model phone.
Today we get another nugget that adds to the mystique of this rumoured cheap iPhone. According to Electronista, three anonymous sources have all stated that Apple could be about to release a cloud based iPhone. Think Apple TV, but in an iPhone. All apps, media, and features would be strictly cloud based. It’s apparently being labelled the iCloud iPhone internally. How would this make things cheaper? Well, according to the report, Apple would be saving costs on flash storage. The iCloud iPhone could weigh in at an unsubsidized price of $400.00, instead of the current $600.00 price point. It’s also being reported that the phone could be sold entirely without contracts from carriers.
Mind blowingly awesome possibilities.
We don’t have to go on and on about the benefits of contract free cellphones. That topic has been beaten to death over the years, but the idea of a phone that is entirely cloud based is pretty new. Google’s trying it with their laptop lineup, but the project seems to constantly stall. However, a phone with everything up in the cloud could really change the way we interact with our mobile technology. Recently a study pointed out that not many people really know what the cloud is, so Apple could have the luxury of really convincing a lot of people that it’s the next step in technology.
That said, I have a very difficult time believing that an iCloud iPhone, should it actually turn out to be real, would be without flash storage. Apple’s Apple TV is currently a streaming device, but it still comes with 8GB of flash storage. My iPhone 3G only has 8GB of flash storage, and it’s all I need. Should the iCloud iPhone be more of a hybrid model, it may just be the perfect cellular device for most.
Would you trust the majority of your phone’s contents to the cloud? What about Apple’s iCloud? What if it means no longer having to put up with insane contracts from carriers? Let us know below.
Source: Electonista
