Apple Looking to Differentiate iPhone Models by Software, Not Hardware

[Cody Overcash]

Unnamed Apple executives hinted in a recent meeting that they are looking to differentiate different iPhone models by software rather than hardware.

According to Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner in a recent meeting Apple executives said that "[The] iPhone is still in its early days and could gain share by: providing more functionality, lowering prices, growing geographically, or segmenting the market with different models.” When pushed for further details the continued saying that “Segmentation would focus on software.”

It sounds plausible that Apple might be looking to do something like this. Creating different models of iPhones by simply focusing on different types of applications would save Apple money as they would only have to produce essentially one device. They could also charge lower prices for models with less software features and more for models with all the extras.

While it may sound plausible I don't think this is a particularly good idea and Apple would be making a mistake by even considering it. The whole concept sounds strangely similar to when iPhone Touch 1g users had to pay $20 to upgrade their software with a few basic extra apps. Apple stopped that bs with the iPod Touch 2g. Going further, via the App Store (or Cyda, Rock Your Phone, etc) the iPhone is already customizable with various apps to fit users needs. Do we really need the "Multimedia iPhone" and the "Stay in Touch with your Friends iPhone" and the "Shopping iPhone?" I say nay.

of course marketing is everything . . . .

[via register hardware]

[sziklassy]

Interesting. If it does get jailbroken you will see people buying the hardware with barebones software and just hacking it and pirating the better stuff. For that reason I highly doubt this will end up going to the market this way.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

+1 ......

[Magnum]

+2

[iquanyin]

+3

[Jordo_6]

+4


Just to join the rest lol

[alek]

um its like choose the vista

([ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxLgBx3W9Ss]YouTube - Apple Get a Mac Ad: Choose a Vista[/ame]),

but with iphones!!!!!!!!!

[sayam]

um its like choose the vista

(YouTube - Apple Get a Mac Ad: Choose a Vista),

but with iphones!!!!!!!!!

quite true... not gonna happen i guess

[shabz_de_don]

+5 ? thought id join in too?!?!?!?

[LSZ33]

This will never see the light of day. The iPhone will continue to get PwNed!

[domaid]

+6
Just joining in. lol

[CaptainChaos]

So you would have a phone with a camera and not be able to use it because the software isn't installed?

[dennder]

Seems like 'choose-a-vista' game to me too.
It would be a suicide by apple, especially after their ads kicking M$ but.

Hmm... should i consider buying iPhone Shopping Premium or iPhone Pro? LOL...

[catriple]

I dont get it. Isnt the savings of the device built in the hardware?

Software is able to be bypassed, its hardware that is an actual block and a cost savings... This doesnt make much sense from an apple business standpoint...

[djdraco]

Really if I wanted a choice of phone that only messeged, took pictures and made calls....I wouldn't be spending $100 a month to AT&T, I would buy the freaking verizon flip phone that cost $20 a month. The purpose of an iPhone is to do so much more than make calls. Who would want to spend so much on a phone with a big touch screen to do a whole lot of nothing? The only good I could see out of this is maybe the possibility of buying the lesser and jailbreaking as others have already said. But really apple don't try and cut corners and become a pc. I'm 24 and I'm a Mac.

[howlett15]

this just puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the day

[ForumSnoBorderRK]

trust me on this. that wont happen. apple will always build their own hardware for their own software. Unless major executives were replaced and the company was bought out, this wont ever legitimately be an option. I am almost 100% positive on this. please dont ask me how I am haha!

[Cocchiararo]

this could be a reason why apple wants jailbreak to be ilegal :P

[djdraco]

Now say they did do this, one piece of hardware and different software, would thatean everyone is forced to buy a 32gb phone or are certain folks limited to being stuck with a 8gb phone when they require more space? If they did the larger what would they do use some kind of partitioning software to shrink the size to what you bought? It's not a very smart decision on their part.