The iPhone 5 is just around the corner, or so we hope. Many believe the announcement will take place towards the end of August with a US launch in the first half of September. Now, a new report has been released claiming an October China Telecom launch.
According to Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White, China Telecom has come to a “preliminary agreement” with Apple to begin selling two versions of the iPhone before the end of October. Said two versions would be a “parred down” iPhone 4 and the next generation iPhone.
According to Sohu.com, China Telecom will offer two types of iPhone that include the iPhone 5 and a ‘simplified iPhone 4,’” says White. “Essentially, this potential ‘simplified iPhone 4? would be a more economical version of iPhone to target a broader customer base in developing countries such as China, allowing for an expanded market opportunity.”
White believes this move to target both upper and lower price points would prove to be a “wise” strategy. Moreover, with China Telecom’s “high end” subscriber base being approximately 13 to 15 million, it would prove a profitable venture.
“We estimate the high-end portion of China Telecom’s subscriber base is approximately 13 to 15 million, which represents a current revenue opportunity for the iPhone of $8- to $9 billion,” White says. “We view this as the most reasonable near-term addressable market opportunity for Apple’s iPhone. However, if Apple offers a more economical, ‘simplified iPhone 4,’ the opportunity with China Telecom could be much larger.”
It makes sense that Apple would not limit this strategy to China, but also implement it in all of the company’s markets.
AllThingsD via Sohu
Related posts:
- Daily News Recap (October 8, 2010)
- iPhone 5 and iPad 3 to arrive in October?
- Daily News Recap (October 11, 2010)
http://www.themacfeed.com/2011/08/iphone-5-coming-to-china-telecom-in-october/
