We’ve been hearing for ages that Apple has been working on a low-cost iPhone in order to compete against the flood of Android, Windows Phone and other devices at lower price points. Whilst Apple CEO Tim Cook has denied the strategic shift from discounting older iPhone models to creating an entirely new cheaper iPhone, these rumours have continued for months. This week, we may have found some of the first photographs of the next-generation low-cost plastic iPhone.
While blurry, these images are tantalising, showing an iPhone with a glossy plastic rounded back, reminiscent of the iPhone 3G and 3GS. One photo shows the bottom of the phone, with a Lightning cable connected – a clear difference from the iPhone 3G. Boosting the brightness of the photo reveals a few other elements – speaker grilles on either side of the Lightning connector and a headphone jack on our far right side. Few other details are apparent from the photographs, with an iPhone bumper case that obscures the frame of the phone. According to GSMArena, each image is from a different source, adding a small amount of believability to the leak.
While Apple has its annual WorldWide Developers Conference on Monday next week, no hardware announcements are suspected at the event. Instead, the focus is expected to be on its upcoming software, including iOS 7 (which features a new flatter design) and Mac OS X 10.9.
While one iPad case manufacturer has already produced a run of 15,000 cases in expectation of an iPad reveal, the prevailing mood seems to be that any hardware announcements will be made later in the year at a dedicated reveal event. In any case, the event should definitely be an interesting one to watch, so make sure you check your favourite news site around the time of the keynote – that’s 10 AM Pacific, 6 PM BST.
Be sure to let us know what you make of the leak – are these the real deal or just another fake from the Far East?