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RIM: What Happened? (Page 6)
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Salty
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Jul 10, 2011, 12:29 AM
 
Agreed. Though it'd be really nice if they allow for iMessage to integrate with iChat, maybe even take over the name. iMessage as a multi device messaging platform will be killer. I genuinely hope they add the ability to send txts routed through your iPhone.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 02:22 AM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
Just because Telus, Rogers, Bell and the smaller carriers all have cheaper blackberry plans that aren't as much as a real smartphone plan, doesn't mean that RIM is doing well, all that means is that they're doing a half decent job of capturing the very bottom of the barrel. Speaking as a sales rep, those are the LAST people you want as your customers. They do little more than complain and drag down your product's image. The longer you spend in these people's hands, the less likely anyone willing to spend real money on a phone is going to bother with your product.

I realized just how badly RIM had fallen a few years ago when I saw a girl holding a curve on the bus sit down revealing like five inches of butt crack.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 02:24 AM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
Agreed. Though it'd be really nice if they allow for iMessage to integrate with iChat, maybe even take over the name. iMessage as a multi device messaging platform will be killer. I genuinely hope they add the ability to send txts routed through your iPhone.
I was just saying today how at least FaceTime would be nice to be rolled into iMessage somehow. iChat would be fantastic. It would almost kill Skype.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 02:26 AM
 
3G connectivity on iPod Touch? Rumour:

3G Rumored for Next iPod Touch - Techland - TIME.com
     
CharlesS
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Jul 10, 2011, 02:27 AM
 
Um, isn't an iPod touch with 3G connectivity basically... an iPhone?

Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist. Macworld - five mice!
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 03:02 AM
 
Yes.

Totally pointless rumor about a totally pointless product.

If you want an iPhone without a voice plan, then don't get a voice plan for it.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 03:55 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Yes.

Totally pointless rumor about a totally pointless product.

If you want an iPhone without a voice plan, then don't get a voice plan for it.
Pointless product? They're selling millions, and I use one all the time as well.

If 3G is pointless on an iPod Touch, then it must be pointless on an iPad...
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 04:00 AM
 
I was kind of expecting that, though I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary…
Originally Posted by freudling View Post
Pointless product? They're selling millions, and I use one all the time as well.
Yes, Apple is selling millions of 3G iPod touches. I use one as well.

They're just consistently adding a better display, better cameras, and calling them "iPhones".

A 3G iPod touch is a completely pointless redundancy.

Originally Posted by freudling View Post
If 3G is pointless on an iPod Touch, then it must be pointless on an iPad...
Because there's redundancy with which other product, exactly?
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 04:40 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
I was kind of expecting that, though I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary…

Yes, Apple is selling millions of 3G iPod touches. I use one as well.

They're just consistently adding a better display, better cameras, and calling them "iPhones".

A 3G iPod touch is a completely pointless redundancy.
Think about this. You can't put an iPad in your pocket. I'm not sure it's really understood here just how much communications has changed in the past few years. Younger people are dialed in social media. They're communicating via FaceBook, Twitter, SMS and MMS. Voice isn't the killer App anymore.

So it's really now all about Apps like FaceBook, Twitter, Skype, VoxOx, and soon, iMessage. Couple this social shift with the number of teens and young adults who own iPod Touches and there really is a market for a 3G iPod Touch. I'm not saying Apple is going to offer this but I wouldn't be surprised if they offered them as an option to Wifi only versions.

Now, a person might say: get the iPad and just personal hotspot it. That'll work, but there're times when you only have what's in your pocket... so why not buy into an ultra mobile personal hotspot: an iPod Touch.

If they can pull out some good battery life, I'm down.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 06:31 AM
 
I understand all that.

But that product already exists. Apple already makes it.

Buy an iPhone with a ten-dollar data-only contract.
     
Phileas
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Jul 10, 2011, 06:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Yes.

Totally pointless rumor about a totally pointless product.

If you want an iPhone without a voice plan, then don't get a voice plan for it.
Not at all pointless, IMO.

Apple can make an iPod Touch for considerably less than an iPhone and still make a profit. Meaning I can now have an 'always on' device for 200 bucks - an iPhone without carrier subsidy costs three times that, minimum. If I am a teenager who does 90% of my communication via text and the remaining 10% via Facebook then I've just gone to heaven. Throw in FaceTime, assume google will make google+ video work on mobile and an interesting picture emerges.

Get yourself a Skypein number for your voice needs, if you still need a number, and the carriers have just been reduced to a dumb pipe, Apple's goal all along.

I think we'll see a 3G iPod sooner than a low end iPhone.
( Last edited by Phileas; Jul 10, 2011 at 07:00 AM. )
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jul 10, 2011, 06:59 AM
 
iPod Touch with 3G = Low Cost iPhone.

Its the same old rumour with a different name.

The original iPod was very expensive, now its cheap and ubiquitous. I guess a cheap iPhone is really just a matter of time.
( Last edited by Waragainstsleep; Jul 10, 2011 at 12:10 PM. )
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 07:36 AM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
Not at all pointless, IMO.

Apple can make an iPod Touch for considerably less than an iPhone and still make a profit. Meaning I can now have an 'always on' device for 200 bucks - an iPhone without carrier subsidy costs three times that, minimum.
You're not asking for an iPod touch; you're asking for an iPhone with the component quality and price of an iPod touch.

Over here, the 8 GB iPod touch is €230. The 8GB iPhone 3GS, completely unsubsidized, is €520.

I'm not sure how Apple could/would/should bridge that gap, come iPhone 4S/5/whatever. They might take the inferior iPod touch screen and crappy camera and stick that in the iPhone 4 and sell it for €450 or €400, but that doesn't really help the market that much - kids who raise the money to spend €400 on a cool communications device will also spend €500, without forcing Apple to eat margins.

Remember also that Apple's goal isn't selling more iPhones; it's making as much money as they can. They're already selling pretty much all the iPhones they can make, at current prices.
     
Phileas
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Jul 10, 2011, 08:24 AM
 
We'll see how this pans out, but I think you might be missing the mark on this one.

Apple has been trying to break the carriers from the getgo and as freudling says above, voice is no longer the killer application. People communicate in a variety of ways, all of which can be accommodated by an always on device that doesn't use the phone network, such as it exists today, for voice transmission.

For a teenager, the difference between $249 (ipod Touch) and $549 (iPhone) is considerable. Add G3 to the mix and a lot of people who would otherwise have looked at Android or BB phones now have an alternative.
     
Wiskedjak
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Jul 10, 2011, 08:34 AM
 
Originally Posted by CharlesS View Post
Um, isn't an iPod touch with 3G connectivity basically... an iPhone?
Yes. But, once you remove the Phone app, carriers consider it a Tablet and you can start using data-only plans.
     
Wiskedjak
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Jul 10, 2011, 08:36 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
If you want an iPhone without a voice plan, then don't get a voice plan for it.
That's not always an option. None of the Canadian carriers offer a data-only plan, with the exception of Tablet plans. And, none of them like having phone-capable devices on their Tablet-only plans.
     
Wiskedjak
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Jul 10, 2011, 08:41 AM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
Apple can make an iPod Touch for considerably less than an iPhone and still make a profit.
Apple can make a regular iPod Touch for considerably less than an iPhone. However, a 3G iPod Touch will have all of the same internal hardware as an iPhone; the only difference would be the presence of the Phone app. A 3G iPod Touch would *not* cost $250 ... probably more like $400-$500.
     
Paco500
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Jul 10, 2011, 10:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
Agreed. Though it'd be really nice if they allow for iMessage to integrate with iChat, maybe even take over the name. iMessage as a multi device messaging platform will be killer. I genuinely hope they add the ability to send txts routed through your iPhone.
I do wish apple would pick one messaging platform and stick with it. iChat, FaceTime and iMessage all overlap in some fashion and should merge IMHO. It would be lovely.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 11:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
For a teenager, the difference between $249 (ipod Touch) and $549 (iPhone) is considerable. Add G3 to the mix and a lot of people who would otherwise have looked at Android or BB phones now have an alternative.
What about the difference between $400-450 (iPod touch with 3G) and $549 (iPhone)?
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 12:01 PM
 
First: an iPod Touch 3G will not cost $4-500 bucks. Apple knows they'd price it out of the market. And don't even bother using the iPhone as a yardstick to measure by: the buy price is inflated because you actually pay the carrier subsidy when you buy it outright. No... the 3G iPod Touch will be marginally more expensive than a Wifi only version or else Apple wouldn't flog it.

Now, to address all these comments. You guys have been around the Apple scene a long time. Think about this. Wouldn't you say that Apple... a company that's been around so long... Steve Jobs... that they have a vision of the future? They do so well because they don't just spin out products in an ad hoc manner... copying and pasting what others are doing... they actually have a grand vision. They're creating the future for us as we go along, and the rest just copy and try and follow.

And wouldn't you say, that, right now, that vision is mobile computing... mobile computing... mobile computing...

That's what the post-PC era is about. Now, wouldn't you say that Apple would want to have all of its mobile computers connected? Yes, I think that's exactly what they want. They know just how vital being connected is to the value of the computer. Let's pan back and listen to Steve Jobs in the 1985 interview in PlayBoy:

"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people—as remarkable as the telephone."

And he was spot on. And you can bet he feels the exact same way about mobile computers... about all of it. The iPhone. The iPad. And, the iPod Touch. And the more connected devices, the more people will buy Apps...

Now let's keep going... what do we have coming up? iCloud. iCloud is an always on, always syncing thing. That you'll always have this invisible cloud over your head as long as your connected. Without an always on connection, it's not really the same...

I think if you combine the grand vision + what is actually happening with communications + how much demand there is for the iPod Touch + iCloud/iMessage... you'd realize that a 3G iPod Touch is more than possible.

Don't make the mistake of treating it as a zero sum game: iPhones and iPads mean iPod Touches can't exist. Well, not everyone wants an iPhone or even an iPad. The iPod Touch has been going strong for quite some time. All products thus have an actual, real market.

Now, to expand on what Phileas said. Apple has actually pulled the carpet out from under the carriers without them, or, you even knowing it. They got in bed with them, then... now... we've got disruptive technologies and services that make you rely less and less on the carriers (voice). That's FaceTime... iMessage... and, the whole thing about it being a real computer with zillions of other communications based Apps. It's all about connectivity and Apps, not voice.

By the way: I've been taking the Metro lately to far out of the city and I've seen countless people over the past week with both an iPod Touch and a crappy phone and all they're doing is texting...
( Last edited by freudling; Jul 10, 2011 at 12:14 PM. )
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 12:17 PM
 
Originally Posted by freudling View Post
First: an iPod Touch 3G will not cost $4-500 bucks. Apple knows they'd price it out of the market. And don't even bother using the iPhone as a yardstick to measure by: the buy price is inflated because you actually pay the carrier subsidy when you buy it outright.
This, I simply do not understand.

You're saying to pay no heed to the price it costs off-contract, because that's what it actually costs when the carriers aren't paying subsidies.

Are you actually saying that the iPod touch would be cheaper if you got it with a plan? I agree. So is the iPhone. I paid €50 for mine.

Originally Posted by freudling View Post
No... the 3G iPod Touch will be marginally more expensive than a Wifi only version or else Apple wouldn't flog it.
Figure $120 to $150, with otherwise identical components (but a stronger battery). That's the iPad's 3G premium.

That puts retail at about $400, off-contract.

I can see Apple dropping the quality of iPhone components to the iPod touch level and selling it as an entry-level phone for $450 or $500.

I wouldn't see that as an iPod touch with 3G, though - but then, I completely fail to see the distinction, anyway. A Skype-capable 3G iPod touch without a voice plan is still an iPhone.

Also, the North American market may just be ****ed up, but here, you can get a data-only plan for €10 a month and use it with anything. Every voice minute and SMS costs extra.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 01:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
This, I simply do not understand.

You're saying to pay no heed to the price it costs off-contract, because that's what it actually costs when the carriers aren't paying subsidies.

Are you actually saying that the iPod touch would be cheaper if you got it with a plan? I agree. So is the iPhone. I paid €50 for mine.


Figure $120 to $150, with otherwise identical components (but a stronger battery). That's the iPad's 3G premium.

That puts retail at about $400, off-contract.

I can see Apple dropping the quality of iPhone components to the iPod touch level and selling it as an entry-level phone for $450 or $500.

I wouldn't see that as an iPod touch with 3G, though - but then, I completely fail to see the distinction, anyway. A Skype-capable 3G iPod touch without a voice plan is still an iPhone.

Also, the North American market may just be ****ed up, but here, you can get a data-only plan for €10 a month and use it with anything. Every voice minute and SMS costs extra.
Spheric:

I have no idea how much they'd charge for an iPod Touch 3G but I doubt they'd price the buy out right out of the market. On contract could be free.

We'll have to wait and see. I'm hoping for an unlocked version. And I wouldn't map on the iPad 3G pricing to the Touch.
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 10, 2011, 06:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
iPod Touch with 3G = Low Cost iPhone.

Its the same old rumour with a different name.

The original iPod was very expensive, now its cheap and ubiquitous. I guess a cheap iPhone is really just a matter of time.
Except for adding a 3G chip to the iPod touch would push the price likely to what the current iPhone is off-contract.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jul 10, 2011, 07:03 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
Except for adding a 3G chip to the iPod touch would push the price likely to what the current iPhone is off-contract.
Unlocked 16GB iPhone is $650. 32Gb iPod Touch is $300.

iSupply reckon the 4G chips are only $40 a set. I can't see how a 3G chipset (which Apple only charges $100 extra for in the iPad) is going to cost $350 a unit. 3G USB modems don't cost anything like that much.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 07:19 PM
 
Unlocked iPhone 8GB 3GS is €520. 8GB iPod touch is €230.

Add cellular data AND a larger battery, plus the SIM slot, and you're looking at a premium of about $150 - which leaves $100-150 for the upsell to the low-end iPhone.

They could do it with the next upgrade, I suppose, but why?
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jul 10, 2011, 07:29 PM
 
Why would they include any cellular data?

There is no way 3G and a micro sim slot should double the price.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 10, 2011, 07:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
Why would they include any cellular data?

There is no way 3G and a micro sim slot should double the price.
"cellular data" meant "transceiver".

You forgot the bigger battery.

Also, I have nowhere stated that it would double the price. Ever.
     
ort888
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Jul 10, 2011, 09:34 PM
 
iPhone has vibrator, much better camera, GPS, better microphone, light sensors, 3G antenea and SIM slot.

My sig is 1 pixel too big.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 10, 2011, 10:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by ort888 View Post
iPhone has vibrator, much better camera, GPS, better microphone, light sensors, 3G antenea and SIM slot.
Finally a voice of reason.
     
besson3c
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Jul 10, 2011, 11:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
Agreed. Though it'd be really nice if they allow for iMessage to integrate with iChat, maybe even take over the name. iMessage as a multi device messaging platform will be killer. I genuinely hope they add the ability to send txts routed through your iPhone.

Don't you think that if Apple were interested in providing a true killer multi-device messaging platform that they'd consider supporting non-Apple stuff, and release an iChat WIndows client? I think they only care about serving the Apple bubble, in which case "killer" is relative to this constraint. Skype is killer.
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 10, 2011, 11:45 PM
 
Originally Posted by ort888 View Post
iPhone has vibrator, much better camera, GPS, better microphone, light sensors, 3G antenea and SIM slot.
iPod touch has vibrate as well. Just isn't used.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 12:10 AM
 
Originally Posted by besson3c View Post
Don't you think that if Apple were interested in providing a true killer multi-device messaging platform that they'd consider supporting non-Apple stuff, and release an iChat WIndows client? I think they only care about serving the Apple bubble, in which case "killer" is relative to this constraint. Skype is killer.
I understand your angle but reality is reality: BBM is only on RIM's platform. It serves to keep people using your own platform, rather than promoting others'.

The point is that iMessage doesn't have to or want to be device agnostic, even though the consumer may want that to be the case. iMessage is a value add! There's little point in criticizing it in this regard. I keep saying this: iMessage is simply value added SMS/MMS. It further frees you from the grips of your mobile carrier. That's it! Thank you Apple.
     
besson3c
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Jul 11, 2011, 12:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by freudling View Post
I understand your angle but reality is reality: BBM is only on RIM's platform. It serves to keep people using your own platform, rather than promoting others'.

The point is that iMessage doesn't have to or want to be device agnostic, even though the consumer may want that to be the case. iMessage is a value add! There's little point in criticizing it in this regard. I keep saying this: iMessage is simply value added SMS/MMS. It further frees you from the grips of your mobile carrier. That's it! Thank you Apple.

I agree, I'm not trying to take anything away from iMessage, it looks good and an alluring feature for the iOS ecosystem, I just think that something that is considered "killer" in the context of a messaging platform is even more killer when it plays with stuff outside of the its little bubble.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 12:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
iPod touch has vibrate as well. Just isn't used.
Let's dispel the inflated extra cost theory.

iPod Touch 8 GB Wifi: $229.
iPhone 4 16 GB: $649.
iPad wifi 16 GB: $499.

The iPod Touch is $420 less than the iPhone 4 and $270 less than the iPad Wifi.

Adding a 3G chip to the iPod Touch, including the SIM card slot: ~$30. That's from iSuppli's teardown of the iPad.

A bigger battery, like that in an iPhone 4? $6.

Total extra build cost for a 3G iPod Touch 8 GB: $36.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 12:30 AM
 
Originally Posted by besson3c View Post
I agree, I'm not trying to take anything away from iMessage, it looks good and an alluring feature for the iOS ecosystem, I just think that something that is considered "killer" in the context of a messaging platform is even more killer when it plays with stuff outside of the its little bubble.
Agreed, except I do really think it is killer. I've been using iOS 5 developer and iMessage seems to be one of the best parts about the whole thing. Once you get into the whole instant message thing... where you can chat in real-time back and forth, see when someone is typing, send video and pictures for free (try doing that under SMS - costs money on many plans), you won't be wanting to go back. I guarantee you besson you'll feel the same way.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 12:34 AM
 
I expect a radical new design for the iPhone 5 and feel that they could map this over to the iPod Touch. The Touch needs better battery life so the rumoured wedge design predicated on the iPhone 5 could make its way over to the Touch. This new design would fit perfectly into the 3G Touch idea. It would still be thinner than the iPhone because it needs less guts...

However, I heard the iPhone 5 is going to be really thin and wedge shaped and to brace yourself. All the iPhone 4 users are going to cry when they see it...
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 11, 2011, 02:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by freudling View Post
Let's dispel the inflated extra cost theory.

iPod Touch 8 GB Wifi: $229.
iPhone 4 16 GB: $649.
iPad wifi 16 GB: $499.

The iPod Touch is $420 less than the iPhone 4 and $270 less than the iPad Wifi.

Adding a 3G chip to the iPod Touch, including the SIM card slot: ~$30. That's from iSuppli's teardown of the iPad.

A bigger battery, like that in an iPhone 4? $6.

Total extra build cost for a 3G iPod Touch 8 GB: $36.
And so, assuming that Apple need to maintain their margins (since that's how they make money), that translates to about $120 (iPhone 4 is about $175 in raw materials and sells for $650).

Also you've forgotten the antenna.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 11, 2011, 02:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by freudling View Post
I expect a radical new design for the iPhone 5 and feel that they could map this over to the iPod Touch. The Touch needs better battery life so the rumoured wedge design predicated on the iPhone 5 could make its way over to the Touch. This new design would fit perfectly into the 3G Touch idea. It would still be thinner than the iPhone because it needs less guts...
I have no idea how you arrive at this conclusion.

It would require *exactly* the same number of internal guts as an iPhone, except for the internal microphone...

Originally Posted by freudling View Post
However, I heard the iPhone 5 is going to be really thin and wedge shaped and to brace yourself. All the iPhone 4 users are going to cry when they see it...
I call bullshit, but I'll have no problem being wrong. Quoted for future reference.
     
Phileas
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Jul 11, 2011, 06:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
And so, assuming that Apple need to maintain their margins (since that's how they make money), that translates to about $120 (iPhone 4 is about $175 in raw materials and sells for $650).

Also you've forgotten the antenna.
Apple sells different products at different margins. They make a much higher margin on the current iPhone than they make on the current iPod Touch.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 11:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
And so, assuming that Apple need to maintain their margins (since that's how they make money), that translates to about $120 (iPhone 4 is about $175 in raw materials and sells for $650).

Also you've forgotten the antenna.
First, the build cost of an iPod Touch is significantly cheaper than an iPhone. If you had studied both on iSuppli's teardown you'd see that the Touch is ~$50 cheaper to build than the iPhone. The glass casing on the iPhone costs more. There's no GPS chip on the Touch... no camera flash... a cheaper IPS screen, cheaper cameras and mic, cheaper battery, among others...

So right away you can sell the Touch for cheaper.

Secondly, Apple does not have to mark up the 3G Touch $120 to make a profit like on an iPhone. Comparing the iPhone is a misnomer... An iPad is much more expensive to build than an iPhone yet is cheaper than an iPhone across the board.

iPad 32 GB 3G build cost: $326 (retails for $729)
iPhone 32 GB build cost: ~$200 (retails for $749)


Thus, it is not the case that Apple makes the same margins on all their products. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that they would have to make the same margins on an iPod Touch as they do on the iPhone.
     
hayesk
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Jul 11, 2011, 12:14 PM
 
Originally Posted by Wiskedjak View Post
That's not always an option. None of the Canadian carriers offer a data-only plan, with the exception of Tablet plans. And, none of them like having phone-capable devices on their Tablet-only plans.
Get a really cheap voice plan and add data. I have an $8 voice plan with a $30 data plan. You can't get this in the store. Call them up and say, I really don't use a lot of voice but I want data. They'll be happy to offer you the unadvertised $8 "customer retention" plan.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 01:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by hayesk View Post
Get a really cheap voice plan and add data. I have an $8 voice plan with a $30 data plan. You can't get this in the store. Call them up and say, I really don't use a lot of voice but I want data. They'll be happy to offer you the unadvertised $8 "customer retention" plan.
Good advice, and I agree to call them. I had a retention plan for years. But the problem from my perspective was I was paying over $150 a month on average for all my overages. I had a really good plan, but it still wasn't near enough. I had 900 daytime minutes, unlimited evenings and weekends after 5 pm. Unlimited incoming calls, unlimited data. Call display, visual voicemail, call waiting, call forwarding, 1000 long distance across Canada and the US, fare saver international, unlimited SMS... For about $90 per month plus taxes and fees. This was a negotiated plan. I always went over. Over for long distance. Over for daytime minutes. Over because I was sending MMS. Over because I sent long distance text messages. Over because of roaming charges outside Canada. Over because of data charges outside Canada...

It all sounds good on paper until you realize they absolutely gouge you for the tiny things that will always get you. Like sending an international text message. Like sending an MMS. Like going over your daytime minutes...

On and on. I got tired of it. And, I was buying iPhones outright so I wouldn't have to be locked to some substandard iPhone plan for 3 years.

In the end, I got fed up with it all... the expense, the confusion, the dropped calls... I was using data more than anything. So I threw it all away, and mostly use an iPod Touch now. I even buffered the above plan with Skype!

So stuff like iMessage to me is a very big deal.

Anyway, about the voice... the sad part is that you're still paying the carriers $8 bucks + tax a month! Like $100 a year. So your data is $38 a month + tax. The best thing would be to call and push for no voice at all. Zero. And push for unlimited data for no more than $30 and use the heck out of it to make it worth it. On my retention plan my unlimited data showed up as a line item on my bill at $15 per month.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jul 11, 2011, 01:31 PM
 
If you talk that much on the phone and its not for business purposes, you're doing it wrong.
Try using shorter words and sentences.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 11, 2011, 04:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by freudling View Post
So right away you can sell the Touch for cheaper.

Secondly, Apple does not have to mark up the 3G Touch $120 to make a profit like on an iPhone. Comparing the iPhone is a misnomer... An iPad is much more expensive to build than an iPhone yet is cheaper than an iPhone across the board.

iPad 32 GB 3G build cost: $326 (retails for $729)
iPhone 32 GB build cost: ~$200 (retails for $749)


Thus, it is not the case that Apple makes the same margins on all their products. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that they would have to make the same margins on an iPod Touch as they do on the iPhone.
Okay.

So then: Why should they?

Lowering margins to effect greater market penetration is something you do if you're having trouble selling what you make.

As it stands, Apple is having trouble making enough to sell. (Supplies of the iPhone 4 are now pretty stable, but that's only been for the last two months or so.)
     
Phileas
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Jul 11, 2011, 04:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
So then: Why should they?
1. Reduce the power of the carriers.
2. Reduce Android's/BBs/Window's appeal
3. Get them young
4. Increase the usefulness of iCloud
5. Work towards every device they make and sell being "always connected"

My first iPad was wifi only, I went with 3G on the second model. I can't overstate how useful the always on connection has turned out to be.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 05:16 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
1. Reduce the power of the carriers.
2. Reduce Android's/BBs/Window's appeal
3. Get them young
4. Increase the usefulness of iCloud
5. Work towards every device they make and sell being "always connected"

My first iPad was wifi only, I went with 3G on the second model. I can't overstate how useful the always on connection has turned out to be.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 05:17 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
If you talk that much on the phone and its not for business purposes, you're doing it wrong.
Try using shorter words and sentences.
It was business.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jul 11, 2011, 05:20 PM
 
Couldn't you just charge it to the company/write it off on expenses?

Or was this for your startup project?
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 11, 2011, 06:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
1. Reduce the power of the carriers.
2. Reduce Android's/BBs/Window's appeal
3. Get them young
4. Increase the usefulness of iCloud
5. Work towards every device they make and sell being "always connected"

My first iPad was wifi only, I went with 3G on the second model. I can't overstate how useful the always on connection has turned out to be.
The iPhone already does all of those things.
     
freudling  (op)
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Jul 11, 2011, 06:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
The iPhone already does all of those things.
And now, a device that sells millions besides the iPhone... a device that's popular in specific markets... is doing it too.
     
 
 
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