Phil Schiller iPhone: It has only been a couple hours since we published an article with quotes from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster discussing the possibility of a low-cost Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone later in the year.
This article was a follow-up to several others, including: More Information on a Potential Low Cost Apple Inc. iPhone and Apple Inc. Considering an ‘Affordable’ Smartphone.
We now have more information to bring you. Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide marketing Phil Schiller was interviewed by the Shanghai Evening News, in which he directly discusses this rumor.
When speaking of a cheaper iPhone, Schiller is pretty clear in saying that this will “never be the future of Apple products.”
To get rid of all concerns surrounding the legitimacy of the information, The Next Web was successful in verifying the interview with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) officials.
When discussing the future with interviewer Huang Yinlong, Schiller added the following:
“Every product that Apple creates, we consider using only the best technology available. This includes the production pipeline, the Retina display, the unibody design, to provide the best product to the market.”
“At first, non-smartphones were popular in the Chinese market, now cheap smartphones are more popular and non-smartphones are out.”
“Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple’s products. In fact, although Apple’s market share of smartphones is just about 20%, we own the 75% of the profit.”
Does this mean a cheaper or low-cost Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone is definitely out of the question? Probably not.
If you remember correctly, Apple repeatedly shot down reports of a less expensive iPad. Of course, we know how that worked out. The iPad mini made its way to market in late 2012.
Also, The Next Web article makes a good point regarding Schiller’s choice of words:
“Note that Schiller’s statements aren’t conclusive in the way that they refer to exactly what price points that Apple will be targeting, only that ‘cheap smartphones’ aren’t really Apple’s fare. This has always been the case and even with the ‘free’ iPhones, you’re still getting top-notch build quality, just from a couple of models ago. A ‘cheap’ smartphone would imply worse materials or construction in order to meet a price point.”
In other words, Schiller is likely referring to “cheap” in terms of build quality as opposed to the price point.
Now what do you think about a low-cost Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone? Do you believe what Schiller has said, or is he simply blowing smoke?
Check back here for more updates on Phil Schiller iPhone.
DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.
Visit these links for more Apple news:
Billionaire Ken Griffin and Jim Cramer Like Apple
