Apple Inc. (AAPL) Considering an ‘Affordable’ Smartphone?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has developed its own world in the tech universe, a world that centers around premium-priced, state-of-the-art smartphones and computers and tablets that have been intended to be the envy of techies everywhere. Because of the way Apple has modeled its business and created its devices, it has basically been out of reach economically for a lot of consumers outside of the richest countries in the world.

Maybe 25 or 30 years ago, that was OK, since Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was establishing itself as a favored tech brand in the U.S, considered the richest country in the world. But now with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., as well as other phone companies setting up multiple options across various price points to accommodate the global economy and reach out to a spectrum of seocio-economic markets, Apple has a lot of smartphone competition.

Is it time for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to introduce a more affordable iPhone in order to reach out to more world markets, especially emerging ones?

While it doesn’t seem consistent with the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) business model, the company may be working on such a thing – a smartphone that is in a more inexpensive price point. The key here for Apple is, though, that such a phone would likely have to be smaller than the iPhone models that have been produced. and that seems to be what is rumored by Apple watchers.

An iPhone Mini? If such a thing is in the works – which could happen this summer, as some analysts have suggested – this likely would be an answer for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to place itself into more international markets by producing a more affordable phone for those emerging markets.

Are there emerging markets that are large enough to justify the capital expense for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to produce a smaller smartphone device?