FollowWe are hearing almost daily rumours and reports that Apple is building an iPhone Mini, a smaller version of its staggeringly successful smartphone series. While we will never be ones to turn away from a brand new Apple product, we have been thinking recently that possibly the Cupertino based company does not need a cheaper version of its all-conquering device.
Of course, there is a growing market for mini versions of classic flagship smartphones as Samsung proved last year with the Galaxy S3 Mini. However, while a cheaper iPhone would no doubt sell loads, does Apple need to cheapen its market stance? The company has become known for quality and not compromising on its vision, unless a Mini iPhone was completely innovative it would seem like a hypocritical product.
Also, we should also take into consideration the lineage of the iPhone itself. Now that the iPhone 5 is selling in bucket loads, last generation’s iPhone 4S and the one before the iPhone 4 are much cheaper than what they were this time last year. The iPhone 4S is a good rival to the Galaxy S3 so we have to think that Apple already has two world class cheap iPhone versions in the iPhone 4 and 4S. It is also worth mentioning that the iPhone 4S was the second best-selling smartphone during the holiday season, behind the iPhone 5 and in front of the S3.
Of course, rumours about the upcoming iPhone 5S will not go away, and there is no doubt that the device is arriving this year. When it does, Apple will have three phones at cheaper price brackets, so why offer an iPhone Mini? It would not be as good as those already released iPhones, so it would probably be best for Apple to remain that kind of exclusive brand we have all fallen in love with.
