Tuesday Apple Rumors: Cheaper iPhone to Sell 92M Units in 2014

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daily apple rumors AAPLHere are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Forecast: Robust sales in emerging markets could mean big overall sales for Apple‘s (AAPL) much-anticipated low cost iPhone next year, BGR notes. Apple is widely expected to launch a cheaper version of the iPhone — variously rumored to be called the iPhone Lite, iPhone 5C or iPhone M — in September. UBS (UBS) analyst Steve Milunovich estimates that the cheaper iPhone will comprise just 3% of all iPhone sales during this fiscal year, which ends on September 30. In fiscal 2014, however, he anticipates the cheaper iPhone to account for 53% of all iPhone sales, selling 92 million units. That would mean that it will outsell Apple’s next flagship phone, the iPhone 5S, which is expected to debut in September or possibly early October. Recent rumors suggest that the cheaper iPhone will essentially copy the iPhone 5’s internal components, but will feature a plastic case, possibly available in a variety of colors. Other reports indicate that Apple will discontinue production of the iPhone 5 after the debut of the cheaper iPhone and the new flagship iPhone 5S.

Exchange: Apple will offer a discount for people who trade-in third party chargers for its mobile devices, the Washington Post notes. The move comes after two separate reports of people being electrocuted while charging their iPhones surfaced in China last month. In one report, a young woman received a fatal shock when she answered her iPhone 5 while it was charging. A second incident left a man in a coma. There is a large market for unauthorized iPhone and iPad chargers and other accessories made mostly by Asia-based manufacturers. Such third party equipment is usually priced far below Apple-approved devices. Apple device owners who purchased third party chargers can swap them for Apple-authorized equipment between August 16 and October 18, receiving a substantial discount on Apple chargers, which will be marked down from $19 to $10 with a trade-in. Customers will also have to show their iPod, iPhone or iPad for validation at the time of the swap.

Right Wing Apple: Prominent conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has compared the battle between Apple and Google (GOOG) to the political contest between Republicans and Democrats, CNN notes. In Limbaugh’s analysis, Apple represents the Republicans. That might be a surprised given Apple’s notoriously liberal corporate leanings. Former Vice President Al Gore even sits on the company’s board of directors. On Friday, Limbaugh opined that “9 out of 10 bloggers writing high-tech hate Apple. Apple is the equivalent of the Republicans on these blogs, and Google, Android, and Samsung are the equivalent of the Democrats. They’re perfect, they can’t do anything wrong, they’re ideal, and everybody hates Apple.” According to Limbaugh, most tech bloggers are young people who vote for Democrats and think Republicans are “aliens from Mars.” A long-time fan of Apple products, Limbaugh blasted Android and Samsung-friendly bloggers for “faking data, faking news to make it look bad for Apple when it really isn’t.” At least one Twitter user quipped that Limbaugh’s remarks probably had the late Steve Jobs spinning in his grave.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2013/08/tuesday-apple-rumors-cheaper-iphone-to-sell-92m-units-in-2014/.

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