Cheaper iPhone 5C raises doubts, guess

BEIJING — A cheaper, smaller version of the iPhone 5C smart-phone was unveiled by Apple Tuesday, but with raised doubts and guess among consumers and experts.

This 8 GB edition of former iPhone 5C, only available in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and China, aims to boost consumers’ interest and bring the fourth-generation iPad back from the dead.

However, 8 GB of storage is not enough any more, as some iPhone fans pointed out. Because higher quality photos and high definition movies would take up a huge space, and consumers prefer a 32G or even 64G for more storage.



This “cut-price” version of iPhone 5C signaled Apple’s ambitions and appeal shift to wider, more emerging markets, as expert said, which is also a possible move to take on Samsung.

source: interaksyon.com

In muted fashion, new iPhones make Philippine debut

MANILA, Philippines — Unlike in the last two years when they tried to outdo each other in terms of the grandiosity of their launches, fierce rivals Smart Communications and Globe Telecom chose to quietly introduce Apple’s new iPhones in the country and just channel the money intended for staging the events in assisting the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda.

Both Smart and Globe decided to scale down the public unveiling of the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, although the PLDT-owned mobile operator held a mid-day press briefing at Fullybooked in Bonifacio Global City to formally announce the post-paid plans for the units.

The iPhone 5s (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) and iPhone 5c (16GB, 32GB) will be offered under Smart Postpaid’s Freedom Plan, All-In Plans 500, 800, 1200, 1800, and 2500; iPhone Plans 999 and 2499; and UnliData Plans 1500, 2000, and 3000.

Subscribers can enjoy premium perks and services when they avail of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c with Smart Infinity Plans 3500, 5000, and 8000.

Subscribers can get any color of the iPhone 5c (16 GB) for P1,499 a month with the iPhone Plan 999 (P999 monthly service fee plus P500 device amortization via credit card). iPhone Plan 999 already comes with 40 free call minutes, 100 free SMS, and unlimited data connection.

For those who need more free voice and text credits, the iPhone 5c (16 GB) can be availed with an UnliData Plan 1500 with a P2,500 cash-out. The UnliData Plan 1500 comes with unlimited data connection plus 60 free all-net minutes and 120 free all-net SMS.

Meanwhile, those interested in the iPhone 5s can get the 16GB model for only P1,799 a month with the iPhone Plan 999 (P999 monthly service fee plus P800 device amortization via credit card).

The iPhone 5s (16GB) is also available at UnliData Plan 2000 with a P2,500 cash-out. UnliData Plan 2000 comes with unlimited data connection plus 150 free all-net minutes and 200 free all-net SMS.

For Smart Infinity subscribers, the iPhone 5s (16GB) at Plan 5000 comes with 2 VIP tickets to Wicked or P14,000 worth of gift certificates. Plan 8000 subscribers meanwhile get both the iPhone 5s (32GB) and iPhone 5C (16GB).

Kathy Carag, head of Smart’s postpaid business group, said existing Smart Postpaid subscribers who wish to subscribe to an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c package but are still under contract may opt for Smart’s WipeOut program where they can upgrade to an iPhone without waiting for their active contract to expire.

At the event, Smart also launched its online reservation and service application page.

Globe, meanwhile, also launched its iPhone postpaid plans, including an upgrade program dubbed as Globe iPhone Forever that allows new and existing subscribers to swap their current devices with an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c, allowing them to get a new iPhone every year for free or with minimal cashout.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple sells 9 million new iPhones in three days

Apple Inc sold 9 million new iPhones during their first three days in stores after China joined the list of launch countries for the first time, prompting the company to issue a rosier financial forecast.

Shares in the company closed up 5 percent at $490.64 on Monday after the company said revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter would gravitate towards the high end of its previous forecast for $34 billion to $37 billion.

Apple, which began selling the top-tier iPhone 5s and cheaper, multi-hued iPhone 5c on Friday, rarely adjusts its outlook in the middle of a quarter. Since CEO Tim Cook took the reins, however, the world’s largest tech company has begun to court Wall Street more visibly.

The record sales and beefed-up forecast reinforced expectations of strong demand for Apple’s latest gadgets. Phones based on Google Inc’s Android software and made by the likes of Samsung Electronics have steadily eroded its market share, as customers flocked to lower prices and larger phone sizes proved popular.

Critics had also said the iPhone 5c was priced too high to take advantage of pent-up demand in emerging markets.

“The critics have told you Apple lost its magic,” said Daniel Ernst, an analyst with Hudson Square Research. “Customers are telling you something very different. Clearly, people like the product. That sentiment is almost more important than the number.”

Sales of the new models were nearly double those of the iPhone 5′s 5 million in the first weekend after its launch a year ago, and far surpassed the roughly 6 million that analysts had projected.

But forecasts for Apple’s latest iPhone had proven trickier than in the past, because the company introduced two models simultaneously in 11 countries — including the crucial Chinese market. Apple launched the iPhone 5 in just nine countries.

Another factor was that this time around, Apple signed on NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier.

China joined a rollout that included Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, Australia, Japan, Britain, Canada, Germany, France and Puerto Rico. Previously, Apple began selling phones in China only months after the global launch.

“We underscore one important caveat for investors: Apple’s iPhone seasonality is likely to be exaggerated this cycle because of the addition of NTT DoCoMo, and particularly because of the early launch in China,” said Bernstein Research’s Toni Sacconaghi, who has an “outperform” rating on Apple.

“Although upside exists for the September and December quarters, the risk exists that the fall-off in iPhone sales beginning in the March quarter could be more acute than history, potentially resulting in some downside to estimates.”

Supply limited

Demand for the iPhone 5S has exceeded initial supply and many online orders are scheduled to be shipped in the coming weeks, Apple said. On Friday, long lines formed outside stores in Tokyo, New York, San Francisco and other cities for the new top-of-the-line 5s and the less-expensive 5c. It was the first time Apple launched two iPhone models simultaneously.

The gold-colored version of the 5S, which also comes in silver and gray, was sold out as of Friday and will now ship only in October, according to Apple’s website. As of Monday, the two other colors were also set to be shipped only in October.

“Thanks to all our amazing customers for the fantastic weekend!” said Cook in his second tweet, after he joined Twitter following a visit to Palo Alto Apple store last Friday.

Apple also said gross profit margin would come in near the top of a range of between 36 percent to 37 percent, in line with average forecasts for 36.7 percent. The more optimistic margin forecast should allay investor concerns that, at just $100 less than the 5s, the 5c will draw buyers away from the premium gadget.

Analysts’ average revenue forecast for the quarter stands at $36.1 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Apple, which had grown notorious for providing conservative estimates that it routinely overshot, had resolved to improve its guidance for investors. Analysts have said the change will help rein in some over-the-top financial expectations.

The company said more than 200 million iOS devices are now running iOS 7 mobile software, rolled out just before the iPhone launch.

Apple did not break out separate sales figures for the 5S and 5C. The 5C, which starts at $199 with a contract, offers a touch ID that scans a user’s fingerprint to unlock the phone. The 5C starts at $99 and comes in five colors.

“If Apple could ship so well without even having a larger screen iPhone, which we think it could deliver next year, then Apple is getting over a key hump,” Shebly Seyrafi, an analyst with FBN Securities, said in a note to clients. “We believe that the immediate availability of the phone in China is also a key driver of the strength.”

source: interaksyon.com

Throngs greet Apple’s newest iPhones, gold color sells out

Thousands of iPhone enthusiasts queued up at Apple Inc stores around the world on Friday as two new models of the smartphone went on sale, but Apple’s shares ended slightly lower as investors wait for initial sales figures, due as early as next week.

Long lines formed outside stores in Sydney, Tokyo, New York, San Francisco and other cities as Apple broke with tradition and launched two iPhone models – the new top-of-the-line 5S and the less-expensive 5C – on the same day.

Apple watchers said early signs pointed to more demand for the 5S than last year’s new model. But some cautioned that the size of the crowds this year may not be an accurate gauge because consumers were unable to order the more expensive model online ahead of time, as with previous launches.

“While it is likely some of this line is due to not having an early pre-order option for the 5S, we still believe it shows loyalty to the iPhone remains strong among Apple’s installed base,” said ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall. He estimates Apple will sell about 6 million units in the first three days.

Apple sold more 5 million of the previous iPhone 5 units during its opening weekend last year.

A survey done by Piper Jaffray of 416 customers standing in lines outside of stores in New York, San Francisco and Minneapolis found that 95 percent of the people were planning to buy the 5S. Gene Munster, analyst with Piper Jaffray, estimates Apple will sell 5 million to 6 million iPhones over the weekend.

While Apple’s stock dipped one percent by the close of trade, shares of Avago and TriQuint ended higher after they were identified as component suppliers for the new models.

The gold-colored version of the 5S, which also comes in silver and gray, was already sold out as of Friday and will now ship only in October, according to Apple’s website. The gray and silver versions can still ship in 7 to 10 days.

Supplies of both the new models has been disappointing, a source at a U.S. wireless carrier had told Reuters earlier.

Winning chip firms

Analysts have questioned whether the technology of the new top-end 5S is enough to persuade people to trade up. But those concerns did not seem to apply Jimmy Gunawan, the first in line outside an Apple store in Sydney.

“It’s been one year since iPhone 5. It’s about time to upgrade I guess,” he told Reuters TV.

The new iPhones use chips made by Avago Technologies Ltd, TriQuint Semiconductor Inc and Skyworks Solutions Inc, according to repair firm iFixit, which opened up the iPhone 5S and 5C on Thursday.

Broadcom Corp’s chip is used for the touchscreen controller in both phones, iFixit said. All these suppliers also featured in last year’s iPhone 5.

Another teardown expert, Chipworks – which opened up Apple’s A7 chip – found that Samsung produced the application processor while NXP Semiconductor made the new M7 co-processor chip. The iPhone’s M7 can track motion data continuously without heavily draining the battery.

Including the M7 processor on the same chip as the main A7 processor would be more efficient than adding it as a discrete chip and would help the two processors communicate more easily, said Real World Technologies analyst David Kanter.

Investors have also questioned whether Apple has priced its new plastic-backed 5C too high to compete with cheaper smartphones that use Google’s Android operating system, particularly in China and other emerging markets.

The 5C, which comes in a range of bright colors, carries a price tag of $549 for an unlocked 16 GB model in the United States, though Apple has a history of cutting iPhone prices once a model has been on the market for a while, ISI’s Marshall said.

“We believe it will do the same for 5C after initial pent-up demand is met,” he said in a note.

Tech analysts this week praised the fingerprint scanner in the 5S model, which lets users unlock their devices or make purchases by simply pressing their finger.

The sensor technology that powers the fingerprint scanner in the new iPhone 5S was developed by AuthenTec, which was bought by Apple a year ago, iFixit said.

Apple shares initially traded up, hitting the day’s high of $478.55 on the Nasdaq before easing back to close 1 percent lower at $467.41.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple unveils two new iPhones

CUPERTINO, California — Apple on Tuesday unveiled two new iPhones, fielding a slick new top-end model along with one aimed at budget-conscious smartphone shoppers around the world.

“The business has become so large that this year we are going to replace the iPhone 5 and we are going to replace it with two new designs,” Apple chief Tim Cook announced at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters.

Apple will begin taking orders on Friday, and on September 20 the two devices will go on sale in the United States, Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore.

The iPhone 5C is part of Apple’s bid to counter the flood of low-cost smartphones from rivals, most of which use the Google Android operating system.

Apple designer Jony Ive said that despite the lower cost, the polycarbonate iPhone 5C with a steel frame “is beautiful.”

The iPhone 5C with 16 gigabytes of memory will start at $99 with a two-year US carrier contract and $549 without a contract — $100 less than previous iPhone base models.

“The 5C is a no-compromise device,” Gartner analyst Van Baker told AFP after trying out Apple’s new phones. “It is just in a plastic case instead of a metal case, and they basically reduce the price by the cost of materials.”

But Baker said it was an “open question” whether the price cut for the iPhone 5C would be enough to attract customers in emerging markets.

“Anyone expecting Apple to come truly down-market with the iPhone 5C was fooling themselves,” said Ovum analyst Tony Cripps.

“The day that happens is the day the company signals that it has run out of headroom for expansion.”

Apple would not name its China telecom launch partners, who might step in with subsidies to help push down iPhone prices there. Apple planned a separate press event in China on Wednesday.

The top-line iPhone 5S, which starts at $199 with a contract for US buyers and $649 without one, “is the most forward thinking phone we have ever created,” said Apple vice president Phil Schiller.

“It is the gold standard in smartphones.”

Schiller said the 5S model includes a speedier chip which puts computing performance on par with desktop machines.

“It has over a billion transistors in it,” he said, adding that the device will be a mobile game lover’s delight with blazing smooth, rich graphics.





The 5S will also have some 10 hours of talk time, or 40 hours of music listening, Schiller added.

Apple introduced a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S as a new security measure in place of passwords.

“You can just press the home button to unlock your phone,” Schiller said. “You can use it to authenticate iTunes purchases.”

Schiller added: “We have so much of our personal data on these devices, and they are with us almost everyplace we go, so we have to protect them.”

Reticle Research principle analyst Ross Rubin described Touch ID as a “show stealer” that addresses “a necessary annoyance that many consumers have to deal with many times a day.”

Apple also broadened its color palette, announcing the low-cost phone in blue, white, pink, yellow and green, and the top-line model in silver, gold and a new “space gray.”

Apple said its iOS 7 software will debut September 18. It includes a free iTunes Radio Service featuring more than 200 stations “and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store.”

The two new handsets keep the four-inch screen of current iPhones, despite some speculation Apple would boost the size to compete with larger phones from rivals like Samsung.

The smartphone market is now dominated by Android devices, with roughly three-fourths of all handsets, but a forecast by research firm IDC suggested Apple will increase its share this year to 17.9 percent from 16.9 percent.

IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said that with the 5C, “Apple is staking out its space in the lower-cost smartphone category.”

Llamas said Apple is seeking to fend off lower-priced rivals while “it enjoys bigger profit margins and still maintains the aura of being an aspirational brand.”

The event was a disappointment to some who were looking for a fresh device from Apple, such as a smartwatch or TV service.

“I think there was an expectation for that ‘one more thing,’” said Roger Kay at Endpoint Technologies. “People were looking for some pizzazz and they didn’t get it.”

Apple announced separately a deal with Japan’s biggest mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo to bring the two new iPhones to that country.

source: interaksyon.com

Eyes on Apple for new iPhones

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s shares climbed and rumors sizzled ahead of an expected move on Tuesday to expand the iPhone domain with a pair of new models, including one aimed at China.

Analysts believe a special event at Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley will spotlight a more economical iPhone priced to compete in emerging markets where money is tight, along with a beefed-up top-end model.

“The key challenge for Apple this week is to demonstrate that it can maintain momentum in overall iPhone sales, and to do so in a way which won’t drive down margins significantly,” said Ovum chief telecoms analyst Jan Dawson.

“It’s key for Apple to be able to find ways to drive growth at a higher rate again, and getting China’s biggest carrier on board and launching a cheaper version of the iPhone are both key to doing that.”

Apple became a Wall Street darling by pairing blistering sales of culture-changing gadgets such as iPods, iPhones, and iPads with enviable “margins,” the difference between cost and price.

Forrester analyst Charles Golvin told AFP the consensus is for Apple to unveil a new high-end phone, “most likely called the 5S, with the same look and feel physically but with a speed boost; new processor, and new graphics capabilities.”

A lower-cost iPhone has been dubbed the 5C, “because it would come in multiple colors analogous to today’s iPod touch,” Golvin said.

Speculation about the iPhone 5S included the debut of a gold color and fingerprint recognition for enhanced security.

“For the most part, we view the iPhone5S as an evolution of the iPhone5 and as such do not view it as especially innovative,” Citi Research said in a note to investors on Monday.

“However, with the inclusion of a fingerprint reader, Apple opens itself up to new opportunities, most notably mobile payments.”

It remained unknown how low a price Apple would be able to hit with the 5C.

Gartner estimates that mobile phones priced $300 or more accounted for only 13.7 percent of overall phone sales last year, according to Citi.

Analysts were keenly focused on the promise of a 5C to win over buyers in China and other developing markets, where there is fierce competition from low-priced smartphones powered by Google’s Android operating system.

FBN Securities on Monday predicted that launching two new iPhones would reverse gains made by Android-powered rivals in the market.

Apple shares were up nearly two percent to $506.17 at the close of the trading day on the Nasdaq exchange.

Apple has also invited press to a Wednesday event in Beijing that analysts believe signals a deal to add iPhones to China Mobile’s massive telecom network in that country.

“The only real potential to surprise investors seems to be in the scope and velocity of a new China strategy and any new features within iOS 7 and fingerprint scanner technology,” Barclays Equity Research said in a note focused on what is expected from Apple.

Apple’s iPhone franchise has historically focused on premium products at premium prices, essentially leaving the company “unable to address” approximately 60 percent of the opportunity in the smartphone market, the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald said in an analyst note.

“We expect this to change with the introduction of the plastic-encased iPhone 5C,” Cantor Fitzgerald said.

Analysts did not foresee any talk of Apple watches or TV at the Tuesday event.

The smartphone market is now dominated by Android devices, with roughly three-fourths of all handsets, but a forecast by research firm IDC suggested Apple will increase its share this year to 17.9 percent from 16.9 percent.

At the heart of any iPhone announcements on Tuesday would be a dramatic overhaul to the iOS software powering Apple handsets.

New iOS 7 software will debut with a free iTunes Radio Service featuring more than 200 stations “and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store,” Apple announced earlier this year.

The streaming radio service is part of what Apple chief Tim Cook branded the biggest change to iOS — Apple’s mobile operating system — since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.

source: interaksyon.com