iPhone Pricing

With just hours left until the iPhone event today it’s a little late to speculate on pricing, but I just couldn’t resist.

Called it. I never believed Apple would create a significantly inexpensive phone, as doing so would segment the market and introduce hallmarks of the Android and Windows worlds. Ben Thompson, speculating on pricing for the iPhone 5S and 5C in his article Thinking about iPhone Pricing, backs up my theory:

“Given the high bar Apple has set (iPhone 5 technology), I (now) expect the iPhone 5C’s price to be on the high end of estimates, and possibly higher.”

And John Gruber, responding to Ben’s article in agreement, backs up my original idea as well:

“Smart take. The key takeaway: do not expect the iPhone 5C to be cheap or low-cost. It’s going to be at least $500 unsubsidized, I think. Lower cost, not low cost.”

Ben made a number of great points in his article, accompanied by not quite Asymco-caliber, but nevertheless charming, charts illustrating and further explaining those key concepts. If you read only one more article before the press event, this should be it.