Like It or Not: Apple Should Be Considering a Cheaper iPhone

Apple; a name we're all familiar with, whether we're referring to the fruit or what is considered the most valuable company in the world. There's no need to go into the early history of Apple as a company as it is not relevant at this time, but we will look at the fact that they seem to be slipping somewhat and what they can do to reverse this trend. We will also look at their rise to dominance since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.

When the iPhone was introduced, and I think I speak for every one when I say this, the phone industry was flipped on its head. It was by no means the first smart phone, but it was the first phone that, to many, felt truly smart. It was first greeted with much skepticism as well as eager eyes and minds. It set the bar pretty high, and all other players in the market couldn't help but take note.

High rollers at the time included +Nokia, which until recently was the largest manufacturer of phones globally. They have since lost that crown to +Samsung Mobile as indicated by The Verge in this post. Another player who had been experiencing a wildly successful time when the iPhone was launched was +BlackBerry. Seen by many as being a phone for the business man at first, Blackberries did become mainstream and were adopted by many as their phone of choice.

In the years following 2007, the iPhone, originally launched as an AT&T exclusive in the U.S. gained traction around the world. Steve Jobs, with his ability to woo people into buying anything he wanted to sell, did a great job of presenting successive iPhones to the masses, and each subsequent iPhone has garnered more customers and more support.

But something else happened. Android happened. In 2008, Google dropped Android, and while I won't go into the history of Android, I will say that it has now gained the majority of the world's market share with over 1,000,000 activations per day.

Recently, there have been reports of waning desire for the iPhone 5. It is also evident that Android dominates in emerging markets. Apple charges quite a premium for their handset, and not everyone is willing to spend that kind of money on a phone. It's not that Android doesn't have expensive phones, but it's the choice that Android provides that allows it to cater to more persons in both developed and developing markets.

Just like they did when they launched the iPad Mini, Apple should also launch a cheaper phone. The Android army grows daily, and with each person that buys into the Android eco-system, it's one less person that buys into iOS. Despite claims that they would never make a cheap iPhone because it is unlike them, I want to state that they also denounced smaller tablets before launching one of their own. With tumbling stocks and a few customers who are disgruntled by the stagnant nature of iOS, a cheaper iPhone cannot come soon enough for Apple and I don't think we should be surprised if they do launch one in the near future.