Rumors have been circulating about Apple Inc. coming out with a low-cost line of iPhone 5 devices incased in plastic. So far, the company has dispelled the rumors or simply not acknowledged them. However, new images have leaked that show plastic iPhones in three different colors.
A Chinese site called Weiphone.com came out on Saturday showing plastic iPhones in neon red, yellow and green with an official-looking iPhone logo on the back and the "iPhone" print on the bottom. The specs seem to line up with the motherboard for a leaked image of the iPhone 5s that leaked in June. All of these clues almost add up to confirmation that Apple Inc. is developing a low-cost iPhone. This would be perfect for people who want to switch from low-cost Androids or other smartphones over to iOS but simply can't afford the current high price tag.
Since the company has not come out and admitted any project is in development, there are obviously no numbers to discuss in terms of how much cheaper the new plastic iPhone will be or what other colors it may come in. Currently, the neon prints on each might be a little too loud for it to appeal to all users.
Piper Jaffray's analyst Gene Munster believes, Apple's low cost iPhone could steal 11 percent of the low-end smartphone market within its first year of being on available to consumers. While these images look very official, only time will tell if Apple actually has a plan to roll out a low-cost version of the iPhone 5s in order to help it compete on the low-end market with Android and other smartphones and operating systems according to ValueWalk.
The images leaked online show the back of the iPhone 5 and the inner workings of the potential plastic encased low-end smartphone. The original images can be seen HERE on the forums for the website and below.
