Apple hasn’t announced any new smartphones yet this year, but the company’s plans seem like a matter of public record at this point. The “
iPhone 5S” will reportedly be an incremental update that replaces
Apple’s current flagship model
in the late summer or early fall, and half a dozen solid reports suggest
a new low-cost iPhone will debut in 2013 as well. Growth continues to slow at the high end of the smartphone market and a new opportunity is emerging at the bottom as feature phones become a thing of the past. It remains to be seen if Apple can build a phone that is affordable enough to compete in emerging markets, but market research firm ABI Research’s recent report might provide some incentive: Shipments of low-cost smartphones are expected to explode in the coming years.
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