Apple is reportedly developing a cheaper version of its iPhone for launch later this year, as the manufacturer looks to compete with Android the fast growing budget smartphone market.
The report, from the Wall Street Journal, Cites people “briefed in the matter” as saying that Apple is considering producing a less-expensive iPhone using a less expensive body, possibly made out of polycarbonate plastic instead of the aluminium case used for the iPhone 5.
The report also speculates that the rest of the phone could be made up of recycled parts from older iPhone models.
Apple has not confirmed the plan.
The move would signal a major shift for the company, which has traditionally offered only one new model to the market with each update, but comes after Apple’s smartphone market share began shrinking during the last few years with the rise of Android.
Google’s Android mobile operating system made up 75% of the global smartphone market in the third quarter of 2012, far ahead of Apple’s 14.9%, according to market analysis firm IDC.
A less expensive iPhone would come close to a year after Apple changed tact on the iPad; releasing an iPad Mini to complement the larger, more expensive iPad.
The report comes while Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China, for reasons not yet explained by the company, though it is rumoured that he is looking to expand Apple’s retail presence and iPhone 5 availability in the country.
In a separate report, Digitimes, claims Apple is building a budget model just for China, which would feature a larger 5-inch screen.
