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The iPhone 3GS has been around since 2009 and since the iPhone 5 is due in just a few months; many would have expected Apple to terminate this rather outdated device. Nevertheless, the company has other plans: the phone will stay in production and will be used to tap into the developing markets. The devices will be sold contract-free and featuring pay-as-you-go plans.
Analyst Peter Misek, from Jefferies, was the first to bring us the news. He stated that the smartphone will go on sale on developing markets with a price tag that varies between $250 and $300. Compared to its current price of $375 its quite a reduction. Apple is already trying to secure a partnership with a leading distribution and logistics company in order to make sure the iPhone 3GS will be marketed efficiently.
Usually when Apple rolls off a new device, the older one gets the discount treatment. When the iPhone 4S hit the stores in October 2011, Apple sold the 8GB iPhone 4 for $99 on a two-year contract. The iPhone 3GS dodged the bullet back then too as it was offered for free with a carrier subsidy. And apparently Apple is not done making plans for the 3GS.
Emerging markets have attracted the attention of companies like Apple. One special study highlighted last year that emerging markets encapsulate 14 times more younger people with ages between 25 and 34. These are the smartphone people, or the people who are most prone to go out and purchase such a device.
By Radu
Source: Apple: iPhone 3GS May Get New Life In Prepaid Markets - Forbes
