Update: Apple has started to sell an 8GB version of the iPhone 5c in Europe (UK carrier O2 and SFR in France have also listed the 8GB version on their sites). This is available in all colours — white, red, yellow, blue, green — and retails for £429 unlocked ($785 CDN). No indication yet on the 8GB iPhone 5c coming to Canadian carriers. – IH
Apple will reportedly launch an 8GB iPhone 5c this week, replacing, or at least complementing, the entry-level iPhone 4s in the company’s iPhone lineup.
The iPhone 5c was introduced alongside the 5s last September, eliminating the year-old iPhone 5 from the product pool. Though it has been marketed as a new product, it retains the vast majority of the hardware components of the iPhone 5, repackaged in plastic body in a number of bright colours. Though the iPhone 5c has sold relatively well, research firms and developers have seen limited uptake of the product, claiming that the 5s outsells it 2:1, or in some regions, 3:1.
While an 8GB iPhone 5c may not eliminate the 4s from the lineup, it would be a good way to boost sales of the device. At the moment, the 8GB iPhone 4s is free on a 2-year term at most carriers, while the 16GB 5c starts at $99. An 8GB version of the same product could be offered for $29, or even at no cost, to bolster recognition of the line. It’s unclear whether Apple will continue its “C” line of products this September, when the company is expected to launch two new iPhones in sizes larger than the current 4-inch flagship 5s.
Engadget received what looks to be a label confirming the existence of the 8GB iPhone 5c in blue, destined to be launched in Germany on the country’s O2 network tomorrow. It’s unclear whether it will launch outside the country, but we’d be willing to bet if it’s coming to a market like Germany it will launch worldwide.
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