Brand new iPhone SE is $400. Entry level iPhones have never cost more than ~$650. The entry level specs are good enough for 80% of people’s needs, and an extra $100 or $200 probably satisfies 95% of people’s needs.
I don’t see the purpose of the “$1k iPhone” meme when it’s blatantly false, and competing Android phones have also always cost around the same amount.
And what’s also been blatantly true is the amortized cost of an iPhone over its longer lifespan versus competing products has always been lower.
The iPhone 8/X generation turned a lot of people off because of its totally unaffordable pricing. The 8, which took the entry-level spot but was essentially a previous-model phone, cost $700, and the X was $1k. They’ve made this mistake before.
The only possible saving grace that I can see is that it’s an image strategy: price a product very high in the first generation to build an “exclusive” image, then lower its price over time to increase sales.
I don’t see the purpose of the “$1k iPhone” meme when it’s blatantly false, and competing Android phones have also always cost around the same amount.
And what’s also been blatantly true is the amortized cost of an iPhone over its longer lifespan versus competing products has always been lower.