Multiple rumors of a low-cost iPhone have been making the rounds as of late, and now the topic has come up once again thanks to an interview with Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing. Speaking to the Shanghai Evening News, Schiller said that Apple only uses the best tech that it can find so that it can bring "the best product to market." He went on to explain that while cheap smartphones have become popular in the Chinese market, such devices "will will never be the future of Apple’s products," and that while Apple's smartphone market share may be hovering around 20 percent, its share of the profits is around 75 percent.
Of course, as The Next Web points out, Schiller's statement isn't a outright denial that some sort of less-expensive iPhone may be coming. Apple could find a way to craft a more affordable new handset that costs less than the iPhone 5 but still features quality materials. One example named by a recent rumor as a possible material for the low-cost iPhone's body is polycarbonate plastic, which is used by Nokia for its Lumia smartphones that are frequently praised for their build quality. Schiller also
Obviously there's a chance that these latest rumors of a less-expensive iPhone could turn out to be nothing, just like they have in recent years. However, Schiller's statements in this latest interview only appear to say that Apple won't be releasing a low-quality product just to gain market share, which doesn't come as a surprise considering how Apple often prides itself on high-quality and well-manufactured devices. What do you all make of these low-cost iPhone rumors? Do you think that 2013 will be the year that we finally see such a product introduced?
