What An iPhone Nano Would Look Like
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is not saying if, or when, a new iPhone will come to market, but that’s not stopping people from guessing what it may look like. One of the leading assumptions is that Apple will address the mobile phone market much like it does the iPod market, and will release new variations of the phone that would be smaller and provide different functionality (and come in a wide variety of colors). The latest theories come to us from Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi, who sent a research note to clients today that was quoted extensively by AllThingsD.
So, what would the new iPhone look like? Sacconaghi writes an iPhone Nano would be a scaled back iPhone, which would target people who currently own an iPod, but don’t want an iPhone because of the costly monthly expense of having the required data plan. Sacconaghi envisions two versions: a Nano that would be smaller and wouldn’t allow for any kind of Web browsing — only phone calls and text messages. The phone, of course, would have storage for digital music. The second version would be more like the iPod Touch, but would be a phone. For more functionality, like Web browsing and accessing applications, the user would have to use Wi-Fi, not the more expensive cellular network.
Sacconaghi:
"could potentially add $7 billion in revenues and $4 billion in gross profits annually"
So their gross margin would be 67% ? Where did he learn to calculate ?????
Interesting concept, lots of consumers would probably like this type of phone, however the carriers might be less interested. One of the big attractions of the iPhone for ATT is that subscribers are required to have a $30 per month data plan. These charges greatly increase the ARPU for iPhone customers. Should consumers be able to get the iPhone capabilities but with limited or no data charges it might undermine the profitability.
There is substantial sense in this approach and it would open up a new and pretty big demographic that the standard iPhone may have trouble reaching. However, Apple will likely be forced to significantly differentiate the two devices. the other factor is that ATT may just have reduced subsidies for the Nano version, thus the two purchase prices would be no different or perhaps even higher for the Nano just as the Touch is today.