Rich Fanboi, Poor Fanboi–Apple Mulls Upside of Going Down-Market

Apple doesn’t have a smaller iPhone in its product pipeline, but it may well have a cheaper one. Certainly that seems to be COO Tim Cook’s implication in an interview with Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi making the rounds today.

The iPhone isn’t intended “just for the rich,” Cook said, remarking that Apple has some “clever things” planned to address the prepaid market and has no intention of ceding any smartphone market share to rivals. Add to this some related comments about the company’s focus on carrier expansion, particularly in poorer countries, and it’s pretty clear that Apple is developing a more affordable iPhone.

Just what sort of form it will take isn’t clear, though Sacconaghi suggests it may be a combination of less expensive hardware and better carrier rates, or even a move to disintermediate carriers with a soft-SIM.