‘People Who Have Been Briefed on the Plans’

Another gem from the Bloomberg iPhone claim chowder file, this one reported by Peter Burrows and Gregory Bensinger back in February 2011:

Apple has considered selling the new iPhone for about $200, without obligating users to sign a two-year service contract, said the person who has seen it. Android phones sell for a range of prices at AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and other carriers, and typically come with agreements that include a fee for broken contracts. The iPhone 4, sold in the U.S. by AT&T and Verizon Wireless, costs $200 to $300 when subsidized by a contract.

While Apple has aimed to unveil the device near mid-year, the introduction may be delayed or scrapped, the person said. Few Apple employees know the details of the project, the person said. Apple often works on products that don’t get released. The prototype was about one-third smaller than the iPhone 4, and it had no “home” button, said the person, who saw it last year.

None of this is actually wrong, technically, given the “introduction may be delayed or scrapped” dodge — but none of this came to pass. None of it.

Monday, 11 November 2013