According to the latest rumor circulating about the iPhone, Apple may be preparing to launch a new, cheaper iPhone model beside the iPhone 5. While we’ve heard this before, the details of this rumor are more interesting – it’ll be powered by iCloud!
Following numerous rumors that Apple might release a new lower-cost iPhone alongside the iPhone 5, AppleNApps is claiming that not only is Apple planning to release a cheaper iPhone, but that it will have almost no storage and will be powered solely through Apple’s iCloud.
According to the report, the device is being referred to internally as the iCloud iPhone, and AppleNApps claims to have three independent Apple-connected sources that all contributed to their report.
The main idea is that Apple will be releasing one one, but two new iPhones – the iPhone 5 as the main event, and a second cheaper phone to help Apple address the segment of the market that can’t afford the iPhone 5.
The new cheaper model of the iPhone reportedly uses many of the same components as the iPhone 4, but will use a less expensive aluminum back and sides, and will be available for $400 with no contract or free with a two-year contract.
The report also reiterates the seemingly obvious, and claims that the iPhone 5 will be thinner, and sport Apple’s dual-core A5 chip.
Personally, I highly doubt the credibility of this rumor. From what Apple has revealed about iCloud so far, the service functions as a syncing platform, relying on your device’s on-board storage, and simply keeping all of your content synchronized between your devices (and your Mac).
Nothing said about iCloud up to this point suggests that it could work as a streaming platform capable of providing all of the content and services necessary to eliminate nearly all of the device’s on-board storage.
Additionally, an iPhone that was entirely based on the cloud would use an enormous amount of data, making it much less feasible for lower-income purchasers, as they’d have to spend a fortune on a data plan that could support the device.
I’m filing this one in the “not gonna happen” stack.
