Pegatron CEO T.H. Tung told his shareholders on Thursday that Apple’s much rumored low-cost iPhone won’t be a budget offering, giving the impression that speculation that the handset will be sold as a middle-tier device is correct.
Tung disagreed with rumors that called Apple’s lower-end offering “cheap,” saying the “price is still high,”reports the China Times (viaMac Otakara).
The executive said products currently on the market can carry a number of names, but “cheap” is not one that should be associated with Apple’s less expensive iPhone. He went on to say that, compared to feature phones, smartphones are increasingly offering more value for the price.
Tung’s statements also appear to confirm reports that Pegatron will be handling at least part of the production of the still unannounced iPhone. Reports in May claimed Pegatron is planning to hire around 40,000 workers sometime in the second half of 2013.
KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March that he believes the two companies will split manufacturing duties for the low-cost iPhone. He also predicts Pegatron will take on a bigger share of the iPhone 4 and 4S production.
