Apple may have discontinued production of the iPhone 4S, but the smartphone is still selling in big numbers after its price dropped below Rs 13000. The device was going for between Rs 17000 and Rs 18000 earlier. Its continuing popularity is a surprise given that it was released in 2011, ancient by today’s standards.
The iPhone 4S has a 3.5-inch IPS DVGA (960 x 640p) Corning Gorilla Glass protected screen, 8GB internal memory, a dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 Apple A5 chipset, 512MB of RAM, a flash-enabled 8MP rear camera that records full HD video and a 0.3MP front lens. It can be updated to the latest iOS 8.4, with further compatibility for the future iOS 9.
If slashing the cost was a way to get rid of old stock, it seems to have worked. In a report by the Economic Times, sales of the 4S have nearly doubled in the two weeks since the reduction, according to three senior trade executives connected with Apple. The chief of a domestic phone maker said that while Apple had eaten into their sales, he hoped it was a short-term occurrence, further stating the high-end brand would always belong to the ‘super premium’ segment.
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Going by data provided through Counterpoint Research, Apple was the second largest smartphone manufacturer in India by value during the months of January, February and March. A senior telecom analyst with the firm said the cut would expand the company’s future consumer base in India as it would be an entryway to its iOS ecosystem, ensuring brand loyalty in the long term.
Have a look at the specs of the Apple iPhone 4S:
– Screen: 3.5-inch IPS, 960 x 640 pixels
– Processor: 1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 Apple A5
– Memory: 8GB, not expandable
– Camera: 8MP rear, 0.3MP front
– RAM: 512MB
– Battery: 1432mAh
– Connectivity: 3G, single-SIM, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi
Apple still faces stiff competition from local and Chinese handset producers who have more recent offerings in the market, such as Micromax or Xiaomi. Online retailers have probably given this unofficial cost reduction to appeal to consumers who would like the premium iPhone 4S at an affordable rate and won’t care how old it is.