A new report claims that Apple will not only use a plastic case to keep the price of the iPhone 5C down, but the company might also cut Siri from the smartphone.
As we get closer to the rumored September 10 event Apple is rumored to be holding to announce the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, you should get ready to be inundated with various iPhone speculation. Some reports are likely to be on point but there's always a few that will completely miss the mark on Apple's next-generation iPhones.
The latest report comes from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster (via MacRumors). The analyst released a new research note to investors that centers on Apple's upcoming September iPhone launch, more specifically focusing on the low-cost iPhone.
"In terms of the phone itself, we expect the cheaper phone to have a plastic casing, 4" display, and lower end internal specs (processor, camera, memory, etc.) than the 5S/5 line up. Additionally, we believe that Apple may exclude some software features, such as Siri, which we note was not an option on the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 upon launch." said Munster.
Let's take a look at a few points that cast doubt on the analyst's predictions. Munster says that Siri was not an option on the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 at launch, and there's a very good reason for why the virtual assistant wasn't on either iPhone at launch. That reason reportedly has nothing to do with Apple trying to reduce costs or reduce cannibalization of higher-end iPhones.
Siri was not on the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 at launch because Siri wasn't part of iOS until Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 in 2011. The low-cost iPhone is meant to compete with mid-range Android offerings, but would Apple really remove Siri and set itself up to receive major criticism for not including the feature, while mid-range Android handsets include Google Now? Siri has also received major updates in iOS 7 that allows the virtual assistant to do more tasks and be more accurate.
It seems highly unlikely that Apple would cut Siri from the iPhone 5C and it's best to take this report with a grain of salt.
