Edible Apple

Hot on the heels of a report from Digitimes regarding a low-cost iPhone in the works for 2013 comes word from the Wall Street Journal echoing that sentiment.

While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan has been progressing and a less expensive version of the flagship device could launch as soon as later this year, one of the people said.

The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said. One possibility Apple has considered is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic. Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models.

Digitimes noted that this supposed low-cost iPhone will come with a larger screen – perhaps the 4 inch screen that currently graces the iPhone 5 – and may sport an entirely new design.

While we’ve certain heard rumors of a cheaper iPhone model make the rounds for years now, Apple thus far has had success in offering previous generation iPhones at lower pricing to consumers. One wonders, though, if the margins on these devices aren’t quite high enough and prompted Apple to explore a lower cost option with cheaper materials a’la what the aforementioned reports indicate.

What’s more, the WSJ article was since echoed by Bloomberg which reports:

Apple, which had been working on a more affordable smartphone since at least February 2011, is weighing retail prices of $99 to $149 for a device that would debut in late 2013, at the earliest…

Again, Apple already has an iPhone at the $99 pricepoint but perhaps an iPhone model without all of the bells and whistles will pad Apple’s bottom line a little bit more than what they have now.