The anticipation is now beginning to build for the release of Apple’s iPhone 8, said to be due in September this year. It has been a decade since the release of the first iPhone and Apple are set to wow users with the 10th anniversary device that will take the phone in a new direction but news comes this week that this new sleek smartphone could cost an upwards of $1,000.
According to a statement in Fast Company, a ‘source’ has claimed that the iPhone 8, if that is indeed what it will be christened, may come with a much heavier price tag than the usual ballpark figure of $650 for a flagship phone. This increase in price isn’t an unprecedented one, though. Apple’s most expensive handset, the iPhone 7 plus, currently stands at $1,000 including tax.
If Apple continue in the same vein as they have been since the release of the iPhone 3G back in 2008, what may happen in September is simply a slightly updated “s” version of the 7. There are reasons to suggest otherwise, however. The leaks, whether we believe them or not, have shown a complete redesign of the handset which have led us to expect a lack of both bezels and a home button. Other updated features are said to include wireless charging and an embedded touch ID scanner.
The Apple rumor mill is always churning, with thoughts that instead of the standard release of two phones this year (a 4.7 inch screen and a “plus” 5.5 inch screen) we may be surprised with the third option of a high-end handset. It is said that this model may have an OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen that will improve both brightness and viewing angles. This rumor could suggest that that the $1,000+ price tag could only apply to this particular model. Then again, if Apple wish to stay head to head in innovation with their biggest competitor, Samsung, while still gaining record-breaking profits, upping the cost of their products may be the only road they can take.