New pictures of purported low-cost iPhone's back shell show a Blue variant

New higher quality images of the purported back case of the low-cost iPhone have surfaced online, adding a Blue colour shell.

The images that appeared on French website, Nowhereelse.fr reveal back shells that sport a glossy finish and include metal contacts/ attachment points for connecting components.

It appears that they're final production units as evident from the plastic covering they're wrapped in. However, the images do not reveal any new details and match the ones that surfaced a few days back barring that they also feature a new Blue shell in addition to the Red, Green and Yellow shells depicted in the previous image.

As apparent, the back shells sports a black Apple logo, a round hole for the camera lens, another one for the flash and a hole for the noise cancellation microphone. As previously noted, the internal panel sports contacts/ attachment points that can connect to components such as the motherboard and Lightning connector port at almost exactly the same points where they're positioned on the iPhone 5.

Another picture of the rear shell that appeared in April, shared by case manufacturer Tactus, matches these shells in terms of the overall design, including the position of the camera lens, microphone and flash holes, though it was White in colour. The case maker had said that the cheaper iPhone would be available in Black, White, Blue, Red and Yellow colours, citing the 'factory producing this secretive project' as a source. Tactus had informed that the actual phone might be around 9mm thick, 120mm in height and around 62-65mm in width, making it both taller and wider than the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Apple focused Japanese blog Macotakara had also suggested that the new low-cost iPhone will come in multiple colours. It cited two sources that suggested different colours for the purported budget iPhone. While one source mentioned that it would come in Navy, Gold Orange, White, and Grey colours, the second one suggested White, Pink, Green, Blue, and Yellow-Orange colours. The mockup offered by the site also featured the same design elements and positioning of components, though the colours were a bit different.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had also confirmed in one of his research reports a plastic shell for the budget iPhone and had said that Apple was finding it difficult to keep the plastic shell of the low-cost iPhone as thin as it would like.

Apple 'plans cheaper iPhone'

Apple could launch a cheaper version of the iPhone later this year, according to reports.

A cheaper iPhone has been rumoured for years but, according to reports, Apple could launch the device later this year.

The cheaper handset could be similar to the current model but with a cheaper, less expensive body, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing "people briefed on the matter", the Journal says that Apple is considering an iPhone with a polycarbonate plastic case, which would be cheaper to make than the glass iPhone 4 and 4S or the aluminium iPhone 5.

The paper says Apple might still decide not to launch the device but that a cheaper iPhone is needed to help the company compete with cheap smartphones running Google's Android operating system.

Last week, research firm Strategy Analytics suggested that the growth in Android sales, and particularly Samsung devices, could force Apple to release a smaller "iPhone mini".
"Samsung plays in more segments and this should enable it to capture more volume than Apple (assuming Apple does not launch an 'iPhone Mini' this year)," Neil Mawston, executive director of Strategy Analytics, said.

Apple's strategy so far has been to concentrate on profitability rather than market share. Though Apple has released just one new smartphone model each year since the first iPhone in 2007, it does tend to keep older versions of its phone on the market.

The iPhone 4 and 4S are both still available, for example, giving would-be owners a cheaper way to get an iPhone.

While Apple continues to see increased profits, it has missed Wall Street estimates in three of the last five quarters. It is due to announce its Q1 results in two weeks' time.

Though Android-powered mobile phones have increased in popularity in recent years, Samsung remains the only manufacturer that is seeing profits increasing, thanks in part to an advertising spend at least 10 times greater than Apple's.

 HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer which makes Android and Windows Phone handsets, recently announced that it had missed forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2012 and that profits were down 91 per cent, year on year.
It just seems every smartphone company is trying to stop tecno from running them out of business