Recent reports suggest Apple’s affordable iPhone variant ‘iPhone 5C’ could probably be made to die sometime next year.
According to a report on MacRumors, citing Taiwan’s Industrial and Commercial Times, Apple will cease iPhone 5c production in mid-2015, with its suppliers Wistron and Foxconn to shut down production of the same.
Launched last year, the iPhone 5C was introduced as a cheaper alternative to the extremely popular iPhone 5s with the 16GB model retailing for $99 and the 32GB version for $199. The handset features a plastic case rather than a metal or glass one. Being a budget-friendly phone, the iPhone 5c lacks core iPhone features. Neither the handset boasts the touch ID fingerprint sensor nor does it have the A7 processor found on the iPhone 5s.
Although reasons for the shutdown are not yet clear, it is expected that lack-luster sales for the handset could have forced Apple to go for the decision. Research firm CIRP in a January survey found that the 5S accounted for 59 percent of iPhone sales during the last quarter of 2013, while the 5C scored just 27 per cent of the total sales.
Certain reports even suggest that the company is stopping the iPhone 5C production to boost up iPhone 5S production in order to meet customer demands last year.
The latest report also falls right in line with a previous report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Quo, which stated that Apple would stop production of both the iPhone 5C and iPhone 4S next year.
Available in five different colors, the 5C is currently available for $450 unlocked or $0 on a two-year wireless contract in an 8GB edition.
