In the past six months, Apple’s global iPhone sales have experienced a significant decline, with a nearly 10% drop in the first quarter alone, losing the top spot it had snatched back from Apple. Faced with the current situation, foreign media warn that Apple must seek a way out and suggest launching a $250 (approximately 1810 RMB) phone, similar in price to Huawei’s nova11SE.

According to Bloomberg, iPhone sales worldwide have seen a serious decline in the past half-year, with the situation becoming even more apparent in 2024. In the first two months of the year, sales in China dropped by one-third, with a global decline of around 10%. In light of this, Apple must explore new product lines to get the company back on track, with the best approach being to introduce a phone priced below $250 (approximately 1810 RMB) to attract attention.

This viewpoint may be hard for many Apple fans to believe. After all, to many loyal fans, Apple phones have always been a “status symbol” that highlights their position. The more expensive the phone they sell, the higher their status. If Apple were to also release a thousand-dollar phone, then what would differentiate them from domestic brands like Huawei and Xiaomi? How could they satisfy their vanity?

Moreover, considering Apple’s product positioning, the iPhone SE 3, priced at 3500 RMB in the past two years, has already cut back on many features, including using last year’s chip, an exterior design from several years ago, and a battery of around 2000mAh. If a phone priced at half that of the SE were to be released, Apple would likely use chips from several years ago, an outdated design, making it difficult to ensure the quality of the battery, screen, and even whether the phone would have a camera.

For Apple to achieve a thousand-dollar price point for a product, the core components would undoubtedly be greatly reduced. In comparison, the Huawei nova11 SE would be a more cost-effective option. How could Apple compete with domestic brands like Redmi, Realme, and iQOO? As some netizens have commented, a thousand-dollar Apple phone is likely just a model, as the Apple logo alone adds a premium of about a thousand dollars, and releasing a thousand-dollar model might attract fans to buy it.

Certainly, while Bloomberg’s suggestion may not be feasible, Apple does need to reconsider its product positioning. Currently, iPhones lack innovation but are also priced too high. The best approach would be for Apple to lower the price of its standard iPhone models, enhance the appeal of the Pro series, and simultaneously introduce a budget-friendly SE version to boost sales.

Industry insiders predict that Apple will launch the iPhone SE 4 in 2025, using the iPhone X as a upgrade base, featuring a 6.1-inch OLED screen, a single rear camera, and being powered by the A17 Bionic processor. If this configuration starts at 128GB and is priced around 3500 RMB, it should be highly competitive. However, if Apple persists and starts at 64GB or prices it over 4000 RMB, the sales outcome is likely to be very poor.

So, what do you think? Will Apple release a thousand-dollar iPhone, and will it pose a serious challenge to domestic brands?