Apple aiming exclusively at high-end smartphones

Apple is aimed exclusively at competing in the high-end smartphone market, not in a larger arena, according to CEO Steve Jobs. The executive made a rare appearance during Apple's Q4 results call, where he specifically compared the iPhone against Nokia's output. Apple is not trying to mimic Nokia, he said, which leads global cellphone sales with cheaper devices. "We don't know how to make a great smartphone at $50," Jobs remarked.

The CEO also insisted that there was no worry of a market shift towards less expensive smartphones. Other hardware makers often don't know software, hoping that the latter "will magically sort itself out," he claimed. This allegedly leads to a "chicken and egg" situation, in which developers won't want to support phones with reduced features. Apple does in fact have some stratification in the form of older yet supported iPhone models, which lack iPhone 4 features like FaceTime and a Retina Display.

Jobs has regularly pointed out that the company aims at a luxury or premium market. The iPad, for instance, was specifically contrasted with netbooks during its introduction; netbooks are really just cheaper notebooks, he said, not an ideal design in their own right.

By Electronista Staff