14 DAY TRIAL // A new rumor (if we can even call it that) has sprung into action claiming Apple fanatics will have to shell out as much as $800, or around €650, to buy the next iPhone. The news is most likely false.
Picked up by the International Business Times, whose editors seem to have a thing for the most far-fetched Apple stories ($800 Iphone 5 Price Tag Rumor Hits Web, Shocking Apple Fans), the $800 iPhone rumor emerged in a typical fashion.
It turns out the phrase "iPhone 5 $800" became the second-most-popular non-promoted trending topic on Twitter this Thursday after a listing on the Chinese auction site taobao.com emerged carrying purported iPhone 5 photos and the hefty price tag (in Chinese currency).
Not much to go by, as many of our readers will agree. And all this is coming from the country selling Apple’s next iPhone before the Cupertino giant can even confirm its existence.
Our advice? Don’t panic. The next iPhone will most likely be priced exactly the same as its predecessor (at least the base configuration). It’s been like this every single year since 2007, and there’s no indication of change this time around.
For those wondering, the price of a brand new iPhone 4S today is $199 with a two-year contract, and $649.00 without a carrier plan. That translates into €160 and €530, respectively, and it’s the price for the base configuration with 16GB of storage.
The taobao finding is credited to website gamenguide.com, which notes, “Obviously, the iPhone will cost a pretty penny, but pigs will fly before it costs that much.”
“Some sellers are even asking for a deposit, despite that they can't give a delivery time for the product. Hopefully, not many will fall victim to potential scammers, and that seems to be the case for the time being.”
Sadly, the International Business Times forgot to check that the article had been posted on July 12.