> People were already using cases that camouflage the device somewhat.
It's more about the actual offering - the iPhone - that Apple makes. The more crisp this idea is in the head of consumers, the better the positioning. It is more difficult for a product to be iconic the more variations of it there are.
> the old ones get cheaper
Again, it is about what Apple's offering is. I don't think selling out old inventory interferes with the idea of what their current offering is. In fact the better defined each model is, the easier to distinguish last year's model from the current one.
> the 5C is not the "cheap iPhone" everybody expected. Seeing as it is priced not nearly anywhere you would call "cheap".
It is still cheaper, so now the iPhone I show off only signals that I spent whatever the cheapest model costs. Might not be a huge difference but I still believe it hurts important signaling value that used to be attached to the iPhone.
> It is still cheaper, so now the iPhone I show off only signals that I spent whatever the cheapest model costs.
Isn't it the other way around? Under the old system, you bought a "high end" 4S. Then Apple introduce the iPhone 5, drop the 4S to a low price, and now your 4S is suddenly the "cheap" iPhone. Under this new system, you bought an iPhone 5, they introduce the 5C, drop the iPhone 5, and your iPhone 5 is still recognizable as the high end model.
It's more about the actual offering - the iPhone - that Apple makes. The more crisp this idea is in the head of consumers, the better the positioning. It is more difficult for a product to be iconic the more variations of it there are.
> the old ones get cheaper
Again, it is about what Apple's offering is. I don't think selling out old inventory interferes with the idea of what their current offering is. In fact the better defined each model is, the easier to distinguish last year's model from the current one.
> the 5C is not the "cheap iPhone" everybody expected. Seeing as it is priced not nearly anywhere you would call "cheap".
It is still cheaper, so now the iPhone I show off only signals that I spent whatever the cheapest model costs. Might not be a huge difference but I still believe it hurts important signaling value that used to be attached to the iPhone.