One of the criticisms that many have leveled at Apple is the increasing cost of the iPhone, in which the base flagship model now costs $1,000. However there is some good news and that is if you were holding out for 2019’s iPhone is that there is a chance that prices could remain the same.
This is according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who in a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider has suggested that Apple might be adopting different antenna technology that could help reduce production costs. We doubt that reduced production costs won’t mean lower prices for consumers, but at the very least we expect that prices should remain the same.
As it stands, Apple employs 6 Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) antennas in their iPhones, but according to Kuo, Apple might change that in 2019 by using a mix of LCP and Modified Polyimide (MPI) technology, where 2 antennas will be made with LCP, and the remaining four made using MPI tech.
It seems that LCP antennas are harder to manufacture and are said to be more brittle, while MCP is easier and has a higher yield rate. It will also allow Apple to expand their antenna suppliers which should also help with supply of components. It is unclear how the change of tech will affect the end-user, but hopefully there will not be any perceived differences.
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