The ‘Underpricing’ Apple Might Have Big iPhone and iPad Plans

March 18, 2017, 4:47 PM UTC
Apple Inc. IPhone 7 And IPhone 7 Plus Begin Sales In South Korea
A customer tries an Apple Inc. iPhone 7 at KT Corp.'s Olleh Square flagship store in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Samsung Electronics Co. will be without its highest-end Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that was supposed to compete against Apple's iPhones and other premium devices during the holiday shopping season. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg via Getty Images

Apple was the subject of several rumors this week, but in the Apple World, it was rather quiet.

Once again, the rumor mill churned out some reports this week on what Apple might have planned for its next big iPhone update, including details on the device’s reported curved screen. Those reports were flanked by claims Apple is planning a big iPad update and could hold a press event unveiling new slates next month.

This is Fortune’s weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news this week. To see last week’s roundup, click here.

But one of the more surprising Apple (AAPL) news items this week came from Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart who said the company is engaging in a new “underpricing” strategy that could ultimately attract more customers to its products. It’s an interesting observation.

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Here’s a look at all that news and more from this week’s Fortune Apple news roundup:

  1. Apple is planning to hold a press event in April where it will announce new iPads, according to a recent report. Apple could announce a new 10.5-inch iPad to sit alongside its 9.7- and 12.9-inch tablets. The new iPads could come with improved processors and some design tweaks.
  2. Apple is reportedly working on a third iPhone for this year, called the iPhone 8, iPhone X, or iPhone Edition, that would come with a curved screen. But now reports are saying the display will only offer a slight curve and won’t support new features. Instead, the curve will reportedly only be a design tweak.
  3. Above Avalon’s Neil Cybart said this week that Apple has intentionally offered its Apple Watch and AirPods at unusually low prices to attract new customers. He called the practice “underpricing,” and said that Apple could sell both devices for substantially more. Instead, Apple is hoping to bring more customers into the fold who might eventually buy its premium-priced devices, like the iPhone.
  4. Russian competition watchdogs this week found an Apple subsidiary in the country guilty of illegal price-fixing. The regulators said the subsidiary would force retailers to set specific prices on the iPhone and would even watch sellers to ensure they weren’t offering the handset at a discount. Apple’s subsidiary could face a fine up to 15% of its Russian sales.

For more about Tim Cook, watch:

One more thing…Apple has some big plans for China and announced this week that it will expand its research-and-development investment there.

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