[Discuss] [OT] Smart Phones

[gruntly at gmail.com (Theodore Ruegsegger)]

Rich Pieri <richard.pieri at gmail.com> wrote:
> "Rich Braun" <richb at pioneer.ci.net> wrote:
>
>> Sometime last year a major news organization (I think it was ABC)
>> announced that the build cost of an iPhone is US$8, which if true
>
> BS. The box and box contents (charger, headphones) are eight bucks.
> Total BOM and manufacture costs for iPhone 5 ranges from $207 to $238
> according to iSuppli's analysis. iPhone 4s BOM+manufacture costs run
> from $196 to $253. This is just the hardware components. It does not
> include software, licensing, royalties, advertising, shipping, and so
> forth.
>
> Welcome to the modern "news reporting" where journalistic integrity and
> basic fact-checking take a back seat to hype and ratings.

I'm not familiar with iSuppli. Can you explain why you believe that
market-research firm's claims are more credible?

It would certainly be useful to know the actual production cost
(incremental cost of mass-production, not a hypothetical one-shot or
prototype) of a smart phone, but dueling assertions doesn't get us any
closer to knowing.

Ted