iPhone 4S Release Date: iPhone 4S Costs $188 To Produce
Research firm iSuppli's recent analysis report points to the iPhone 4S's 16GB version having a total cost of $188 for its inside materials.
The parts for the iPhone 4S's 32GB edition has a total cost of $207, while the 64GB version's parts equate to a cost of $245.
iSuppli estimates that each unit of the iPhone 4S costs Apple $8 to produce. Because of this, the retail prices for each phone had to increase.
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The 16GB model goes for $199, the 32GB sells for $299 and the 64GB version costs $399.
iSuppli's report had this to say about their findings: "In the case of the iPhone 4S, [IHS iSuppli analyst Andrew] Rassweiler estimates that the BOM cost ranges from $188 for the 16 gigabyte version of the iPhone 4S to $207 for the 32GB version and $245 for the 64GB version. Apple and its carrier partners sell the phones for $199, $299 and $399 respectively, typically with a two-year contract for wireless service that carriers use to subsidize the cost they pay Apple."
iSuppli went on to reveal that the only difference between the three iPhone 4S models is the amount of NAND Flash memory.
The research firm reached the conclusion that Apple pays $19.20 for each 16GB of storage, so the devices' bill of materials were adjusted based on that figure.
iSuppli came upon even more findings for the iPhone 4S. They found that the smartphone's "wireless section" costs the most, which makes the company pay $23.54 per iPhone produced.
As for its Retina display, its production cost comes out to $23. The touch screen goes for $14 per unit produced.
Previous component costs for Apple's entry-level iPhone's have typically come in between $170 and $190.
Apple's iPhone 4s has been considered a success for the company so far.
Apple announced on Monday that in its first weekend of sales, 4 million units of the iPhone 4S were sold worldwide. This record eclipses the previous record set last year by the iPhone 4 of 1.7 million units sold in its first weekend.
