iPhone 4 Still in High Demand

With the iPhone 5’s imminent release, the iPhone 4 is surprisingly still in high demand by consumers; when the iPhone 4 debuted the sales of previous versions plummeted, but with the current economy it looks like the trend is reversed. Many analysts in the field believe that the iPhone 4 will sell an additional 18 million units this quarter, compared to 20 million last quarter.

In emerging markets like India and China, the iPhone 4 will continue to sell well into next year, as most countries are still upgrading from the previous iPhone 3. There, of course, is always the matter of price. The latest iPhone adopters always pay a premium for adopting within the first six months, and two thirds of those surveyed say they will be waiting for the price point to drop a bit before they commit to a two year contract with the same phone (and then they avoid the usual upgrade fee when the next iPhone gets kicked out in 2013).

With all of the iPhone 5’s cool new features, people are expected to come out in droves to buy it… but it looks like the first six months of life for the new iPhone will be a little quieter than the iPhone 4. But, there is good news; with T-Mobile and Sprint entering the iPhone game, it looks like competition for services will finally begin. Sprint is offering unmetered unlimited plans for under a $100 for its release of the iPhone 5, and T-Mobile will be doing the same (albeit with slower speeds after users exceed a set limit of data).

The iPhone 4 will still be in demand for at least another six months, and apps will be backward and forward compatible regardless of which version of the phone is being used. For early adopters and those slow on the draw it’s good news all around.