According to a survey by Morgan Stanley in 2008, the unit’s cost, service plan cost, upfront payment, and contract length were the top four largest barriers for consumers when considering an Apple iPhone. A Morgan Stanley analyst expects Apple to unveil new, less expensive iPhones in June.

Interestingly, AT&T ranked only sixth and had a mere 27% of the vote on this list. Katy Huberty believes that Apple will address the price barrier with a June launch of a cheaper iPhone. This is the same analyst who once said that the original iPhone would fail because it was too pricey, and that the iPad will ship 6 million by the close of 2010.

I think that if Apple has plentiful 3GS stock when the new iPhone is announced, the price of the older model will probably be slashed drastically just like what happened to the original iPhone when the 3GS came out. Since higher end Android smartphones are still being launched for $529 and above, I see no reason for Apple to go any lower.

Source: Appleinsider