According to estimates by iSuppli Corp., Apple's new iPhone 3G will come with a bill of materials (BOM) and manufacturing cost of $173, nearly one-fourth less than the $226 the company spent on the first-generation 8GB iPhone, which debuted almost a year ago.
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The most expensive component on iSuppli's speculative price list was the 8GB of flash memory, which it tagged at $22.80. The touch screen and display each cost $20, while the 3G chip is $15, said the company.
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At the time, Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group Research Inc., used Portelligent's $100 estimate to question whether Apple required carrier subsidies to make money on the iPhone 3G. "If AT&T is adding in a $200 subsidy, then the iPhone 3G is anything but a phone requiring a carrier subsidy," Howe said. "In fact, if these numbers are true and the carriers are subsidizing the phone, the iPhone 3G could end up being the most profitable product Apple makes."
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It's imperative that Apple make money on the hardware, Rebello added, since the company will not be sharing in 3G subscriber revenues. "Hardware is vital to Apple profits, valuation and revenue," he said. "Two-thirds of Apple's revenue from the iPod still is derived from hardware, while only one-third is from the iTunes service and accessories. The second-generation iPhone is no exception."
Like Howe of the Yankee Group, iSuppli thinks the iPhone 3G may be an unusually-profitable product for Apple. Earlier iPod and iPhone tear-downs have put Apple's profit margin at around 50% more than the BOM and manufacturing costs. With a $300 subsidy, however, the margin would be nearly 65%. Even with a $200-per-iPhone subsidy, Apple's estimated margin would be around 57%.
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