iPhone 8 Price: Bundle Could Convince People To Buy $1,000 iPhone

The iPhone 8 is expected to come with a hefty $1,000 price tag, but there might be a way to get the 10th anniversary gadget at a better deal, Barclays analysts say, according to Business Insider.

Apple is set to hold its press event next week, in which it is expected to reveal the iPhone 8. Previous iPhone 8 rumors have pointed to numerous new features on the device, including an edge-to-edge OLED screen and face recognition technology.

Along with those advancements comes a higher price, in this case $1,000. The price isn’t too much of a surprise, since Apple already sells the iPhone 7 Plus with 256 GB for $969, and over $1,000 if you add the $129 AppleCare plan.

Some analysts believe the high price will have a negative impact on iPhone 8 sales, with Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Wamsi Mohan telling clients: "Anything significantly over $1000 as the price for the lowest SKU of the iPhone 8 could be potentially detrimental to demand."

Deutsche Bank analysts also said this summer that the higher price of the iPhone could affect sales.

"Generally, when prices go up, demand goes down," the analysts said. "A scenario where prices go up and demand goes up seems highly unlikely in our view."

How To Get The iPhone 8 At A Lower Price

However, Barclays analysts have offered a solution for persuading fans to buy the iPhone 8. The analysts predict Apple could offer free subscriptions to Apple Music and 200GB of iCloud storage for one year. A year of Apple Music costs about $120, while the iCloud 200GB plan costs $2.99 a month. The addition of those service means a customers will actually pay $844 for the iPhone 8.

The prediction is based on a survey of wireless-service customers, which found Apple might sell only about 40 million iPhone 8 incremental units. However, the number increased to 64.4 million million incremental units when the device was combined with an Apple Music and iCloud bundle.

While the bundle is only a prediction, it does make some sense, since Apple has been pushing its services lately.

During Apple’s earnings call last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about reeling in subscribers to Apple Music with exclusive content. The company recently hired two individuals who have experience in creating content like the show “Breaking Bad” and Netflix’s “The Crown” for future plans.

In another push for original content, Apple released its exclusive documentary on former One Direction singer Harry Styles on Apple Music in May. The film, “Harry Styles: Behind the Album,” goes behind the scenes of the singer's first solo album. Apple also pushed its documentary about Bad Boy Records, the label founded by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. In an effort to rise above rival streaming services, the Cupertino company is expected to release as many as 10 original shows and documentaries by the end of this year, including will.i.am’s "Planet of the Apps" and documentaries about hip-hop label Cash Money Records and music impresario Clive Davis.

iPhone 8 Rumors, Features, Release Date

Besides the OLED display, previous rumors suggested the iPhone 8 will come with an embedded Touch ID. However, a recent Wall Street Journal report said the feature was too difficult to integrate into the device, leading Apple to ditch the idea.

The 10th anniversary iPhone is expected to feature wireless charging technology and will support faster charging. The device is rumored to include a True Tone feature and a vertical dual-camera system. The HomePod’s firmware suggests the device’s front and back cameras will be able to record 4K resolution videos in 60 frames-per-second.

Some reports suggest the iPhone 8’s release date will be delayed. A report this week said the device will be available for preorder on Sept. 15 but won’t ship until October. Meanwhile, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the iPhone 8 will release on time but in limited quantities.

The iPhone 8 is expected to be revealed alongside two LCD models, the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus. The Apple Watch Series 3 and a new Apple TV could also be revealed next week.