
Although they would never announce it publicly, the sources say CEO Steve Jobs is afraid of losing market share to Android, and a cheaper iPhone would widen its appeal to those that may be on the fence about a smartphone, or those in developing nations.
Android currently controls 32.9 percent of the global smartphone market, compared to Apple's 16 percent.
Apple's new device will sell for $150-$200 with contract, will be 30 percent smaller than the current iPhone 4, and will remove the Home button. Additionally, Apple wants to add a "universal SIM" slot which will work for many GSM networks.