They underestimated demand for a smaller phone and had no plans to release such for 6 6s or 7. Once they realized there was demand they could quickly develop the SE by using parts from the 5 series.
In either 2017 or 2018 they will have new smaller phones as part of the main product line.
Interesting idea! So just maybe the iPhone 8 will come in three sizes, the third a small screen version.
Look at the last financials. Apple are attracting new customers with the new larger phones and their active accounts numbers are growing as well but overall sales stopped growing. It seems pretty clear from that existing customers aren't upgrading as often. Either the older phone still works well (which it does) or they are waiting. SE sales seem to suggest a lot of waiting.
Given that I think a 7SE really should be on cards for 2017.
They underestimated demand for a smaller phone and had no plans to release such for 6 6s or 7. Once they realized there was demand they could quickly develop the SE by using parts from the 5 series.
In either 2017 or 2018 they will have new smaller phones as part of the main product line.
Interesting idea! So just maybe the iPhone 8 will come in three sizes, the third a small screen version.
Look at the last financials. Apple are attracting new customers with the new larger phones and their active accounts numbers are growing as well but overall sales stopped growing. It seems pretty clear from that existing customers aren't upgrading as often. Either the older phone still works well (which it does) or they are waiting. SE sales seem to suggest a lot of waiting.
Given that I think a 7SE really should be on cards for 2017.
Agreed. Even if it doesn't happen in Spring 2017, Apple can update it in the Fall. At the very least with A10, 12MP OIS camera, 2nd generation Touch ID, 32GB / 128GB storage capacity.
UBS just published a consumer survey that included people from USA, Europe and Chins. Apple came in dead last in terms of value for money. The days of all their competitors making cheap garbage is over. Apple's market share is declining in China because there are Chinese competitors selling good quality phones at a cheaper price. No it might not be sustainable. But then Apple's premium prices might not be either. We just saw Apple slash prices on USB C accessories and the new LG monitors. Just because Apple is more profitable than anyone ever right now doesn't mean it will always be that way. They have to continue to make products people are willing to pay a premium for.
What you deliberately played down:
However, Milunovich warns there are mitigating factors. Simply put, there are a lot of consumers in China who say they don't know what their next phone will be, and that suggests "Apple could have quite a good cycle in China" if its next iPhone is a winner.
Still, UBS says Apple is a buy and gives it a price target of $127. It sees strong iPhone 7 demand in the United States, and says that if Apple's next big product — AR, healthcare, or driverless cars — could be identified, then it could be "very bullish." "For now we’re focused more on the iPhone cycle. But soon we’re going to have to think about what comes beyond the iPhone cycle. If 2018 is strong, 2019 could be a down iPhone year. At that point we’re going to want to see some new products," Milunovitch said.
The problem with any survey is the sample group. Great, they surveyed 6500 people; that's actually not a huge sample in my book, but reckon it's big enough. The question is, who are they? Bearing in mind that Apple targets a relatively small set of the market, I'm not really surprised that a survey would find cheaper phones better value for money. If Apple targets a specific customer group and only hits 20% of them then they have a serious problem, but the survey didn't tell us that.
Once again, you forget that Apple doesn't make phones for everybody, which is why they make more money than companies that do.
What if Apple lowered the price of the SE by $100 like they do with their other iPhones after one year? Suddenly Apple would be shipping more iPhone SEs than last year and take a huge bite out of the low to mid range Android smartphone market. $299 is a very attractive price point for the SE especially if they increase the base storage to 32GB like their other phones.
What if Apple lowered the price of the SE by $100 like they do with their other iPhones after one year? Suddenly Apple would be shipping more iPhone SEs than last year and take a huge bite out of the low to mid range Android smartphone market. $299 is a very attractive price point for the SE especially if they increase the base storage to 32GB like their other phones.
I'd think this would be wise move especially if parallel to that they did a 7shaped SE only in higher end configurations and even maybe limit to black and jet black colours. That would capture both 4inch markets.
can't believe they would forego the opportunity to remove the headphone jack
I suspect you're being sarcastic, but the reality is, the cost of even the slight retooling of the SE in order to remove the headphone jack conflicts with the intended purpose of the phone, which is to be an inexpensive, full featured introductory phone to the Apple ecosystem, satisfying those customers who prefer the smaller form factor. The SE is likely to remain unchanged until it drops off the product matrix. I could see them updating it with the the iPhone 7 chipset in two years to keep it as a representative user experience for iPhone, buying it a little more time on the low-end price range until next years smallest flagship model can drop to match a similar price-point.
If Apple doesn't take into consideration that 'perhaps 2016 numbers were low because they came out with, not one, but two UNORIGINAL Phones'... then they are clearly off their rockers.
Only time will tell...
All I know is: I would gladly pay full/normal price to have an equal quality 4" SE. Heck... I'd pay more for a smaller phone, if that's what it takes to stuff all the deluxe parts into a smaller handset.
People keep telling me, "you'll get used to the 6s... it's not too big." But it's been over a year now.. and I still hate this thing.
Nothing new here. Practical approach Apple knows is SE upgrade on 2-3 year cycle for those who never want to use larger phones like my Dad. To keep cost down with good hardware inside, have trickle down spec from it's larger sibling. Focus should always be on larger phones.
I disagree.
Focus should be on in all three sizes. Delivering a unified model across all three.
EXACTLY!!! I don't want a larger phone... not do I want a cheaper phone... price is not the issue. I want an equal quality 4" model.
Comments
Given that I think a 7SE really should be on cards for 2017.
What you said:
What you deliberately played down:
The problem with any survey is the sample group. Great, they surveyed 6500 people; that's actually not a huge sample in my book, but reckon it's big enough. The question is, who are they? Bearing in mind that Apple targets a relatively small set of the market, I'm not really surprised that a survey would find cheaper phones better value for money. If Apple targets a specific customer group and only hits 20% of them then they have a serious problem, but the survey didn't tell us that.
Once again, you forget that Apple doesn't make phones for everybody, which is why they make more money than companies that do.
Only time will tell...
All I know is: I would gladly pay full/normal price to have an equal quality 4" SE. Heck... I'd pay more for a smaller phone, if that's what it takes to stuff all the deluxe parts into a smaller handset.
People keep telling me, "you'll get used to the 6s... it's not too big." But it's been over a year now.. and I still hate this thing.