The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
Yea, for sure. I had to buy the 64GB as 16GB just wasn't enough. But, if I were buying one now, I'd probably have gotten the 32GB, as that's enough for what I do with it.
However, I think the 'budget model' aspect and the 'form factor (not really screen size)' are two competing issues that ensure Apple (or us) won't ever really know what the primary driving factor for the model line is.
mike1 said: I would love to see some data as to the primary reason user's purchase an SE. In my limited sample size of about four people, all of them chose it for the screen size. If somebody really wanted the larger screen, the 6S is still available. The monthly cost difference is minimal when spread over the installment plans.
They won't really know, as they kind of targeted it at both crowds. I guess they could ask, but such surveys, IMO, don't get honest data. (ex: how many would be honest and say they bought it because they couldn't afford the other models?)
Also, as I noted above, it isn't about screen size, but form factor. So long as they keep the same (or very similar) form factor, they can squeeze in as big of edge-to-edge screen as they like, and I'd be thrilled. It's the overall fit in hand/pocket and usability that are my primary concern. If you put a case on it that provides any reasonable protection, even the SE is pushing the 'too big' size boundaries (which is why I typically keep it in a less than optimal case, and be really careful, and switch if I anticipate needing it to be more rugged).
Everyone in my extended family has the SE. We can afford any damn phones we want. The only people who think folks buy iPhones because they're cheaper more affordable are folks who like book-sized phones.
I have no doubt that the SE line will be refreshed next spring. I just hope that the design is bumped up to match the modern phones, the 5 series always looked like some Sharper Image bullcrap to me.
I'm sure there are people who go to the store just looking for the lowest priced iPhone they can get. So, I think that segment exists.
I would say next spring would be a good time to do it, as Mike indicated in the article. There is a delicate balance here. They can't let it get too out of date if they intend to continue it, but if they are concerned about model-line competition, they can't make it up-to-date either. I just wish they'd add the form-factor back to the regular lineup and get back on feature-parity (but, that wouldn't address that 'budget' market).
I disagree over the design though. My wife has an iPhone 7, and I actually think that design looks cheap (and it's too thin). I prefer the SE design, as aside from being practical, it has a more elegant, machined, craftsman aspect to it... kind of like a high-end watch.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I would love to see some data as to the primary reason user's purchase an SE. In my limited sample size of about four people, all of them chose it for the screen size. If somebody really wanted the larger screen, the 6S is still available. The monthly cost difference is minimal when spread over the installment plans.
I know a fair few people who are comfortable with smaller phones, at least for the basics and of course ergonomics. There is a market for them. Thankfully bezeless phones play in their favour as larger screen phones can be comfortable in smaller hands. For things like reading non mobile optimised documents etc, the same people often give up.
When we speak about these rumours we are talking about the phones that will take us into 2018. The iPhone 6 as a larger screen option doesn't fit the bill as people want new tech for their money or at least new repackaging.
avon b7 said: I know a fair few people who are comfortable with smaller phones, at least for the basics and of course ergonomics. There is a market for them. Thankfully bezeless phones play in their favour as larger screen phones can be comfortable in smaller hands. For things like reading non mobile optimised documents etc, the same people often give up.
Problem is, they are planning the edge-to-edge for the flagship series of phones, which are already too big, IMO. I'll welcome edge-to-edge if it comes to the SE form factor... though I won't be so happy if it moves to the 7 or 8 design in general (even at the SE dimensions).
Since I have other computing devices available, typically, when needed, the phone doesn't have to be the device I try to get everything done on. It's a phone, for me. I want it to be phone-sized, primarily.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I wouldn't bet on an update in the fall, no. More likely next spring. There are several reasons why next spring, instead of this fall.
While Apple cares about the SE, it doesn't care enough to offer anything 'new' in this regard alongside its flagship phones during their critical holiday quarter. Apple isn't going to give someone the chance to buy a $400 SE when the $1000 iPhone 8 is what's new. Not a chance.
Plus, by launch it at the start of Q2, it is able to boost Q2/Q3 iPhone sales above the normal dip, and carry it through to new iPhones launch at the end of Q3.
It is a very tough call and I follow your logic.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
Why would that be courageous? What industry risk would Apple be taking, like they did when dropping the legacy audio port?
And why should Apple release a cheap big phone, other than because you want one? Apple is the premium brand, not the cheap brand. They didn't realize a cheap netbook, either, even if it meant lower market share.
Since I have other computing devices available, typically, when needed, the phone doesn't have to be the device I try to get everything done on. It's a phone, for me. I want it to be phone-sized, primarily.
Exactly the reason why I chose the SE. I have an iPad mini2 if I need a bigger screen. My brother in law got an iPhone 6Plus 128gb when they first came out. When he wants to carry a phone with him he still uses his old 4S because it fits in his pocket.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I wouldn't bet on an update in the fall, no. More likely next spring. There are several reasons why next spring, instead of this fall.
While Apple cares about the SE, it doesn't care enough to offer anything 'new' in this regard alongside its flagship phones during their critical holiday quarter. Apple isn't going to give someone the chance to buy a $400 SE when the $1000 iPhone 8 is what's new. Not a chance.
Plus, by launch it at the start of Q2, it is able to boost Q2/Q3 iPhone sales above the normal dip, and carry it through to new iPhones launch at the end of Q3.
It is a very tough call and I follow your logic.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I wouldn't bet on an update in the fall, no. More likely next spring. There are several reasons why next spring, instead of this fall.
While Apple cares about the SE, it doesn't care enough to offer anything 'new' in this regard alongside its flagship phones during their critical holiday quarter. Apple isn't going to give someone the chance to buy a $400 SE when the $1000 iPhone 8 is what's new. Not a chance.
Plus, by launch it at the start of Q2, it is able to boost Q2/Q3 iPhone sales above the normal dip, and carry it through to new iPhones launch at the end of Q3.
It is a very tough call and I follow your logic.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
Why not? The A9 in the SE fully supports ARKit and the other iOS improvements.
I also bought the SE solely for the size (as opposed to the price, though that was very nice too). And not just the form factor, either. The screen size is ideal for my hands. I can reach the whole screen with one hand, minimal shimmying. With the 6 it was a constant battle trying to do what I could so comfortably do with my 4S. When the SE was announced I leapt at the opportunity to "upgrade" and ditch my iPhone 6, which was far too large and cumbersome for my liking. I want to be able to use my phone with one hand without feeling the need to keep the other hand at the ready to type or tap something on the far reaches of the screen (n.b., I didn't find the Reachability feature useful on the 6).
Honestly, even if they kept the form factor the exact same and just updated the internals every 1-2 years, I would buy it over and over again. I'm more than willing to trade the latest and greatest features for a more comfortable/manageable handset.
The less-slippery form factor is also key. I don't even use a case on my SE because the edges make it so easy to grip; I've hardly ever dropped it. With the 6 the curved sides were so slippery I bought a case immediately and was still terrified of dropping it.
On top of that, the price made it a total no-brainer. It was basically a more compact version of the then-six-month old 6S (with a few small tradeoffs) for half the price. I travel overseas a lot so I bought the Sim-Free version outright. The next month I went to Spain and purchased a local SIM with 2-3GB of data for €10. The same data would have cost me $100+ with AT&T's overseas package. Needless to say it quickly paid for itself.
Honestly, even if they kept the form factor the exact same and just updated the internals every 1-2 years, I would buy it over and over again. I'm more than willing to trade the latest and greatest features for a more comfortable/manageable handset.
Exactly, and I pretty much agreed with the rest of what you said too. I also bought mine outright and unlocked.
My only disappointment so far has been that the WiFi is much weaker than past devices (so much so, that if I get an opportunity, I'll probably try to get it repaired). But, my son's new iPad mini 4 is also worse in the WiFi dept than his previous original mini, just not quite as bad as my SE. Anyone else have this issue with newer Apple devices?
Another satisfied, yea, delighted, SE customer here. It was always about the size; the fact that it is so doggone speedy is just a feather in the cap. Cecil444 nailed it on the whole reachability/usability angle.
(On the other hand, big and beautiful has its place too... as my 12.9 iPad Pro will attest.)
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
Apple doesn't need to provide an"affordable" large screen option in the SE lineup excepting possibly for the Indian market; there isn't enough demand. Plenty of cheap Android OS models, as you continually point out, for people that don't have the budget, or are personally adverse, to the iPhone.
If anything, there's continues to be an unmet demand for a small form factor, similar to the iPhone 4, premium iPhone, but we're still aways off from that from a battery life to perfromance standpoint. Even then, the market wouldn't be large.
On the other hand why not provide a larger screen cheapie?
Instead of keeping the 7 around at the price points of 6s and plus they could reengineer it as a se and se+ and drop the price on both. Gives them more distinction between the cheaper SE and SE+ to the 7s and 7s+.
Suprised we aren't seeing talk of iPodTouch update as rumours. It would make sense to me if the same 6 based SE drops the mobile hardware and becomes the new iPod and iPodPlus. Good for all those store point of sales terminals and a device for Kids that has the grunt to drive AR. Lets face it AR is going to have a lot of appeal to people who aren't old enough to have phones.
That then leaves room for best of bread 4inch at the Orginal iPhone Price to be released with rumoured "edition". 9th of Jan release next year would be great timing. To me the current SE is leaving a lot of money on the table of those who do prefer a smaller phone and are more than willing to pay.
I was already burned once by upgrading to a 6S before apple released the phoned I really wanted a few months later... the SE. Now do I hold off until September and hope there is a new 4" iPhone to buy or risk getting the current SE and see it replaced early next year by the phone I should have waited for. Aaargh
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
Do you think there is a "NEED" for Apple to do it in 2017 or 2018, with all the talks of upcoming super-cycle? I think it is premature to talk about it. May be early 2019 would be a better time to talk about this. What do you think?
With the emphasis on 'need', I see none at the moment, mainly because of the suspected supercycle and not knowing how the rumoured 7s will be priced. That's from a purely Apple/financial perspective.
From a user perspective I think there is a market for a larger screen, modern, affordable premium iPhone. A very big market.
Of course any such phone would immediately eat into the next tier up and very possibly the next tier down (SE). So what is in it for Apple? Potentially, users. If services as a revenue stream is to be developed, the more users, the more potential. You can take your services to the user (by providing them on Android etc) or, preferably get users to come to you, and one of the big drivers is the iPhone. And one of the biggest hurdles to real new growth is price.
At current price points. I see little margin for real unit growth, just cyclical movements.
Of course, Apple must evaluate its ability to retain current users and draw in switchers but with phone saturation having been reached and most features already available on any phone, the chances of pulling ahead of the pack at any given time are slim and short lived.
For example, one of the biggest rumoured features of the premium iPhone will be the under screen sensor but if Apple manages to be first, it won't be long at all before competitors offer their own solutions.
However, that feature isn't really as great an advance as we like to believe. It is still just a print scanner at the end of the day and a regular scanner does the job perfectly well even if it requires a physical space away from the display.
As an aside it's worth noting that mid range Android phones have actually become slightly more expensive over the last couple of years, not cheaper. I don't know if this is due to component costs or increased margins but it doesn't appear to have slowed sales down.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
Why would that be courageous? What industry risk would Apple be taking, like they did when dropping the legacy audio port?
And why should Apple release a cheap big phone, other than because you want one? Apple is the premium brand, not the cheap brand. They didn't realize a cheap netbook, either, even if it meant lower market share.
It would be courageous because any such move would take a chunk out of the higher end phones.
As for the second observation, it isn't because I want one it's because I see stalled growth without it (excepting the spike we anticipate for the next updates).
Apple is premium? Yes, at the high end but we just saw them release an 'affordable' iPad so there is clearly space for that kind of device. The problem is that the iPad is not your cash cow and the iPhone is. The reasoning behind the new iPad can be applied to the iPhone (I'm talking larger screen, not SE) but the risks would be higher.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I wouldn't bet on an update in the fall, no. More likely next spring. There are several reasons why next spring, instead of this fall.
While Apple cares about the SE, it doesn't care enough to offer anything 'new' in this regard alongside its flagship phones during their critical holiday quarter. Apple isn't going to give someone the chance to buy a $400 SE when the $1000 iPhone 8 is what's new. Not a chance.
Plus, by launch it at the start of Q2, it is able to boost Q2/Q3 iPhone sales above the normal dip, and carry it through to new iPhones launch at the end of Q3.
It is a very tough call and I follow your logic.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
You are literally babbling.
No babbling here.
Are saying that you think the SE can enter the Christmas season unchanged or discontinued? That Apple will basically repeat last year's approach (with the possible addition of a very high end new model)?
Blah blah blah. Thinking Apple must produce a "premium" large screen SE to chase market share because the flagships are "too expensive" is like thinking Apple must produce a mid tower xMac to chase desktop share because the iMac is "too expensive".
Neither is going to happen. If you want a premium large screen iPhone for less buy a 6S. It's there for a reason and only a hundred or two above the cheap Android flagships positioned in the $300-$500 range.
If they upgrade the SE this year it'll be to get rid of the headphone jack and make it more water resistant. Then the lineup of SE, 7 and 7S will be uniform. As mike suggested Spring is more likely.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I wouldn't bet on an update in the fall, no. More likely next spring. There are several reasons why next spring, instead of this fall.
While Apple cares about the SE, it doesn't care enough to offer anything 'new' in this regard alongside its flagship phones during their critical holiday quarter. Apple isn't going to give someone the chance to buy a $400 SE when the $1000 iPhone 8 is what's new. Not a chance.
Plus, by launch it at the start of Q2, it is able to boost Q2/Q3 iPhone sales above the normal dip, and carry it through to new iPhones launch at the end of Q3.
It is a very tough call and I follow your logic.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
You are literally babbling.
No babbling here.
Are saying that you think the SE can enter the Christmas season unchanged or discontinued? That Apple will basically repeat last year's approach (with the possible addition of a very high end new model)?
Interestingly enough, I have no opinion on what's going to happen to the SE, nor do I particularly care other than it is a form factor that many iPhone users prefer; enough so to continue to purchase the SE over the 7 and 7 Plus. This is money that Apple is leaving on the table, and could easily address with a device mirroring the SE form factor, but at the then current hardware and performance of the large screen iPhones. This is actually getting easier over time as more energy efficient components are available and incorporated into iPhones.
Your argument went off the track when you attempted to make the case that Apple needed to market a lower cost large screen iPhone. No, they don't. There are plenty of options for people to pick up refurbished, or used, large screen iPhones of recent vintage at a lower price range, or even current iPhones on payment plans. There's no reason for Apple to follow the "success" of most of the Android OS OEM's with a grab at marketshare and an inevitable race to the bottom.
The storage wasn't so much an 'upgrade' as a necessity. I'll bet on on a bigger upgrade this autumn although screen size will be a limiting factor. To have something is better than nothing. If they want to be courageous, then an affordable large screen option should be offered but it would cut into margins.
I wouldn't bet on an update in the fall, no. More likely next spring. There are several reasons why next spring, instead of this fall.
While Apple cares about the SE, it doesn't care enough to offer anything 'new' in this regard alongside its flagship phones during their critical holiday quarter. Apple isn't going to give someone the chance to buy a $400 SE when the $1000 iPhone 8 is what's new. Not a chance.
Plus, by launch it at the start of Q2, it is able to boost Q2/Q3 iPhone sales above the normal dip, and carry it through to new iPhones launch at the end of Q3.
It is a very tough call and I follow your logic.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
Why not? The A9 in the SE fully supports ARKit and the other iOS improvements.
Spring is far, far more likely than the fall.
Yeah. It could be this year or next but to give the SE some more appeal for the Christmas season I'd push something out in time for the big quarter.
I also bought the SE solely for the size (as opposed to the price, though that was very nice too). And not just the form factor, either. The screen size is ideal for my hands. I can reach the whole screen with one hand, minimal shimmying. With the 6 it was a constant battle trying to do what I could so comfortably do with my 4S. When the SE was announced I leapt at the opportunity to "upgrade" and ditch my iPhone 6, which was far too large and cumbersome for my liking. I want to be able to use my phone with one hand without feeling the need to keep the other hand at the ready to type or tap something on the far reaches of the screen (n.b., I didn't find the Reachability feature useful on the 6).
Honestly, even if they kept the form factor the exact same and just updated the internals every 1-2 years, I would buy it over and over again. I'm more than willing to trade the latest and greatest features for a more comfortable/manageable handset.
The less-slippery form factor is also key. I don't even use a case on my SE because the edges make it so easy to grip; I've hardly ever dropped it. With the 6 the curved sides were so slippery I bought a case immediately and was still terrified of dropping it.
On top of that, the price made it a total no-brainer. It was basically a more compact version of the then-six-month old 6S (with a few small tradeoffs) for half the price. I travel overseas a lot so I bought the Sim-Free version outright. The next month I went to Spain and purchased a local SIM with 2-3GB of data for €10. The same data would have cost me $100+ with AT&T's overseas package. Needless to say it quickly paid for itself.
I know exactly what you mean. Personally I need a larger phone for my hands but if I apply the same situation to iPads I just don't feel comfortable with an iPad Air 2 against and iPad Mini 2. The Mini is perfect for me and, for phones, the SE size is perfect for many people. I also find the 6 and 7 series phones incredibly slippery. The SE, while looking a little more old fashioned IMO has a solid hold.
I hope we see some changes in that area on the new phones.
Comments
However, I think the 'budget model' aspect and the 'form factor (not really screen size)' are two competing issues that ensure Apple (or us) won't ever really know what the primary driving factor for the model line is.
They won't really know, as they kind of targeted it at both crowds. I guess they could ask, but such surveys, IMO, don't get honest data. (ex: how many would be honest and say they bought it because they couldn't afford the other models?)
Also, as I noted above, it isn't about screen size, but form factor. So long as they keep the same (or very similar) form factor, they can squeeze in as big of edge-to-edge screen as they like, and I'd be thrilled. It's the overall fit in hand/pocket and usability that are my primary concern. If you put a case on it that provides any reasonable protection, even the SE is pushing the 'too big' size boundaries (which is why I typically keep it in a less than optimal case, and be really careful, and switch if I anticipate needing it to be more rugged).
I'm sure there are people who go to the store just looking for the lowest priced iPhone they can get. So, I think that segment exists.
I would say next spring would be a good time to do it, as Mike indicated in the article. There is a delicate balance here. They can't let it get too out of date if they intend to continue it, but if they are concerned about model-line competition, they can't make it up-to-date either. I just wish they'd add the form-factor back to the regular lineup and get back on feature-parity (but, that wouldn't address that 'budget' market).
I disagree over the design though. My wife has an iPhone 7, and I actually think that design looks cheap (and it's too thin). I prefer the SE design, as aside from being practical, it has a more elegant, machined, craftsman aspect to it... kind of like a high-end watch.
When we speak about these rumours we are talking about the phones that will take us into 2018. The iPhone 6 as a larger screen option doesn't fit the bill as people want new tech for their money or at least new repackaging.
Since I have other computing devices available, typically, when needed, the phone doesn't have to be the device I try to get everything done on. It's a phone, for me. I want it to be phone-sized, primarily.
I think the main problem is that even with the bump in capacity, the SE will not be good enough as we hit the Christmas season. That makes me think it will get an update or be substituted by a new phone.
There has been a lot of growth in the $299-$399 band in the Android world and competition this year looks to be the fiercest yet. Of course this is Android, but if Apple kills the SE it might be reason enough for people to abandon iOS simply because they cannot afford the next tier up or find it overpriced.
Your option is definitely something that should be considered though.
And why should Apple release a cheap big phone, other than because you want one? Apple is the premium brand, not the cheap brand. They didn't realize a cheap netbook, either, even if it meant lower market share.
I also bought the SE solely for the size (as opposed to the price, though that was very nice too). And not just the form factor, either. The screen size is ideal for my hands. I can reach the whole screen with one hand, minimal shimmying. With the 6 it was a constant battle trying to do what I could so comfortably do with my 4S. When the SE was announced I leapt at the opportunity to "upgrade" and ditch my iPhone 6, which was far too large and cumbersome for my liking. I want to be able to use my phone with one hand without feeling the need to keep the other hand at the ready to type or tap something on the far reaches of the screen (n.b., I didn't find the Reachability feature useful on the 6).
Honestly, even if they kept the form factor the exact same and just updated the internals every 1-2 years, I would buy it over and over again. I'm more than willing to trade the latest and greatest features for a more comfortable/manageable handset.
The less-slippery form factor is also key. I don't even use a case on my SE because the edges make it so easy to grip; I've hardly ever dropped it. With the 6 the curved sides were so slippery I bought a case immediately and was still terrified of dropping it.
On top of that, the price made it a total no-brainer. It was basically a more compact version of the then-six-month old 6S (with a few small tradeoffs) for half the price. I travel overseas a lot so I bought the Sim-Free version outright. The next month I went to Spain and purchased a local SIM with 2-3GB of data for €10. The same data would have cost me $100+ with AT&T's overseas package. Needless to say it quickly paid for itself.
My only disappointment so far has been that the WiFi is much weaker than past devices (so much so, that if I get an opportunity, I'll probably try to get it repaired). But, my son's new iPad mini 4 is also worse in the WiFi dept than his previous original mini, just not quite as bad as my SE. Anyone else have this issue with newer Apple devices?
(On the other hand, big and beautiful has its place too... as my 12.9 iPad Pro will attest.)
Instead of keeping the 7 around at the price points of 6s and plus they could reengineer it as a se and se+ and drop the price on both.
Gives them more distinction between the cheaper SE and SE+ to the 7s and 7s+.
Suprised we aren't seeing talk of iPodTouch update as rumours. It would make sense to me if the same 6 based SE drops the mobile hardware and becomes the new iPod and iPodPlus. Good for all those store point of sales terminals and a device for Kids that has the grunt to drive AR. Lets face it AR is going to have a lot of appeal to people who aren't old enough to have phones.
That then leaves room for best of bread 4inch at the Orginal iPhone Price to be released with rumoured "edition". 9th of Jan release next year would be great timing. To me the current SE is leaving a lot of money on the table of those who do prefer a smaller phone and are more than willing to pay.
From a user perspective I think there is a market for a larger screen, modern, affordable premium iPhone. A very big market.
Of course any such phone would immediately eat into the next tier up and very possibly the next tier down (SE). So what is in it for Apple? Potentially, users. If services as a revenue stream is to be developed, the more users, the more potential. You can take your services to the user (by providing them on Android etc) or, preferably get users to come to you, and one of the big drivers is the iPhone. And one of the biggest hurdles to real new growth is price.
At current price points. I see little margin for real unit growth, just cyclical movements.
Of course, Apple must evaluate its ability to retain current users and draw in switchers but with phone saturation having been reached and most features already available on any phone, the chances of pulling ahead of the pack at any given time are slim and short lived.
For example, one of the biggest rumoured features of the premium iPhone will be the under screen sensor but if Apple manages to be first, it won't be long at all before competitors offer their own solutions.
However, that feature isn't really as great an advance as we like to believe. It is still just a print scanner at the end of the day and a regular scanner does the job perfectly well even if it requires a physical space away from the display.
As an aside it's worth noting that mid range Android phones have actually become slightly more expensive over the last couple of years, not cheaper. I don't know if this is due to component costs or increased margins but it doesn't appear to have slowed sales down.
As for the second observation, it isn't because I want one it's because I see stalled growth without it (excepting the spike we anticipate for the next updates).
Apple is premium? Yes, at the high end but we just saw them release an 'affordable' iPad so there is clearly space for that kind of device. The problem is that the iPad is not your cash cow and the iPhone is. The reasoning behind the new iPad can be applied to the iPhone (I'm talking larger screen, not SE) but the risks would be higher.
Are saying that you think the SE can enter the Christmas season unchanged or discontinued? That Apple will basically repeat last year's approach (with the possible addition of a very high end new model)?
Neither is going to happen. If you want a premium large screen iPhone for less buy a 6S. It's there for a reason and only a hundred or two above the cheap Android flagships positioned in the $300-$500 range.
If they upgrade the SE this year it'll be to get rid of the headphone jack and make it more water resistant. Then the lineup of SE, 7 and 7S will be uniform. As mike suggested Spring is more likely.
Your argument went off the track when you attempted to make the case that Apple needed to market a lower cost large screen iPhone. No, they don't. There are plenty of options for people to pick up refurbished, or used, large screen iPhones of recent vintage at a lower price range, or even current iPhones on payment plans. There's no reason for Apple to follow the "success" of most of the Android OS OEM's with a grab at marketshare and an inevitable race to the bottom.
I hope we see some changes in that area on the new phones.