" I think that Apple has hit it out of the ballpark with the iPhone 5SE. " I would agree. I desperately need a 5SE but will not be able to bite unless/until it's offered with 128gb. Hopefully, demand will be robust enough for Apple to add that option, down the road.
I wish it had reachability. I really like that feature on my huge 6s. I wish folders allowed the larger amount on ios6. I wish siri didn't black out the entire screen.
I'm probably going to be picking up an iPhone 5SE on day one.
The lack of 3D touch on this model does not bother me at all. I've tried it a few times on my friend's iPhone 6S+, and it's a cool feature, but certainly not a must have or anything that's absolutely essential, in my opinion.
I am much, much more glad that it has 2 GB ram and the A9 chip. The iPhone 5SE is going to be future proof for quite a while. Apple is obviously going to sell tons of these. The iPhone 5SE turned out to be much better than anybody predicted specs-wise, and the price also turned out to be lower than anybody predicted.
I think it's great that Apple offers 3 different sized iPads and 3 different sized iPhones, and it's a good sign that Apple hasn't forgotten about the smaller phone crowd. Everybody has their own personal size preferences, and what works for one person, often doesn't work for the next person.
I think that Apple has hit a home run, no scratch that, I think that Apple has hit it out of the ballpark with the iPhone 5SE.
Totally agree with you there. I myself was pleasantly surprised by the SE's very good spec and reasonable price. It's definitely going to a hit for Apple.
I have a female friend that is still using a 4s because she found the 5 to be too big for her liking. She would prefer a 3.5" phone - at any price and has even begrudgingly suggested that she might move away from iOS in order to get something she is comfortable with.
I've encouraged her to give the SE a try before she does something drastic - and she's agreed to do so - but I have a question about it. With the release of the iPhone 6, Apple provided a feature (I forget what it's called) where you can double tap the home button lightly and the top of the screen will slide down halfway making it easier to hit the buttons at the top of the screen without stretching. Simple question - will that feature also work on the new 4" phone? If so - I think I'll be able to convince her to stay with Apple. I can't think of a reason why the feature wouldn't work on a smaller phone - but stranger decisions have been made in the past - so I figured I'd ask.
Can anyone with a 5s confirm whether the feature I described is currently available on their phone? Thanks.
Does any vendor offer a smartphone with less than 4" screen?
Re: iPhone 4s vs. iPhone 5 and SE, I've seen the opposite effect. The latter phones are so much thinner and lighter than the 4s. Once my wife picked up a 5 she immediately wanted one because the 4s is such a brick, even more so when you put it is a case, which is mandatory because the combination of weight and slipperiness on the 4s makes it want to jump out of your hand.
I like my paid for 5, works great. If Apple make great products (and they do) they should last a long time. Mine does and will do me for a few more years.
I'm probably going to be picking up an iPhone 5SE on day one.
The lack of 3D touch on this model does not bother me at all. I've tried it a few times on my friend's iPhone 6S+, and it's a cool feature, but certainly not a must have or anything that's absolutely essential, in my opinion.
I am much, much more glad that it has 2 GB ram and the A9 chip. The iPhone 5SE is going to be future proof for quite a while. Apple is obviously going to sell tons of these. The iPhone 5SE turned out to be much better than anybody predicted specs-wise, and the price also turned out to be lower than anybody predicted. <Snip>
I agree, I've just ordered mine (64GB in Space Grey, forecast delivery 11-14 April). My main reason for upgrading from my 5s is Apple Pay but I wasn't about to buy-in to dated technology (the 5s is still a good performer so there'd be no point). The important internals of the SE are spot on as you highlighted (latest processor, boost to 2 GB of RAM, latest camera). The externals are all about the size: it will fit into my pocket just like the 5s.
Some people will be disappointed by the looks and I understand that. My 5s went into a leather case on day1, as will the SE, so the looks really don't matter to me, only the ergonomics, and I'm in the 4" is better camp. It's the phone I wanted so thank you to Apple. Please keep an up-to-date 4" model in the range for the future too, that might even deliver the looks that some people hanker after too.
Indeed, I see no other reason for apple to not included 3d touch except cost-saving. The lack of it does not bother me at all anyway. Putting it there would just make the price skyrocket, maybe close to the price of the 6s, in which case, the SE would have less of a sense in the market. Apple have made a great decision of bringing the power of the 6s in the form factor of the 5s. Now people who prefer the size of the 5s can enjoy the advantages of the 6s over the 5s https://versus.com/en/apple-iphone-se-vs-apple-iphone-5s without compromising one-hand use.
With the release of the iPhone 6, Apple provided a feature (I forget what it's called) where you can double tap the home button lightly and the top of the screen will slide down halfway making it easier to hit the buttons at the top of the screen without stretching. Simple question - will that feature also work on the new 4" phone?
I think you're referring to Reachability. It was specifically introduced to help cope one-handed with the 'big' screens on the iPhone 6 etc. It's not on the 5s or SE (the logic offered by Apple when it was introduced implies it's not needed; if your friend has small hands then she may not agree).
I think Apple did a good job with the SE. It fills a price point for them and also for my company. A majority of our iPhone are the free with Verizon contract ones (was the 5s). Now we can have speedy phones. Price point is not too much of an issue if you are buying 1. In our case we are buying hundreds so it is important. It is also important to have proper specs to make the phone really usable. Nice job with this one Apple.
I've been more than happy with my 5S and had no desire carry a larger device in my pocket. With iTunes Match, its 64GB capacity is more than adequate for my apps and photos/videos. The iPhone SE is a compelling enough upgrade in a desired form factor (there's obviously still a lot of 5Ses in use) to finally consider a new phone.
So many letters to say 3D Touch is too expensive for 399 USD phone. Something obvious.
iPhone SE has to last for several years so it has to have A9 to handle 4K video that will became common in year or two. Otherwise it would became obsolete soon.
I wish it had reachability. I really like that feature on my huge 6s. I wish folders allowed the larger amount on ios6. I wish siri didn't black out the entire screen.
Unless you have really tiny hands, you don't need reachability on a 4" smartphone.
So what this tells me as an iOS developer, is that its not worth adding 3d touch features to new apps because only a few phones support it. It makes 3d touch seem like a dead end technology that they're no longer including on new phones.
First of all, the 6s and 6s Plus are new phones. The next new flagship phones will be released in the Fall as they normally are. If they don't have 3D Touch, then you may be onto something. But I wouldn't waste time worrying about it now. The iPhone SE is not a flagship phone, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that it didn't receive some of the same features.
Furthermore, it does not take that much to add support for a particular gesture. If you're a developer you might just do it to learn it. Also, those people who did buy the latest flagship models might be more inclined to spend more money on apps. Especially if those apps incorporate technology that they can make use of.
I'm probably going to be picking up an iPhone 5SE on day one.
The lack of 3D touch on this model does not bother me at all. I've tried it a few times on my friend's iPhone 6S+, and it's a cool feature, but certainly not a must have or anything that's absolutely essential, in my opinion.
I am much, much more glad that it has 2 GB ram and the A9 chip. The iPhone 5SE is going to be future proof for quite a while. Apple is obviously going to sell tons of these. The iPhone 5SE turned out to be much better than anybody predicted specs-wise, and the price also turned out to be lower than anybody predicted.
I think it's great that Apple offers 3 different sized iPads and 3 different sized iPhones, and it's a good sign that Apple hasn't forgotten about the smaller phone crowd. Everybody has their own personal size preferences, and what works for one person, often doesn't work for the next person.
I think that Apple has hit a home run, no scratch that, I think that Apple has hit it out of the ballpark with the iPhone 5SE.
You might want to learn the name of the product before you order it. iPhone SE, not iPhone 5SE. Either way, SE is a stupid name. The 3D Touch is actually a very cool feature. What is not to like about quick shortcuts into an app, or using an app? The lack of 128GB is a sore spot for many users that like to keep a variety of music, apps, photos, and video on their device. This model was primarily targeted at corporations that buy the 4" phone for employee use. They do not need anything bigger than 16GB for their proprietary use with custom apps, and Apple just threw in a 64GB model as an extra model. If this was really meant to be a model to go along with the rest of the line up, they would have included a 128GB model. Instead, Apple forces you to get a 6S if you want higher capacity. The SE allows companies to buy a low cost $399 iPhone for employee use, and have their apps run on faster hardware. There is really no reason to keep the 6 and 6 Plus with limited capacities in the line up, and no reason to have so many iPad models either. They do not need the Mini 2 or Air 2. They only really need the Mini 4, Pro 9, and Pro 12. The product line is getting bloated with too many models. Just look how many stupid watch bands are out there....over 20 ranging from $500 to $1,100!
The naming of the this latest iPhone makes perfect sense. It creates a low cost line separate from the flagship models. This new line will probably be on a two year upgrade cycle. At which point I think Apple will knock the price of this first gen. model down to $299.
There is a perfectly good reason to keep older models around... Much higher margins even though the price has dropped. You make use of components that have become commoditized and you continue to make use of manufacturing and assembly facilities that are already tooled and developed. This is why they stuck with the iPhone 5 design for the SE. The assembly lines for this product have been in place for four years now. It costs almost nothing for both Apple and the assembly company to produce these phones - basically just labor costs, which over time can be reduced by consolidating certain aspects of the line. Hell for all we know these are being assembled mainly by robots by now?
And really? You're complaining about watch bands!? Just look how many stupid phone cases are out there too! Makes my head want to explode!!!
So what this tells me as an iOS developer, is that its not worth adding 3d touch features to new apps because only a few phones support it. It makes 3d touch seem like a dead end technology that they're no longer including on new phones.
It could be a 'dead-end' feature in the future (no pun intended), but coming to that conclusion because it wasn't included in SE (being a 'new' phone), is ludicrous. SE is not a "NEW" version per say. It's another model. I'm quite sure 3D Touch will stay on iPhone 7 and beyond.
So what this tells me as an iOS developer, is that its not worth adding 3d touch features to new apps because only a few phones support it. It makes 3d touch seem like a dead end technology that they're no longer including on new phones.
A few phone? A least 100M phones now have it. That's not exactly, a few.
So what this tells me as an iOS developer, is that its not worth adding 3d touch features to new apps because only a few phones support it. It makes 3d touch seem like a dead end technology that they're no longer including on new phones.
I have a female friend that is still using a 4s because she found the 5 to be too big for her liking. She would prefer a 3.5" phone - at any price and has even begrudgingly suggested that she might move away from iOS in order to get something she is comfortable with.
I've encouraged her to give the SE a try before she does something drastic - and she's agreed to do so - but I have a question about it. With the release of the iPhone 6, Apple provided a feature (I forget what it's called) where you can double tap the home button lightly and the top of the screen will slide down halfway making it easier to hit the buttons at the top of the screen without stretching. Simple question - will that feature also work on the new 4" phone? If so - I think I'll be able to convince her to stay with Apple. I can't think of a reason why the feature wouldn't work on a smaller phone - but stranger decisions have been made in the past - so I figured I'd ask.
Can anyone with a 5s confirm whether the feature I described is currently available on their phone? Thanks.
Checked and there is no reachability on the SE. As for staying with Apple, not sure where she'd get a a decent 3.5 inch smart phone; there is basically none. Did she actually try the 5 for a while; many people when switching size think it's to big initially but quickly adjust.
All Android phones that size if they even exist would be worse in performance than her 4s or no better; she doesn't really have an option there and I don''t think Apple is going to produce another 3.5 inch phone anytime soon.
It lacks it because it’s an old model phone case and they didn’t want to make a new one, which I don’t get at all.
I would’ve thought waiting for the proper 7 release to do three models of 7 would have been a better choice. Think about it: what’s the point of this thing? Where’s the end-game? It’s using a long-outdated case already. That severely limits Apple in what they can do with it, instead of just making it 1:1 with the newest case. As it stands, it looks like the SE will either be a one-off (but WHY!) or will get “last year’s hardware” updated within the same case (which, again, gives it an expiration date because eventually the 5S case won’t be able to handle that hardware).
We need another Steve simplification. Remember the 2x2 grid he drew? That’s what I mean. I’ve said it before:
iMac – comes in three sizes: 21.5”, 27”, and 42” MacBook – comes in three sizes: 11.9”, 13.3”, and 15.4” (or screw the 11 and do a quick 17 again until the iPad replaces the laptops entirely) iPad – comes in three sizes: 7.9”, 9.7”, and 12.9” iPhone – comes in three sizes: 4”, 4.7”, & 5.5”
Nice and easy.
What about the Mac Mini and Mac Pro?
Proper updates all around. I love ‘em both, the little sluggers. I still feel that desktop+tablet is the future, since multitouch on large screens requires a stationary computer.
Comments
Re: iPhone 4s vs. iPhone 5 and SE, I've seen the opposite effect. The latter phones are so much thinner and lighter than the 4s. Once my wife picked up a 5 she immediately wanted one because the 4s is such a brick, even more so when you put it is a case, which is mandatory because the combination of weight and slipperiness on the 4s makes it want to jump out of your hand.
Some people will be disappointed by the looks and I understand that. My 5s went into a leather case on day1, as will the SE, so the looks really don't matter to me, only the ergonomics, and I'm in the 4" is better camp. It's the phone I wanted so thank you to Apple. Please keep an up-to-date 4" model in the range for the future too, that might even deliver the looks that some people hanker after too.
I think you're referring to Reachability. It was specifically introduced to help cope one-handed with the 'big' screens on the iPhone 6 etc. It's not on the 5s or SE (the logic offered by Apple when it was introduced implies it's not needed; if your friend has small hands then she may not agree).
First of all, the 6s and 6s Plus are new phones. The next new flagship phones will be released in the Fall as they normally are. If they don't have 3D Touch, then you may be onto something. But I wouldn't waste time worrying about it now. The iPhone SE is not a flagship phone, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that it didn't receive some of the same features.
Furthermore, it does not take that much to add support for a particular gesture. If you're a developer you might just do it to learn it. Also, those people who did buy the latest flagship models might be more inclined to spend more money on apps. Especially if those apps incorporate technology that they can make use of.
The naming of the this latest iPhone makes perfect sense. It creates a low cost line separate from the flagship models. This new line will probably be on a two year upgrade cycle. At which point I think Apple will knock the price of this first gen. model down to $299.
There is a perfectly good reason to keep older models around... Much higher margins even though the price has dropped. You make use of components that have become commoditized and you continue to make use of manufacturing and assembly facilities that are already tooled and developed. This is why they stuck with the iPhone 5 design for the SE. The assembly lines for this product have been in place for four years now. It costs almost nothing for both Apple and the assembly company to produce these phones - basically just labor costs, which over time can be reduced by consolidating certain aspects of the line. Hell for all we know these are being assembled mainly by robots by now?
And really? You're complaining about watch bands!? Just look how many stupid phone cases are out there too! Makes my head want to explode!!!
[EDIT] forgot link: http://www.techinsights.com/teardown.com/apple-iphone-6s/ [/EDIT]
As for staying with Apple, not sure where she'd get a a decent 3.5 inch smart phone; there is basically none.
Did she actually try the 5 for a while; many people when switching size think it's to big initially but quickly adjust.
All Android phones that size if they even exist would be worse in performance than her 4s or no better; she doesn't really have an option there and I don''t think Apple is going to produce another 3.5 inch phone anytime soon.
I would’ve thought waiting for the proper 7 release to do three models of 7 would have been a better choice. Think about it: what’s the point of this thing? Where’s the end-game? It’s using a long-outdated case already. That severely limits Apple in what they can do with it, instead of just making it 1:1 with the newest case. As it stands, it looks like the SE will either be a one-off (but WHY!) or will get “last year’s hardware” updated within the same case (which, again, gives it an expiration date because eventually the 5S case won’t be able to handle that hardware).
We need another Steve simplification. Remember the 2x2 grid he drew? That’s what I mean. I’ve said it before:
iMac – comes in three sizes: 21.5”, 27”, and 42”
MacBook – comes in three sizes: 11.9”, 13.3”, and 15.4” (or screw the 11 and do a quick 17 again until the iPad replaces the laptops entirely)
iPad – comes in three sizes: 7.9”, 9.7”, and 12.9”
iPhone – comes in three sizes: 4”, 4.7”, & 5.5”
Nice and easy.
Proper updates all around. I love ‘em both, the little sluggers. I still feel that desktop+tablet is the future, since multitouch on large screens requires a stationary computer.