Hreb

It seems like the obvious comparison is when Apple decided to drop 3D Touch on the iPhone XR.

StandBy hasn't been lost because the iPhone 16e doesn't have MagSafe.  StandBy without the always-on display is pointless.  The magic of StandBy comes from the combination of MagSafe and always-on, and the 16e has neither.

As an iphone 12 user, the clumsy, giant form factor of the 16e combined with lack of magsafe makes the 16e extremely uncompelling.  It's not even cheap.  Zero chance this is my next smartphone.

charlesn said:

schlack said:

For me, current iPhones are too heavy and too big, plus they’ve got plenty of battery life. 

I bought an iPhone 16 Pro and returned it on day 14 because of its unwieldy size and weight. 

I don’t care about a “slim” phone at all, but give me something with a smaller screen and a lighter weight and I’m interested, even if it means pulling features, reducing cameras, etc. 

While I don't doubt that there's a segment of people who want smaller, lighter phones, Apple's data must clearly show it's not a large enough group to support the offering of such a product.

Apple's data shows they don't have any capability to produce a diversity of SKUs (and components) economically.  Anyone would be very happy to ship an iphone form factor which would only sell 100k units -- if they could make a margin on it.

Apple wants to give buyers a chance to go up-market, and people will pay up for a premium form-factor, even without an appreciable spec bump.  see early MacBook Airs for a great example of that.  Apple has sat on a nearly identical set of form factors since the iPhone 12 came out.  The premium for form factor has gone to Samsung and Pixel.  There's no reason Apple should allow that.