Rogue01

Apple has had 14 years to get Siri right...since 2011.  Still waiting on that one.  Apple Intelligence is so far a big let down and Apple has even disabled some features due to embarrassing results.  So I am not holding my breath for Siri to get any better, and definitely not any time soon.

Spot on with the article.  It points out all the weirdness with this phone model, and the same reasons why most people have no interest in it.  That is why the phone hasn't even sold well in the pre-sale.  All configs are still available.

AppleZulu said:

The easiest way to make a less expensive iPhone without compromising on quality would have been to build it around an older CPU. 

Untrue.  The point of the iPhone SE was to offer a lower cost phone, but at the same time, offer the same performance as the current flagship phone.  The original iPhone SE was priced at $349, but offered the exact same CPU as the iPhone 6s, which was the flagship phone at the time.  So you got a lower cost phone without sacrificing the performance.  The 16e is not a replacement for the iPhone SE.  It is just a weird phone that did not need to exist in the first place.  Apple used to discount the previous models way more than they do now, making the previous models a great deal if you did not want the latest flagship phone.  Those days are gone, and now there are too many iPhone models and it is confusing to the normal consumer.

It is not shocking that no one wants this phone.  SE buyers are not going to spend $599, up from $429.  Sad that the author made up a story claiming Apple produced so many units expecting some type of imagined demand that they would have so many to offer that they don't sell out like the Pro models do.  Yes, it is noteworthy that the 16e has not sold out like other models do, but it is not for the reasons in this article.  It is far more likely that this phone will be an unpopular model, just like the 'Plus' models and the 5c.  Apple was expected to release an SE replacement, a low-cost phone offering current performance.  Instead, they got a re-branded 16 model for $170 more than the SE.  That is what consumers are upset about, and the lack of sales on the pre-order prove that.

Apple should stop pushing Apple Intelligence as a reason to buy a device since the reality of Apple Intelligence is pretty sad.  Creepy emojis and image playground is not useful for anyone, and even Apple disabled the summary feature because of the embarrassing results that it was producing.  Apple Intelligence has turned out to be a big dud.  I turned it off.

surgefilter said:

iPhone 12 Mini still blows 16e to pieces 

LOL.  The iPhone 12 mini had the worst battery life of any phone Apple made, and combined with the iPhone 13 mini, both models only amounted to 5% of all iPhone sales.  You can say it was the worst phone Apple ever made, next to the 5c, which is why Apple killed it.