iPhone SE (2016) SE is a different market

[oVerboost]

Except it shouldn't be...

I am still using the old SE from years ago because it is small. Not as great as the fantastic Matrix phone I had back in early 2000s or even the StarTac which was small when folded. But the SE is still slim and easy enough to grip all around the device with one hand.

The SE 2nd Gen should have been even smaller and thinner (I am sure they could have gotten it down to close to an iPod Touch 6th Gen size) and that would have been amazing. No bezels, super thin, and powerful. WOW.

But nope. They went all out with ugly bezels (useless/wasted real estate space), called it the SE when it isn't (it's a repackaged 8 or 8s), and $399 is not a budget price. Getting it to $199 or $99 (especially under $100) would have been incredible for iOS adoption in countries en masse like India because everyone uses Android there pretty much.

Same argument, different user... And I suspect a troll or fake account as this is the only thing you’ve ever posted.

SE stands for Special Edition. Not Small Edition.

In comparison to Apple’s largest device small, the same as the original SE was to the 6S Plus.

The SE from 2016 was just a 6s in a 5s basically, new tech in old hardware. It’s the same.

You don’t like it, but the overall response has been positive as sales figures would likely show you, and the fact that it’s sold out in a lot of places with mid May delivery now.

People like bezels. People like Touch ID.

$399 is budget. It’s the same price as the old SE was launched at 5 years ago! Price of pretty much everything in the world has increased in that time. Cheaper than the 8 was ever sold at by Apple with much newer tech.

If they made it as a full screen, no bezels iPod touch it would have battery life of about two hours. And flop. That’s a reason the old SE form factor wasn’t used again, because with a better camera, bigger battery, better modems, wireless charging, water resistance can not fit in that size of device meaning it would have cost a lot more than 399 due to new tooling and development costs. Saying it should cost $199 is literally laughable. If you can’t afford it, that’s not Apple’s fault but in comparison to their other device offerings it’s cheap. Fact.

Explain to me how Apple could make an amazing new phone, develop and test it, put tech inside that doesn’t fit which it needs to better the competition, ship it for free and provide 5 years of support as well as include probably the best warranty of any smartphone company, for $199 or even $100 so that poor countries can get into Apple’s eco system.

If they can’t afford to buy the phone, they sure as hell aren’t going to sign up to long term multiple subscription services are they?! India for example prefers Android because they illegally download pretty much everything via Torrent. Something that Apple will never allow easily.

 

[ian87w]

Except it shouldn't be...

I am still using the old SE from years ago because it is small. Not as great as the fantastic Matrix phone I had back in early 2000s or even the StarTac which was small when folded. But the SE is still slim and easy enough to grip all around the device with one hand.

The SE 2nd Gen should have been even smaller and thinner (I am sure they could have gotten it down to close to an iPod Touch 6th Gen size) and that would have been amazing. No bezels, super thin, and powerful. WOW.

But nope. They went all out with ugly bezels (useless/wasted real estate space), called it the SE when it isn't (it's a repackaged 8 or 8s), and $399 is not a budget price. Getting it to $199 or $99 (especially under $100) would have been incredible for iOS adoption in countries en masse like India because everyone uses Android there pretty much.

Wait, so you want a thinner phone with a larger screen and small battery, and want it to be $199 as well?
Do you know how bad the battery life of the iPod Touch is?

I wonder if schools are still teaching basic physics class...

 

[MrInquestador]

I don't really understand most bashers comments. They complain no full screen, no FaceID, no triple lenses, blah blah blah.....
Does Apple have iPhone 11/11 pro/Max for other market?
Personally, I love SE. I like small & light weight and latest SoC/LTE and TouchID.

I can't agree more. SE targets ordinary consumers not tech savvy or people who want the best of the best just for the sake of it. SE is for people who want things to be done conveniently and simply (text, call, email and some photos here there).

 

[44267547]

I can't agree more. SE targets ordinary consumers not tech savvy or people who want the best of the best just for the sake of it. SE is for people who want things to be done conveniently and simply (text, call, email and some photos here there).

Ordinary consumers? I’d say the SE targets those who A.] Are not willing to spend that kind of money on an iPhone that’s priced at a $1000 for technology they may not understand and/or care about or B.]They probably can’t afford an iPhone Pro Max, Which segues why this phone is a ‘global phone‘ for countries were phones are exceedingly exorbitant to the point where they are out of reach.

 

[JSRinUK]

I can't agree more. SE targets ordinary consumers not tech savvy or people who want the best of the best just for the sake of it. SE is for people who want things to be done conveniently and simply (text, call, email and some photos here there).

I consider myself pretty "tech savvy". My choice of phone doesn't determine my "tech savviness" 😃

It's not about whether I like the bezels or not, or whether I prefer Touch ID over Face ID, or whether it's 4", 4.7", or 6.5", or if I care about the multiple-cameras, or if I want the "best of the best just for the sake of it", or any of that...

For me, it's pretty much entirely down to price. In looking to have a replacement for my 1st Gen SE to a phone that will get updates for a good few years, it's either the iPhone SE or no iPhone. There is no other iPhone option as far as my budget is concerned.

 

[ssledoux]

To me it’s a bit like buying the base model of a quality vehicle instead of the limited. You still get the quality you expect from the manufacturer you chose, but without all those pesky bells and whistles. ;-p

Seriously though, that car will get you from one place to another without a sun roof or premium sound system, and this phone will still make calls without a night mode camera or wide angle lens.

Some people want/need the extras. Some don’t.

 

[DoubleDragon1987]

Wait, so you want a thinner phone with a larger screen and small battery, and want it to be $199 as well?
Do you know how bad the battery life of the iPod Touch is?

I wonder if schools are still teaching basic physics class...

I would happily pay $1000 for that phone. Money isn't a matter to me. The size and power are. As for battery life, I think OLED (when run on dark mode) does not turn on the pixels so if you keep brightness low, it could go all day? Anyway, I know it's possible but Apple sees no market for a small phone.

I am a SE fan because of the SIZE. That's it. iOS is iOS. There is no Samsung or LG or some other bloatware on there that changes the phone experience. I had a 11 Pro but it is still too cumbersome to hold and use with one hand.

 

[MrInquestador]

Ordinary consumers? I’d say the SE targets those who A.] Are not willing to spend that kind of money on an iPhone that’s priced at a $1000 for technology they may not understand and/or care about or B.]They probably can’t afford an iPhone Pro Max, Which segues why this phone is a ‘global phone‘ for countries were phones are exceedingly exorbitant to the point where they are out of reach.

Ordinary consumers - people who do not know or care about what pixel density is; what high refresh rate is; what wireless charging is; what night mode is; what ultra wide camera lens is; what bezels are; etc. Ordinary users are, yes, people who won't spend thousand of dollars to get features they won't bother to use or people who only want the "basics" of a smartphone.

I don't consider myself an ordinary user. I upgrade year after year to what Apple will release as the highest end model. Not everyone (ordinary) is like that or even willing to pay so much for that but I do.

 

[AVonGauss]

Deleted.

 

[bpeeps]

Many people aren't familiar with a $399 low-cost iPhone.

We'll be seeing more of these low-cost mainstream iPhones next year, starting with the SE2 Plus. Then when SE3 Plus arrives, some will complain about why Touch ID is on the power button like an Android.

The SE will not be a yearly phone release. Apple has never released a budget phone on a yearly cycle and that trend is likely to continue given the current minority demand has been met.
[automerge]1588100709[/automerge]

Apple made a mistake when they moved their main iPhone in to the realm of a boutique item. The iPhone today is central to Apple's ecosystem and it is to Apple's advantage to have as many people using an iPhone as possible. If someone isn't using an iPhone, they are much more likely to consider competing products and services outside the Apple ecosystem and most people don't want to shoot a movie using an iPhone.

As Apple continues to move into services, the company becomes less dependent on the iPhone.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Except it shouldn't be...

I am still using the old SE from years ago because it is small. Not as great as the fantastic Matrix phone I had back in early 2000s or even the StarTac which was small when folded. But the SE is still slim and easy enough to grip all around the device with one hand.

The SE 2nd Gen should have been even smaller and thinner (I am sure they could have gotten it down to close to an iPod Touch 6th Gen size) and that would have been amazing. No bezels, super thin, and powerful. WOW.

But nope. They went all out with ugly bezels (useless/wasted real estate space), called it the SE when it isn't (it's a repackaged 8 or 8s), and $399 is not a budget price. Getting it to $199 or $99 (especially under $100) would have been incredible for iOS adoption in countries en masse like India because everyone uses Android there pretty much.

The original SE was repackaged as well. The new SE is just as much an SE as the original was.

 

[rui no onna]

As Apple continues to move into services, the company becomes less dependent on the iPhone.

I dunno about that. I would think moving into services, they'd want more Apple devices in the hands of customers and the iPhone is by far Apple's biggest install base.

I don't think we'll ever see iPhones at $200 or less (at least not without carrier subsidy) and I'm very happy the new SE exists for users like me still clinging to home buttons.

However, $1K minimum to get the latest design probably makes a number of their customers discontented. Probably less of an issue in the US where most are "locked in" to iMessage and there are payment plans to soften the blow.

Europe where there are very good SIM-only plans and prevalent use of other messaging services such as WhatsApp? I expect there's greater risk of customers switching to Android.

 

[JPack]

The SE will not be a yearly phone release. Apple has never released a budget phone on a yearly cycle and that trend is likely to continue given the current minority demand has been met.

J.P. Morgan is expecting new iPhone launches in spring and fall 2021 as Apple changes their strategy to better counter Android. Perhaps not annual updates for the SE, but at least biennially. The future schedule seems to be SE2 (1H20), SE2 Plus (1H21), and SE3 Plus (2H21).