I would say that’s debatable. You can’t say they ‘can’t do’, when they certainly can in terms of being a communication device, they take adequate photos, but they don’t have the capabilities like augmented reality, Face ID, animoji, etc. But does that _really_ matter to someone who wants a 4 inch iPhone in the first place? Probably not. I think your post is rather vague.
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iPhone SE (2016) This totally sucks. How do we convince Apple to keep making a 4" phone?
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I would say that’s debatable. You can’t say they ‘can’t do’, when they certainly can in terms of being a communication device, they take adequate photos, but they don’t have the capabilities like augmented reality, Face ID, animoji, etc. But does that _really_ matter to someone who wants a 4 inch iPhone in the first place? Probably not. I think your post is rather vague.
stop buying non 4" iphones.
that said, give it a few years and you'll have a 38-44 mm iphone on your wrist.
that said, give it a few years and you'll have a 38-44 mm iphone on your wrist.
Why are certain people on this thread taking a partisan approach to phone sizes, of all things!?
Political public discourse on the internet has seemingly bled into discussing consumer electronics.
It seems that it just can’t be that it’s ok for someone to believe in X - no, they have to believe in Y - & that’s it, no arguing.
Smaller phones are great. They’re more ergonomic and often the battery can last longer.
Bigger phones are great. The screen looks fantastic and there’s more room for better cameras etc.
It’s ok if some people like owning smaller phones and it’s ok if some people like owning larger phones.
Political public discourse on the internet has seemingly bled into discussing consumer electronics.
It seems that it just can’t be that it’s ok for someone to believe in X - no, they have to believe in Y - & that’s it, no arguing.
Smaller phones are great. They’re more ergonomic and often the battery can last longer.
Bigger phones are great. The screen looks fantastic and there’s more room for better cameras etc.
It’s ok if some people like owning smaller phones and it’s ok if some people like owning larger phones.
Yes it seems many replies to my question have read it as something like "How do we stop Apple from making iphones bigger than 4". Weird! Fanboys maybe?
I couldn't give a **** what size other Apple phones are as long as they still make a 4" one.
I couldn't give a **** what size other Apple phones are as long as they still make a 4" one.
There just isn't the demand for them. The XR, at 6.1", is going to be a huge success in my opinion and that will be Apple's budget phone going forwards with face ID etc. They're not going to make another 4" device.
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Yes, when I had an SE it was surprising how many people thought it was an iPhone 4.
Don’t give up hope quite yet.
I’ve got a feeling there will be something sub XS sized in the Spring.
I just want to add that I got a wink/wink/nod/nod about this in a DM on Twitter a couple weeks back.
No details - nothing I can share - and of course things could change - but there may be some hope in the Spring.
I’ve got a feeling there will be something sub XS sized in the Spring.
I just want to add that I got a wink/wink/nod/nod about this in a DM on Twitter a couple weeks back.
No details - nothing I can share - and of course things could change - but there may be some hope in the Spring.
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I really don't care what others think about my phone.
Apple should've just made a smaller iPhone XR. Just like the Max and the X.
Big phone, small phone, same features. Make everyone happy.
People want a premium smaller phone Apple. Keeping people happy makes your wallet happy.
Big phone, small phone, same features. Make everyone happy.
People want a premium smaller phone Apple. Keeping people happy makes your wallet happy.
Bought the SE and got my phone number switched from my old iPhone 6 to the SE. Loving this phone. The 6S/SE internal components truly were a big upgrade over the 6. Should have upgraded a long time ago, but I ended up with a pretty good discount by doing it this way.
It took Apple killing the product to make me jump off that cliff, lol. Paid $250 on eBay for a brand new SE with 64 gigs of storage. Those would be about $400 plus another $35 of tax if I bought it through the cell phone provider or Apple.
It took Apple killing the product to make me jump off that cliff, lol. Paid $250 on eBay for a brand new SE with 64 gigs of storage. Those would be about $400 plus another $35 of tax if I bought it through the cell phone provider or Apple.
There is always a possibility Apple will release that smaller XR next year. As mentioned earlier, the math supports this idea. It would be smaller than the X, but would show the same amount of info as the X. Much bigger than an SE though.
You could have told Apple to keep on making small phones by buying more of the.
It’s probably too late now.
It’s probably too late now.
If a smaller XR does happen then I guess that would be the closest thing to getting an SE "successor."
As long as the mini XR is smaller in size than the iPhone 6/7/8, it should satisfy the SE crowd sufficiently.
If Apple does make a mini XR, price it right, and doesn't skimp out on features, I can see it being a huge success.
Agreed. I have to think they have to market data — worldwide — that supports the fact there are millions of us who think this phone/size is all we want and need. Plus, they’re making the SE in India in a factory they just built! Are they only going to sell those phones overseas?
And exactly how many phones do you think one person should buy? Don’t you think everyone here did their part by buying one?
Happy SE owner here. There are many things I love about my phone but this doesn’t stop me from seeing the writing on the wall.
First of all very very few people love the small factor. All the people I know using small phones are old phone users (who plan to upgrade to a bigger screen). Even android companies don’t sell 4” phones anymore. For most people, bigger is better.
Secondly have a look at what happened with the headphone jack. It made sence to drop it and use the space for newer tech. So despite many people wanting a headphone jack, it was dropped. 4” phones are something similar. Big phones allow for more tech like face id, dual cameras, more battery and so on. There is no reason for apple to produce “simple” products with less tech.
Third, apple is not some small company that needs to serve a niche to survive. Apple wants to serve the masses because this is what gets the economies of scale and this in turn gives them better profit margins. They have dropped the 17” macbook pro, the 11” MacBook and most products in the ipod line. There is no reason they won’t do the same with the SE.
The conclusion is that you can’t convince apple to keep making the SE. It seems your only option is to stop upgrading the iOS on your phone and hold on to it as much as possible.
First of all very very few people love the small factor. All the people I know using small phones are old phone users (who plan to upgrade to a bigger screen). Even android companies don’t sell 4” phones anymore. For most people, bigger is better.
Secondly have a look at what happened with the headphone jack. It made sence to drop it and use the space for newer tech. So despite many people wanting a headphone jack, it was dropped. 4” phones are something similar. Big phones allow for more tech like face id, dual cameras, more battery and so on. There is no reason for apple to produce “simple” products with less tech.
Third, apple is not some small company that needs to serve a niche to survive. Apple wants to serve the masses because this is what gets the economies of scale and this in turn gives them better profit margins. They have dropped the 17” macbook pro, the 11” MacBook and most products in the ipod line. There is no reason they won’t do the same with the SE.
The conclusion is that you can’t convince apple to keep making the SE. It seems your only option is to stop upgrading the iOS on your phone and hold on to it as much as possible.
2019 will be at telling year if we do use revised version of the SE. I don’t think Apple will offer another iPhone model next year, if they do, I suspect it might have a separate launch in the fall 2017 iPhone line up. Which in theory, if the iPads don’t launch this fall, it might leave for larger spring Keynote with iPads and possibly a new iPhone.
As others have said, all we can do is vote with our wallets (by not buying big phones) and hope for the best. If Apple doesn’t offer a one-handed minimalist phone by the time my SE needs replacing, I will look at non-Apple options, including going back to a flip phone if it comes to that.
Don’t developers have to keep supporting the 4” iPod touch?
1. Apple still makes the 4” iPod touch.
2. What difference does it make to you if Apple keeps a 4” phone in their lineup for other people? Why would you want them to not have what they want?
3. Shouldn’t software be designed to fit the hardware, not the other way around?
Watch is only one-handed when glancing at it or using Siri. I find that if you want to interact with it at all beyond Siri it’s always a two-handed affair.
For one-handed use, both screen size and chassis size (chassis width in particular) are equally important. The SE screen is designed for the thumb to (barely) reach all four corners without adjusting hand grip on the phone. If the screen was bigger, even with the same chassis size, readjusting grip would be required and while it would still feel the same to hold, it would no longer be a true one-handed phone in regard to usability.
It could also be because people don’t realize the SE is newer than the 6. Everyone asks me if my SE is a 5. When I tell them it’s an SE they look at me blankly. There is a common (mis)understanding that big iPhones=new, small iPhones=old (misunderstanding only in the case of the SE and 6).
You seems to be thinking of larger screen size as some sort of advancement in technology. It’s not. The original iPhone could have been the size of the Plus iPhone if Steve Jobs thought that was the appropriate size. Size is a trend. The trend has changed and it will likely change again. Not everyone likes all trends, nor should everyone.
I never wanted a bigger phone but just for the heck of it I tried a plus iPhone for 3 months. Unsurprisingly, I was irritated every moment of it. The gain of the bigger screen, for me, was minuscule compared to losing true one-handed usability and just having to carry around a big device. Its constant obvious presence everywhere I went was overbearing. After the 3 months, it’s hard to overstate the relief I felt going back to a small phone (5s at the time).
Granted a 4.7” would have been less burdensome, but still more of a burden than the SE, and a step in the wrong direction for me. The 4” 16:9 screen is even too long at times for my thumb to reach comfortably. I would go back to a 3.5” 3:2 iPhone if I could. Steve Jobs made the perfect size iPhone for me.
Mine is fine for now but eventually I’d mainly want speed, camera, storage, waterproof, and 2nd gen Touch ID. I’d like the design to stay exactly the same.
Don’t developers have to keep supporting the 4” iPod touch?
1. Apple still makes the 4” iPod touch.
2. What difference does it make to you if Apple keeps a 4” phone in their lineup for other people? Why would you want them to not have what they want?
3. Shouldn’t software be designed to fit the hardware, not the other way around?
Watch is only one-handed when glancing at it or using Siri. I find that if you want to interact with it at all beyond Siri it’s always a two-handed affair.
For one-handed use, both screen size and chassis size (chassis width in particular) are equally important. The SE screen is designed for the thumb to (barely) reach all four corners without adjusting hand grip on the phone. If the screen was bigger, even with the same chassis size, readjusting grip would be required and while it would still feel the same to hold, it would no longer be a true one-handed phone in regard to usability.
It could also be because people don’t realize the SE is newer than the 6. Everyone asks me if my SE is a 5. When I tell them it’s an SE they look at me blankly. There is a common (mis)understanding that big iPhones=new, small iPhones=old (misunderstanding only in the case of the SE and 6).
You seems to be thinking of larger screen size as some sort of advancement in technology. It’s not. The original iPhone could have been the size of the Plus iPhone if Steve Jobs thought that was the appropriate size. Size is a trend. The trend has changed and it will likely change again. Not everyone likes all trends, nor should everyone.
I never wanted a bigger phone but just for the heck of it I tried a plus iPhone for 3 months. Unsurprisingly, I was irritated every moment of it. The gain of the bigger screen, for me, was minuscule compared to losing true one-handed usability and just having to carry around a big device. Its constant obvious presence everywhere I went was overbearing. After the 3 months, it’s hard to overstate the relief I felt going back to a small phone (5s at the time).
Granted a 4.7” would have been less burdensome, but still more of a burden than the SE, and a step in the wrong direction for me. The 4” 16:9 screen is even too long at times for my thumb to reach comfortably. I would go back to a 3.5” 3:2 iPhone if I could. Steve Jobs made the perfect size iPhone for me.
Mine is fine for now but eventually I’d mainly want speed, camera, storage, waterproof, and 2nd gen Touch ID. I’d like the design to stay exactly the same.
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I would too! (and I have fairly large hands and still the 4" SE isn't optimal for reaching everything on the screen)
3-year old iPod Touch is the only iPod touch supported in iOS 12. Its sales number is extremely weak and I bet Apple is just counting days before discontinuing iPod touch altogether.
The sad reality is that 4" iOS device like iPod Touch and iPhone SE are odd balls for developer. From excellent PaintCode website:
- iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, and Plus sized 5.5" iPhones share common 414 points width. XS Max and XR have 896 points height, 5.5" iPhones have 736 points height
- iPhone X, XS, and non-Plus sized 4.7" iPhones share common 375 points width. X and XS have 812 points height, 4.7" iPhones have 667 points height.
- 4" iPhones and iPod Touch share common 320 points width and 480 points height.
At some point, possibly as early as iOS 13 and no later than iOS 14, I think 4" iOS devices won't be compatible anymore.
I think SE loyalists need to move on and pray for smaller LCD-based iPhone XS (like XR to XS Max).
Note that the 6, 6s, 7, and 8 when in Zoomed Display mode all show the same screen real estate as the 4” models.
IOW, as long as Apple supports the iPhone 8, they will also support the 4” phones’ resolution.
BTW, it’s 320x568, not 320x480, for the 4” phones. (320x480 is for the very old 3.5” iPhones.)
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Good point regarding Zoomed Display, and yes I stand corrected on the screen height. So it's very likely that SE can, at least in theory, be supported as long as iPhone 8 is supported (which probably would be 2-3 more years).
It is interesting that Zoomed Display is missing on iPhone X and XS, however, which suggests 375 px is the lowest width Apple wants to support in the future. So that also suggests Apple can drop Zoomed Display on 4.7" iPhones if they choose to.
It is missing on the X and XS probably because there is no smaller phone resolution with the same aspect ratio (19.5:9) to zoom to. The X and XS represent a completely new phone aspect ratio.
Following this thread, it appears to be several arguable reasons for Apple to drop the SE form factor.
Lower profit margin, which makes it harder to warrant spending R&D money on it.
The desire to update the user interface for higher resolution displays. Apple seems to be going the way with their desktops.
There is also the changing technology. Not even including "5G", there are the continued growth of LTE bands on 4G. A new model SE would pretty much have to include these new bands, and not just in the US.
There is also my opinion that 32GB is getting to be a little small for a base storage size. I was thinking of a SE as a backup phone earlier this year, but it appeared only the 32GB model was available cheap. That, and no B71, 14, etc were enough to keep me from buying.
Over the last 18 months I've been instrumental in at least 3 people getting the SE.
Lower profit margin, which makes it harder to warrant spending R&D money on it.
The desire to update the user interface for higher resolution displays. Apple seems to be going the way with their desktops.
There is also the changing technology. Not even including "5G", there are the continued growth of LTE bands on 4G. A new model SE would pretty much have to include these new bands, and not just in the US.
There is also my opinion that 32GB is getting to be a little small for a base storage size. I was thinking of a SE as a backup phone earlier this year, but it appeared only the 32GB model was available cheap. That, and no B71, 14, etc were enough to keep me from buying.
Over the last 18 months I've been instrumental in at least 3 people getting the SE.