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As others have mentioned, it might just not be worth it for Apple anymore. Apparently it's a pain for developers to support as well. It's a relatively small minority that want phones so small. It sucks for those that prefer it, but the industry has moved on.
 
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How do you convince Apple to keep making a 4" iPhone? By convincing the market in Asia to buy 4" phones. But they don't. They prefer larger screens, thus the success of Galaxy Note, and later, iPhone Plus. This market is the growth market, thus their demand is what Apple would generally follow (gold color, larger screen, dual SIM, etc).

Heck, look at Android phones. Even their cheap $100 phones have at least 5" screen or larger.

I kinda regret that I didn't buy the SE as I thought Apple would keep it in the lineup this year (or at least update it). But they didn't. Was hoping to trade in my old iPhone 5 for the SE.

Thanks at least for being the first one to address my actual question ; )
OK it sadly seems the case - bigger is better for the majority of people, especially those in the developing markets.
Pity that when Tim Cook states "we want to make an iPhone for everyone" he actually means '...everyone who wants a bigger phone than 4 inches'.
 
In this modern era a phone isn’t longer just a phone. It’s your “home” away from home. We carry our most of our life in it. I can’t wait for the day we don’t need paper or cards, I’d love to have my passport and driving license all in my phone.
 
I love the iphone SE.
The battery life is amazing, it's so easy to use and to hold, it's super fast, the screen size is perfect, it looks cute and it just works. It even has a headphone jack.

There's absolutely nothing more appealing / practical or useful about having a larger screen than 4 inches for a smartphone.
I don't want or need some kind of tablet device bulging out of my pocket, I just want this. Totally efficient and functional.

This is the perfect iphone and Apple just killed it.

[IMO, Rant Over etc..]

You can always email Tim Cook (tcook@apple.com) and politely ask that he release a new iPhone SE. It's important that he know that there are a lot of us who love the iPhone SE and would be happy to buy an updated version of it.

I own two SE phones, one for daily use and one as a backup. They are terrific to use. Much better for me than any of the larger phones.

So hang in there, we may yet get another small phone from Apple. Right now the phablets are on top, but that might not last over time. So keep your chin up, buy yourself an extra SE in case you need it, and let's see how things go over the next few years.
 
I think it would have been wise for Apple to release a phone similar to the SE with no bezels. Yes it would’ve been slightly larger screen size, but who cares. I don’t think Apple wanted to risk taking a big chunk of the already small market share from the XR. Keep the SE as long as you can, times are a changing.
 
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I love the iphone SE.
The battery life is amazing, it's so easy to use and to hold, it's super fast, the screen size is perfect, it looks cute and it just works. It even has a headphone jack.

There's absolutely nothing more appealing / practical or useful about having a larger screen than 4 inches for a smartphone.
I don't want or need some kind of tablet device bulging out of my pocket, I just want this. Totally efficient and functional.

This is the perfect iphone and Apple just killed it.

[IMO, Rant Over etc..]
Why panic. There is no reason to conclude the have abandoned this size factor.

But they have released new high end phones they need sell. Likely that once those are launched you’ll see a small bezel low end product to replace the iphone 7 in the lineup. Probably mid next year.
 
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In this modern era a phone isn’t longer just a phone. It’s your “home” away from home. We carry our most of our life in it. I can’t wait for the day we don’t need paper or cards, I’d love to have my passport and driving license all in my phone.

See, I actually agree with this.
And using the SE (just as with any other iphone) I book tickets, organise journeys, navigate, take photos, check up facts online, write emails, check the weather, make payments etc. etc. Everything is quick, easy and painless.

But I still don't see the need for a big phone, unless you want it for some kind of immersive entertainment device, playing games, watching movies, editing videos etc.
Zillions of people seemingly want more of this in their lives, but I don't - I just want the amazing technology without it in my face.
(yeah that's the definition of a minority I guess)
 
I have a X but seriously considered going with the SE when I got it
Even now, with the new lineup, I would likely have gotten an SE or equivalent if they had provided one

Everybody's use case is different, but for the things I use my iPhone for, the SE is perfect
I don't watch YouTube or videos, or use it to browse the web
I take a few work related calls, text my wife, check email and check sports scores
I don't need a large phone
 
I just bought the SE 128gb in silver last week and LOVE it. I had the Samsung s9 and the iphone 8, both great phones, but I love the size, weight, and design of the SE. Simply fantastic. I too hope Apple puts out an SE2 in the Spring with the Iphone 8 chip, camera, and innards. Smaller is better for me. I don't like feeling like I am carrying around an Ipad mini everywhere I go. With the SE, I forget it's even in my pocket. And the performance difference is minimal TO ME.
Let's go SE2!
 
I love the iphone SE.
The battery life is amazing, it's so easy to use and to hold, it's super fast, the screen size is perfect, it looks cute and it just works. It even has a headphone jack.

There's absolutely nothing more appealing / practical or useful about having a larger screen than 4 inches for a smartphone.
I don't want or need some kind of tablet device bulging out of my pocket, I just want this. Totally efficient and functional.

This is the perfect iphone and Apple just killed it.

[IMO, Rant Over etc..]
I can understand why you'd want a smaller phone if you just used it for calls, email checking and quick information lookup; but the overwhelming amount of people use it as their sole computing device, and prefer a larger screen to be more productive.

Apple certainly has the money to make another SE, but most likely prefer people move to the Xs, which really isn't much larger.
 
I can understand why you'd want a smaller phone if you just used it for calls, email checking and quick information lookup; but the overwhelming amount of people use it as their sole computing device, and prefer a larger screen to be more productive.

Overwhelming amount of people? So these imaginary people don’t use IPads, laptops, or desktops? While working, you know a real job, I have to use a laptop or desktop. I couldn’t do my job on a phone. At home I use an IPad primarily and have a quad core Mac mini for important things. The phone is a telephone, for communications, I certainly don’t live my life on it.

What I see is an addiction problem. The addicts want a bigger phone every year because they are on it all day long. Heavy social media users, etc. Most of the SE fans use that device as a portable phone, with portability being high on the list. They do not want to carry a phablet around with them, and let’s be honest the current set of iPhones are mostly phablets. I’m still using a 7, and the minute I started carrying it daily, I missed my 6 which iirc is SE sized.

I agree with you that many people love to gaze at a big screen whenever they are bored / waiting / want to play games etc.
I see it every day - as the phones get bigger, people are more and more immersed wherever they go. It seems to be addictive and entertaining to many people, but it's just not for me.
I want pure functionality from a smartphone, with all the incredible benefits that it can offer, but not to get immersed in some other world.
I only speak for myself, and those others who want this kind of phone, not criticising anybody else who wants whatever they want.

It is addiction as I said above. I use my phone for calls, text, email, iPod primarily. A few times a day I check the web at work on safari, and maybe check some home automation media apps, and maybe use the calculator. Occasionally I will take a photo. It’s what I use for quick checks on whatever, quick stuff. I don’t do selfies or social media apps as I’m not a narcissist. It’s a younger generation driving the market and these phablet phones, people who are addicted to the phone. I see it everyday with people driving while surfing their phone, swerving, driving slow, stopped with a green light in front of them, at the movie theater that person who just can’t go 90 or 120 minutes without leaving the damn thing off. At the gym, where you are supposed to exercise, nope they’d rather hog a machine or bench watching videos. I even see people playing video games at the gym. It’s an epidemic.

But maybe it’s just a generation thing. If I want to watch a film, I’m not watching it on my phone, ever. I want a big screen. I don’t play video games any longer and haven’t since I was a kid as I have a mortgage, bills, etc. But if I did, I want a large(r) screen. Then there is size. I use a case and/or holster. Even if putting in a pocket these phones are large, heavy. Steve Jobs had a great point about size. Maybe next year they’ll release an IPad mini sized IPhone 11, and the smallest size will be the max. There will be a whole new market for case designers who design Chewbacca shoulder straps for people with their iPhone extra max. Perhaps a fold em up keyboard and mouse.

World gone mad ;)
 
There will never be another 4" iPhone. The screen is too small for browsing and typing.

However, I do believe we will see an iPhone next fall the size of the SE however all-screen. Roughly 5".

If you would like to share your thoughts with Apple, they have a feedback page.
 
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You want to keep using the SE perfectly? There won't be any issues. Apple probably won't release a new one, although I'd like them to.
All you have to do is keep it on a stable iOS version (i.e, don't update it, eventually an update will decrease its battery life and performance, and use it normally. I assure you it will last long). When the battery is consumed (in my experience, if you don't update it, it will last long, but it will eventually lose capacity), just get a new battery. Problem solved.
 
Overwhelming amount of people? So these imaginary people don’t use IPads, laptops, or desktops? While working, you know a real job, I have to use a laptop or desktop. I couldn’t do my job on a phone. At home I use an IPad primarily and have a quad core Mac mini for important things. The phone is a telephone, for communications, I certainly don’t live my life on it.

World gone mad ;)

Agreed completely.
I'm a huge fan of the technology used in smart phones in some situations which simply weren't possible a few years back.
But trying to consume movies / videos / play games or endlessly churn out social media, every spare second of the day while mobile or out of the office/home is simply not my cup of tea.
It's up to others what they do, although it often strikes me as kind of addictive and unhealthy.
In any case I don't relate to it.
[doublepost=1537460100][/doublepost]
One way to perhaps convince Apple to introduce a new, smaller phone is to keep using your SE.

Apple track phone usage by model. So if they see a substantial number of customers continuing to use smaller-sized phones, they might conclude there is still a market for one.

This is actually a very good point, and kind of relates directly to my actual question - thanks : )
 
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I don’t think Apple is interested in investing in that market. Better keep your SE if you like it.
Some Android phone makers have tried making small phones and they didn't sell in significant quantity.

iPhone SE has sold well in many markets, but many reports claim it didn't sell well enough in growing markets that Apple considers important, like India and China (similarly priced and more outdated iPhone 6 sold better).

As for keeping SE, I am not sure how much longer iOS, and more importantly, app developers will embrace it (many hate making a separate screen target for SE).

Historically, iOS drops support for devices older than 5 years. While SE came out in March of 2016, it shares much of the underpinnings with 6S which came out in September 2015. So I would venture to guess that Apple may drop support as early as 2020, or iOS 14.

Let's face it. For SE loyalists, your best hope is that Apple will make 2 flavors of XR: (1) 6.1" with 2x screen target of XS Max (which is 3x) and (2) 5.5" with 2x screen target os XS (which is 3x).
 
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One way to perhaps convince Apple to introduce a new, smaller phone is to keep using your SE.

Apple track phone usage by model. So if they see a substantial number of customers continuing to use smaller-sized phones, they might conclude there is still a market for one.
Yup.
That's why I am using mine and have bought a brand new in the box backup… just in case this one develops issues.
They are dirt cheap right now.

I do hope that Apple releases something March?april next year.

What I will say is though, this little SE absolutely flies on iOS12. Highly recommended to upgrade.
[doublepost=1537463166][/doublepost]
Agreed completely.
I'm a huge fan of the technology used in smart phones in some situations which simply weren't possible a few years back.
But trying to consume movies / videos / play games or endlessly churn out social media, every spare second of the day while mobile or out of the office/home is simply not my cup of tea.
It's up to others what they do, although it often strikes me as kind of addictive and unhealthy.
In any case I don't relate to it.
[doublepost=1537460100][/doublepost]

This is actually a very good point, and kind of relates directly to my actual question - thanks : )
Totally with you on this.

I do however feel that we are not Apple's target demographic any more. They want the people glued to their phones 24/7… the ones sleeping with it under their pillow at night. *sigh* modern life…
 
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I do however feel that we are not Apple's target demographic any more. They want the people glued to their phones 24/7… the ones sleeping with it under their pillow at night. *sigh* modern life…
Apple probably views Apple Watch as a suitable alternative to SE loyalist. I am not saying they are right, but it does alleviate some of the "one handed phone" arguments.
 
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If Apple could make money off a new and redesigned SE, they would build one. It would take millions in R&D to even get close to fabrication of the new circuit boards. I am afraid it is never going to happen.
 
While SE came out in March of 2016, it shares much of the underpinnings with 6S which came out in September 2015. So I would venture to guess that Apple may drop support as early as 2020, or iOS 14.
That would mean barely 2 years of support for someone who just bought the phone. Pretty awful if that turns out to be true.
 
Apple probably views Apple Watch as a suitable alternative to SE loyalist. I am not saying they are right, but it does alleviate some of the "one handed phone" arguments.
Well to a degree you have a point.

But:
I wear a traditional watch… in fact it dates from 1914… so nothing digital or smart about it. And I have no plans to wear an ugly slab of black glass on my wrist.

My iPhone I use to "phone" people, text, listen to music, take photographs, air tickets, train tickets, get directions and do some online banking — oh and ApplePay. So while there is definitely some overlap with the AppleWatch, a small phone that fits into my jeans' back pocket is still my go to device. But then again, I am 54. So YMMV.
:)
 
Yes but this is a forum to discuss the iphone, not all the other things to worry about in the world. (There are other forums for that).



Can it really be less profitable than the ridiculous iWatch? I guess we don't have the figures.

The watch that ranges from $400- over a grand and currently almost all show a shipping estimate of 3-4 weeks suggesting massive demand? Yeah the watch is more profitable. I doubt a new SE could pull those kinds of pre orders.


It’s funny you call the watch ridiculous though, because that’s what the majority of people think about that size of phone nowadays. There isn’t demand, Apple stopped making them.
 
I've got an iPhone 5 (same size as SE) that's fully functional and a plus sized phone. I cant stand using that tiny phone because of the small screen. So I never do.
 
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