Apple Appears to Have Ditched Plans for 4-Inch 'iPhone 6c' in 2015

[name99]

bummer. looks like i'll be holding on to my 5S until forced obsolescence forces me to move on.

Or you could just disbelieve Timothy Arcuri. Let's see.His previous predictions are
- the iPhone 6 (one of them, not two screen sizes) will have a 4.8 (not 4.7) inch screen
- then (once the whole world knew there would be two screen sizes) that the 6+ would have a different, higher performance CPU than the 6.

I'd say any analyst who think Apple cares about cannibalizing its product line is an idiot who clearly doesn't have a clue about the company and its history. As others have said --- Apple has ALREADY released the iPhone touch...

If there's anything to this story, it's probably something like Apple has switched to a third Chinese company (after Foxconn and Pegatron) as an assembler, and they are starting them off with something fairly easy (hah --- but compared to the watch...) and of limited volume to see how they do. And Arcuri has no contacts with this third company, so he simply doesn't see what's happening there.

 

[Poochi]

I certainly hope this turns out. The 5 or a second hand 5S will be my last iPhone otherwise.

I would be very happy with a phone size in between 4" and 4.7"... 4.3"/4.5"... bring it on!

If I really need a bigger screen when on the go, I'd just bring an iPad and tether to the iPhone. 5.5" needs a backpack and iPad is no different - rather go with the biggest screen portable for those needs.

 

[nouveau-apple]

It wouldn't have sold.

 

[Tech198]

Why not do an iPhone Mini instead?

iphone mini ? u mean a smaller size iphone ? why not just get the 3gs? u have a 4-inch phone what would be in-between, an 3.8-inch ?

I guess since all internals are "exactly the same" as the iPhone 6 it won't warrant that much of an upgrade, since they'll be just screw holes have changed... no biggie.. no cpu upgrade, no bigger screen, no resolution increase even..

How can u call that an upgrade at all ?

 

[oldmacs]

I would be very happy with a phone size in between 4" and 4.7"... 4.3"/4.5"... bring it on!

If I really need a bigger screen when on the go, I'd just bring an iPad and tether to the iPhone. 5.5" needs a backpack and iPad is no different - rather go with the biggest screen portable for those needs.

IMHO, for my uses anyway, the 6 plus is just about the most useless device ever. Its too small to be a good tablet and too big to be a good phone. That is of course for my uses anyway.

I'd be happy with the 5S getting an A9 processor and 2GB of ram. The form factor is already perfect. If not, then a 4.3 inch phone with the same footprint as the iPhone 5S.

 

[User 6502]

Shame. I have a 6 but I hate the fact that it's so big. I'd rather have a 4'' display (and the same SoC and other components).

 

[gnasher729]

"I think one of the reasons is because the iPhone 6 has sold so well," Arcuri said. "And they said, 'Look, why would we want to cannibalize? If we came out with an iPhone 6C, we would essentially cannibalize a price-reduced iPhone 6.'"

What is this nonsense? Apple's follows the old rule "if you don't cannibalise your own product, someone else will". Always has done. If an iPhone 6 sells better than a Samsung phone, Apple isn't going to say "this is brilliant, we are not going to change a thing". Instead they will work their ass off to improve the phone, to make the difference bigger, and to preempt any improvements that Samsung is going to make to their phones.

 

[Rogifan]

Apple is really at an existential moment here. Either they stay the course with the "we won't make a sub-standard product just to meet a price point while maintaining margins," or they are going to try to compete directly with Xiaomi. I would submit Apple is going to stay the course and is ready to cede the low end China market just as it has done in other markets.

Except there are cases where Apple has done just that. Look at the iPad lineup. I think the entire iPad lineup is about meeting certain price points and maintaining margins. I think the 5C was more about trying to create differentiation within the iPhone product line than wanting to create a phone for low income demographic looking for cheap phones. It was Wall Street and the media that assumed the "C" stood for cheap. And I also think there was an element of trying to keep a cheaper 5 from cannibalizing the 5S. That's why I'm still a bit skeptical that Apple will keep both the 6 and 6 Plus but just discount them $100.

 

[User 6502]

Customers (screaming): iPhone screens are too small! You need to make a bigger phone!
Apple: -releases bigger phone-
Customers (still screaming): iPhone screens are too big! You should go back to the smaller size!
Apple: -releases iPod Touch with A8 chip and then decides customers are going to whine no matter what they do-

Love my iPhone 6 Plus!

Actually a lot of Apple users always thought and still think that phablets are ridiculous and useless, and that 4'' was the perfect size for a phone.

 

[Martinez74]

"Apple appears to have ditched plans" LOL. yeah right!
Whenever some of the spaghetti-on-the-wall style predictions don't pan out, these analysts immediately claim that Apple have a ditched plans or delayed it due to "yield problems" etc.

 

[Tech198]

Not this Apple user

 

[thekeyring]

You have no idea how it sold.

"The $20,000 gold Apple Watch Edition sold out in China in less than an hour":
http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-edition-sold-out-in-china-2015-4

"Apple Watch Edition sells out in less than hour in China":
http://www.cultofmac.com/318764/apple-watch-edition-is-already-sold-out-in-china/

They didn't all sell out, but some of them did:
https://www.techinasia.com/apple-watch-edition-totally-sell-china/

I said people had bought it. I wasn't trying to imply thousands and thousands had been sold, but it seems at least a few hundred have. Which is a few hundred more than were predicted.

 

[Rogifan]

I see the 6 dropping to $99, the 6 Plus getting axed and Apple announces the 6s and 6s Plus. Hopefully the 6s Plus continues to have some exclusive feature that encourages people to spend $100 more besides just a larger screen (I don't think OIS stays on the Plus model only forever).

If it's something that makes sense for the larger screen size I agree. If it's just arbitrary differentiation to get people to pay $100 more I think that sucks. Screen size is differentiation. For me the 6 Plus is too big but I sure wish the 6 had the same camera tech. I hate this bigger means better mentality (outside of obvious things like battery life).

 

[gnasher729]

IMO, the real question should be, how many sales did/will Apple lose to other brands because they don't offer a 4" phone or an updated 4" phone. My guess is that it's a very small number.

I think they are not losing that many sales _to other brands_, but some sales don't happen at all. If you don't have the latest iPhone, nobody forces you to buy a new one. You buy a new one if the old one breaks down beyond repair, or if there is a new phone that is so much better that you are buying it. So many people with a 4" iPhone that don't want 4.7" or larger are waiting.

 

[1984]

All this based on one random analysts predictions? Tim Cook has repeatedly stated to analysts that not only do they not care about canibalization of their products but also that you cannot predict based on the supply chain. No one had a clue the iPod touch was being replaced until Apple itself spilled the beans with the images in iTunes and even then no one knew about the internals.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

IMO, the real question should be, how many sales did/will Apple lose to other brands because they don't offer a 4" phone or an updated 4" phone. My guess is that it's a very small number.

There's another important question:

How many people have delayed upgrading because there's no 4"?

Many, I'd think. And we know from Cook that the number who have upgraded to the 6 is unusually low. He touts it as a good thing, in that it means there are a lot of Android switchers, but the flip side is that regular iPhone customers are hanging onto their iPhones longer, thereby decimating upgrade sales.

 

[mbh1976]

Thanks god.

Just because you aren't interested in a normal-sized phone doesn't mean it isn't relevant for others.

 

[CEmajr]

Interesting to see all this whining about a tiny iPhone again after years and years of crying about wanting a bigger iPhone.

If Apple determined that the demand for a small iPhone was significant, then they would make a new one. Plus the competition doesn't make any 4" flagships either so they aren't losing any of the market by not releasing one. The massive sales of the 6/6 Plus have shown Apple that the demand for larger screens far outstrips the demand for a 4" one. It also shows that the number of people who didn't upgrade due to no new 4" flagship were in a very small minority as the 6/6S+ were indeed the "mother of all upgrades" based on the sales figures.

You guys will have to move on just as 3G/3GS, 4/4S users had to move on. Basically no manufacturer releases flagships that are 4" anymore. The iPhone 6 isn't even that big.

 

[LordBeelzebub]

yes, with skype and a lot of VoIP you dont really need an iphone

Except for all the places you don't get WiFi connected or the WiFi isn't a strong enough signal, too slow.

 

[Janichsan]

I don't get why they would scrap it... I know plenty of people who got the 6, but would have preferred the 4" screen of the 5s because their hands are small...

I think you wanted to say "because their hands are normal".

 

[oldmacs]

There's another important question:

How many people have delayed upgrading because there's no 4"?

Many, I'd think. And we know from Cook that the number who have upgraded to the 6 is unusually low. He touts it as a good thing, in that it means there are a lot of Android switchers, but the flip side is that regular iPhone customers are hanging onto their iPhones longer, thereby decimating upgrade sales.

My point exactly. The iPhone 6 is selling great, partly due to Android switchers, with a lower than usual number of iPhone upgraders. I'd say a lot of the current upgraders are people who upgrade for the technology, where as there are a lot of (non Maceumours) iPhone users who for example may value the form factor and things such as ease of use with screen size over tech, and will thus hold out upgrading, as they don't see tech specs as important.

 

[koulmj]

I just want everything I buy to be lime green...how hard is that?

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I beg to differ. 5.5" or even 6" is way too big to be a phone.

I define a phone as something I could carry easily and fit into my pocket. 5.5" and 6" are not as portable as I would like. Even 4.7" is a tad too big. For me I think the sweet spot is maybe around 4.5".

If Apple would only get rid of those blasted bezels, they could fit a 4.5" size into the iPhone 5 body.

Perfect.

 

[xero9]

They released the iPhone 5C and sales for iPhone 5S took them by surprise. They upped the price of the iPhone when they released the 6 and 6 Plus and it outsold any iPhone release previously.

Release after release it always outsells than the previous generation faster than before. One thing they neglect to mention is they always include more launch countries than the previous generation, so naturally they're going to sell more units.

I'm not knocking the iPhone, but the information is a little skewed.

 

[lincolntran]

So now we're quoting analyst's imaginary conversations?

"I think one of the reasons is because the iPhone 6 has sold so well," Arcuri said. "And they said, 'Look, why would we want to cannibalize? If we came out with an iPhone 6C, we would essentially cannibalize a price-reduced iPhone 6.'"

In my head, I always imagine analysts are not real humans or they don't even exist...