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

[tentales]

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...

Count me in on that, except my hands aren't small. I can tolerate the 4.7" but still prefer the size and look of the 5S.

 

[Retired Cat]

This is exactly what I suspect they are going to do, except the iPhone 5S will become the 5SC. It has been rumored, and Apple likely designed the 5C plastic case to readily accommodate the 5S when the time came. I think Apple wants to distinguish the free phone from the flagship phones, and the 6 will be bumped down to the $100 mark. There will be no budget Plus. I also don't expect the 5SC to support Pay.

I also think that a 5SC is likely for the "free on contract" slot in the iPhone lineup, but I think Apple would enable it to have Apple Pay.

Apple wants people using Apple Pay as quickly as possible. Having it available on all iPhones helps them accomplish this goal.

 

[PortableLover]

I want a 4" 6s. I dont want a cut down phone just because i want a smaller version. I do fine- ish with the 6 but its not as good as my good old 5 in my hand. One handed use works fine though, still prefer the 4 inch because one handed use is less of a mission.

I and other people who want smaller screens shouldn't have to get a weaker phone then the larger phones. Only reason i upgraded was that over 2 years this 6 would be cheaper then staying with my 5.

 

[aces99]

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. They released a solid gold smartwatch and it sold, well, better than the "No one's going to buy that!" predicted by analysts, haters, and us lot.

I guess Apple really doesn't need a "cheap" option, anymore than it already offers.

Also, this doesn't have to stop them releasing a 4" phone again. Didn't lots of people say "I don't want a cheap phone - I want the latest internals, just a 4" screen."

Just one more reason why I am thinking about switching.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Wait till people really start upgrading from the 5 and 5S. Thats when the demand for a 4 inch phone will go up.

Whatever the demand is, having a 4 inch phone would just make everyone happy and its honestly not hard. They updated the iPod Touch for less than one percent of its profits, a 4 inch phone would sell more than that.

If people buy the larger phone anyway, what is the incentive for Apple? The only way they care is if they lose sales to another brand. Apple does not care if people are happy, they care about sales. People will grumble and complain and buy the larger phone anyway.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Customer satisfaction. Some people dislike their 6 due to the size. Theres also no proof that people who want a 4 inch phone are or aren't buying iPhones.

It would make the most sense just to give the option to everyone. I wouldn't have gone from an iPod Touch to an iPhone many years back if I knew Apple was going to(possibly) stop making 3.5/4 inch phones.

People complain and buy anyway.

 

[AppleScruff1]

This is why we need to thank Android supporters... Competition is good. In absence (of competition), people who wanted 4" iPhone won't get their 4" iPhone and have to compromise for something bigger.

Excellent point that many don't consider.

 

[AppleScruff1]

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.

I still think that it is a small number over all.

 

[AppleScruff1]

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.

I'd like to see statistics for the low upgrade numbers.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Firstly, even if it's small, it's a loss, and it's a permanent loss.

Secondly, there is another question, how many would-be-happy customers will end up in an unhappy-but-can-temporarily-manage-with situation? Looking at the comments on various websites, that number is really quite big. That hurts the customer satisfaction which Apple success heavily relies on. Plus, some of these customers end up with this unhappy situation because they wanted to spend money but were forced to not spend that money, so that's also Apple's revenue loss.

The iPhone 6 is the best selling phone ever. There are small losses everyday in every business. Record profits quarter after quarter doesn't seem to indicate revenue loss. The 6S is just around the corner and will probably break all sales records. Again. Just like each of its predecessors did.

 

[aces99]

So, why not just release a 4" 6C with the same internals as the 6 and sell it alongside the 6 at the exact same price as the 6? Would that still be considered cannibalizing if they cost the same? I am sure there's added cost on their part to offer two products, but might not two products capture more total audience?

Why does the C model have to be a budget phone? Apple doesn't need to sell a budget phone. I personally don't want to buy a budget phone. But I do prefer a 4" (or even 3.5") screen. And I happen to be pretty attached to the color options like my 5C.

Exactly. Just sell it for the same price and that would alleviate the cannibalizing and would attract even more customers. I would have no problem paying the same price for the 4" 6C as a 6S as long as it has the same internals. I think discontinuing the 4" is stupid.

 

[aces99]

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.'"

All they would need to do is charge the same price for the 4" 6C as the 6S and that would solve the problem. They would sell even more because they could get all the people that wanted the size 6C and all the people that wanted the size of the 6S

 

[cameronjpu]

Real shame, if true. It wouldn't need to be a cheaper option - charge $200 ($650) for it, plenty of people out there are still walking around with 4S and 5 and part of the reason for some of them is that they don't want a larger phone. Is Apple going to forsake those users forever? The ones who it told for years that the iPhone was the perfect size and nothing bigger was better, ever.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

My point with iPads is the lineup is all about price points and margins.

That's not a point, that's common knowledge. When iPads were on a growth trend it was frequently mentioned during conference calls. The same is really true of all Apple products. I mean Apple has sacrificed margin on products recently but all are still the envy of the industry. Apple has yet to cut down margin for market share.

 

[mi7chy]

Good decision. 4" is microscopic and useless. Might as well get a flip phone then and save money.

 

[oldmacs]

Apple doesn't care. They killed many things people loved in the past to move on to new, better technology. It's a tradeoff...the same way they killed 30-pin connector, Magsafe connector, iPhone 5, iPad 3...and maybe next Thunderbolt

Those other things don't have anything to do with screen size. Screen size is not better for everyone, and there is no 'trade off'. They have not killed magsafe, they have downgraded to USB on the new retina Macbook but non of the other MacBooks have gone that way. People hated the iPad 3, and they never killed the iPhone 5?

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I doubt Apple would go backwards and make a smaller phone again.

That's right.

Can you imagine if they made a 1.5" screen? Crazy!

 

[oldmacs]

Good decision. 4" is microscopic and useless. Might as well get a flip phone then and save money.

Maybe for you. For me the 4.7 and 5.5 are giant and useless. Not sure what the hate is, there is a market for 4 inch phones, so Apple having a 4, 4.7 and 5.5 inch phone would be great. Choice is a good thing.

 

[oldmacs]

Well it would sell more because the 4 inch version would be cheaper. It's not the fact people want a smaller iPhone it's the fact it would be cheaper.

I've not heard one person complaining about the iPhone 6 size. It seems to be apple fanatics who can't adjust to change who want a 4 inch phone. If it was up to them the iPhone 6 would be 3.8 inches.

Actually, its seems to be the fanbois running around telling people that 4.7 inches is perfect and everyone should adjust. Its actually not a case of 'adjusting to change'. The Move from 4 inches to 4.7 is a downgrade for some. I find the iPhone 6 a fairly useless phone as I can't hold it one handed. Screen size is a matter of personal opinion, and going to a bigger screen is not a straight out improvement.

I've know around 20 people who are hanging onto there 5's/5S's and even 4S's as they can't stand the size of the 6.

 

[Wahlstrm]

I really love the way they say "cheap" in this article.

Yeah, when I got my 5c 32GB on release it was the second most expensive phone on the market, the 5s was the most expensive (gold-, diamond-, vertuphones and so on excluded)

 

[oldmacs]

If people buy the larger phone anyway, what is the incentive for Apple? The only way they care is if they lose sales to another brand. Apple does not care if people are happy, they care about sales. People will grumble and complain and buy the larger phone anyway.

Why does it have to be an incentive for apple? Why are you standing up for supporting their screwing over of people who liked 4 inch phones. I wouldn't have bought into the iPhone if I knew that they were going to do a 180 degree turn and stop selling what was (and still is) a perfect phone size.

You don't have any proof that people will just happily upgrade to a bigger phone. Plenty of iPhone users switched to different brands when apple didn't go to a larger screen, so whats to stop people doing the same now, as they want a smaller screen? I'd rather do that then have a useless iPhone 6.

 

[oldmacs]

Exactly. Just sell it for the same price and that would alleviate the cannibalizing and would attract even more customers. I would have no problem paying the same price for the 4" 6C as a 6S as long as it has the same internals. I think discontinuing the 4" is stupid.

Why don't they put the 4 and 4.7 inch phone at the same price? I don't care if its the same price as the 6S 4.7, I'd happily overpay to get a reasonable screen size. Or make the price difference minimal or something.

 

[a0me]

I know SO many people who didn't upgrade from a 5 due to the size increase of the 6... shame.

Yep. Looks like we'll be keeping our iPhone 5s for at least another year.

 

[oldmacs]

Yep. Looks like we'll be keeping our iPhone 5s for at least another year.

Yep :'(

But no according to Macrumours, nobody wants a 4 inch phone and everyone who does is a backwards fanboi.

Hopefully the 5 and 5S get long support cycles as it looks like a 5S will be my last iPhone.

 

[ipadpro]

come on - dont do it
remember 5C ,
no one need and concern them so long- it over

dont make joke again ,