Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
It was extremely dumb of Apple to get rid of the mini from the line-up and replace it with a giant phablet no one wants.
I don’t know about “extremely dumb” but I was surprised and disappointed. I really want a new mini, since the mini is just the right size imo (fits in my pocket, can type one-handed, etc). I bought the 13 mini this year—it’s still a year’s improvement over the 12 mini and I’ve had my usual 2 years’ use out of the 12. I’m not sure if the “pro mini” would sell well, but it’s exactly the ‘phone I want to buy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shukuun
Ever since the release of the larger iPhones the Mini has never sold well. Apple won’t be making another one for a while. The size split for iPhones indicates that a simpler lineup will leave a lot of people without their preferred size - why do people think one size iPhone is okay but don’t think everyone should just sell a mini-van?
I do think Apple is slicing their price points to thin, and should offer four phones, regular and pro, each in two sizes, medium and large for the pro, and alternate that every third year with medium and mini for the regular iPhone.
Why hamstring the mini? It's never sold well because it's never had premium features. If you're counting the SE as a "mini" I guess I can see what you're saying but again it had old tech crammed into a small body. The "mini" was only around for two years before they cancelled it.

I don't understand why people think we should have to choose a huge phone with standard features or a reasonably sized phone packed with last years tech. Of course they sell poorly because of this and the many reasons stated so many times before.

Cover the 3 size options and give it all the features. Stop calling it mini and Pro Max. It's iPhone available in 3 sizes where all you may miss on is battery life. That's literally the only way to know what size the market prefers.
 
They priced the 14 Plus far too high. I hope Apple don’t misinterpret this and assume more people want Pro devices because they really don’t. I’m shocked over the Christmas period when catching up with friends and family, how many have switched to Android since I last saw them. People are clearly fed up of how expensive iPhones now are and the 14 Plus started at a whopping £949!!!
 
More differentiation from the lower end to the higher end. No mini needed. Make the iphone 15 pro max ultra the go to phone.

The 14 Pro Max is already priced too high for a significant chunk of the market though. If consumers are snubbing a phone for £949, I doubt paying £1199 even with a few extra features is more attractive. Apple put their prices up this year and whether or not profit is up or not, there’s no hiding the fact people are switching platforms to some degree, buying older iPhones or keeping devices even longer.
 
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the iPhone SE is priced at $429 and the Mini I think should replace it in the lineup is more, yet in-line with the entry price Apple is trying to keep.

The current iPhone is $799 and wouldn’t change anything in its cycle other than shift to a steel frame. The current mid-tier aluminum device isn’t selling. That’s the point of this article.

The high was iPhone already begins at $1,099 and moves to a more premium material. Rumors already have the iPhone 15 range aligning in specs.

The idea is moving up base price and perception by name. People will upgrade more naturally and feel like they’re getting something other than the four identical models of iPhone on sale now.
The Mini is a very new form factor to sell it as the SE. It seems like Apple is considering to use the XR. The current mini is $599, and the main point of the SE is using an old chasis with new chip. And I think the XR size will have much more success than the mini’s.

Then, the current Pro phones have way more stuff than only the SS frame. ProMotion, brighter screen, additional camera, LiDAR… We don’t have much data on how the standard 14 is selling. We know the 14 Plus is a failure, but even if the 14 is selling less than the 13, I’d say it’s safe to say it’s aprox. 30% of the new lineup. And I don’t think Apple has any problem if the reason is that upselling to the 14 Pro is working very well :). If any, this could encourage them to increate the price of the 15 Pro (I don’t think they’ll do it). But it doesn’t make any sense to lower the price of your Pro phone if the Pro is selling better than the standard!

And same with the “15 Ultra”. I think it’s Apple’s opportunity to pull off an ”iPhone X” and create a super-tier to increase the ASP.

My whole point is… contrary to belief, I think it’s clear that Apple has a lot of price flexibility in the high-end, not so much on the mid range. And the logical conclusion of this is totally the opposite to “let’s reduce prices of our high-end”. Why would you give up expensive phones that are selling so well?
 
My whole point is… contrary to belief, I think it’s clear that Apple has a lot of price flexibility in the high-end, not so much on the mid range. And the logical conclusion of this is totally the opposite to “let’s reduce prices of our high-end”. Why would you give up expensive phones that are selling so well?

The thing is they are not selling that well. Apple as a technology company needs to grow. iPhone revenue was less than estimates in the last quarter. You need to keep on mind that Apple revenue is not only derived from the US. The iPhone 14 Pro sales are not that great in Europe since they increased prices and therefore they really don't have any more flexibility here in term of prices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: The-Real-Deal82
The thing is they are not selling that well. Apple as a technology company needs to grow. iPhone revenue was less than estimates in the last quarter. You need to keep on mind that Apple revenue is not only derived from the US. The iPhone 14 Pro sales are not that great in Europe since they increased prices and therefore they really don't have any more flexibility here in term of prices.
And despite estimations, they grow, 9.8% YoY. They’ve increased their revenue share while all other major companies have stagnated or fallen. We don’t have data for Europe, but it makes sense that it’s a weak spot (for everybody, since it’s caused by the devaluation of the euro). Despite that, overall, revenue has increased. Of course, increasing prices is a risk, but in relative terms, they have more margin to do it in the high-end than low-end.
 
  • Like
Reactions: compwiz1202
I think a structure that takes out the confusion and makes sense is along the lines of:

- iPhone 6.1” £699
- iPhone Pro £899
- iPhone Pro Max £999

The whole pricing structure has really turned a lot of people off outside of the US. I think many Americans here are unfamiliar with home the market operates in other parts of the world and right now, iPhones are very uncompetitive on price when Android is offering better packages for considerably less money. Money talks and it’s a buyers market at the moment and especially at a time when people are being careful with their spending and luxury purchases are the first to be managed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: compwiz1202
The 14 Pro Max is already priced too high for a significant chunk of the market though. If consumers are snubbing a phone for £949, I doubt paying £1199 even with a few extra features is more attractive. Apple put their prices up this year and whether or not profit is up or not, there’s no hiding the fact people are switching platforms to some degree, buying older iPhones or keeping devices even longer.
I got my wife the pro max as I ordered it on launch date. I was going to upgrade my xs max as well, but I decided to wait one more year. Mostly the screen updates and camera updates are what I'm missing between the two models. (other than the pro max is wicked fast). But I wonder if this related story has something to do with this? https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-new-graphics-processor.2374549/post-31826151

Me I already decided...iphone 15 pro max ultra. It will be "the best iphone ever™".
 
I think the whole point of the Mini being introduced was to raise the price of the regular iPhone 12 by $100 but still being able to say iPhone 12 starts at $699 because that's such a nasty but very Apple thing to do. I don't think they ever intended for it to sell well. Then when they discontinued it so they can add a more expensive option and keep the regular iPhone with that $100 on top and what the plan was all about from the start didn't work - now it's a problem.

I agree that $699 is the starting price that makes sense, both compared to everything else on the market and Apple's own offerings. Which is why most people I know who are buying iPhones are getting the regular 13 currently and I would've done the same had I not gotten it last year. The 14 being too similar to the 13 also really helps with this but it's not the only reason people are not flocking to it. But then, having a $200 gap between the regular and the Pro is a big jump and needs to be justified with something major for the Pro and they can't seem to do that unless it's through gimping the regular to the point where it's once again unattractive
Apple created the iPhone Mini because they thought it would sell well. Nothing more.
 
Simplify :

2023 Fall
iPhone 15
15 pro
15 pro max/ultra

IPhone SE 3 (13 mini size) first quarter ‘24

They’ll probably want to split the max/ultra into 2 separate lines but, yes, this would simplify a fractured lineup.
 
Sure, but how much is your monthly bill? If you're paying 50$+ a month over 36 months your practically paying a premium price for the phone.
I already pay for unlimited (and have for years) so this works out great for me.
 
I got my wife the pro max as I ordered it on launch date. I was going to upgrade my xs max as well, but I decided to wait one more year. Mostly the screen updates and camera updates are what I'm missing between the two models. (other than the pro max is wicked fast). But I wonder if this related story has something to do with this? https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-new-graphics-processor.2374549/post-31826151

Me I already decided...iphone 15 pro max ultra. It will be "the best iphone ever".

Okay… Hope you enjoy whatever you get then.
 
  • Like
Reactions: I7guy
And how do you know that for a fact?
It’s pretty obvious it was used to raise the price of the regular one.
I know it’s fact because that’s not why products are created. They are created to sell. Apple would never make a product anticipating it won’t sell well. That makes zero sense. They thought a premium compact iPhone would sell well. It didn’t sadly.
 
Apple is silly. They should of done a iPhone 14 mini & iPhone 14 plus. Who wants to be in the middle ?
Now there's an idea. Apple should discontinue their top selling model size 🤦‍♂️
 

Attachments

  • cirp-iphone-purchases-march-2022.jpg
    cirp-iphone-purchases-march-2022.jpg
    27.7 KB · Views: 85
I realize it's' probably my OCD and need for things to fit into nice nomenclatures, but for me the line-up should be iPhone Mini, iPhone, iPhone Max. And they should all have the same features (if technically possible). Honestly size should really be the only differentiator. Maybe you still offer a lesser featured budget phone like the SE. But this idea that you have a 'pro' moniker, with better features, just doesn't add up for me because while the overall prices might be different by a few hundred dollars, buyers these days tend to look at the monthly cost, not the overall. And the monthly cost difference between a Max Pro and a standard 14 honestly isn't that huge.
 
My aunt is still rocking an iPhone 8 Plus and was just talking about how she needs a new phone. I told her to get the iPhone 14 Plus from AT&T for $5/month.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scarrus
I would like to know how it is selling compared to the Mini. Seems like there might only be a market for the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Ultra (Pro Max).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scarrus


Apple is reportedly "seriously" concerned over the sales performance of the iPhone 14 Plus, the 6.7-inch non-Pro variant of the iPhone 14 lineup. As a result, it is considering ways to restrategize its iPhone lineup for next year.

iphone-14-lineup.jpg

The iPhone 14 Plus is the newest addition to the iPhone lineup and replaces the 5.4-inch mini iPhone. The iPhone 14 Plus features the same design, cameras, and performance as the standard iPhone 14 but with a larger display and battery. According to a post by yeux1122 on Naver, who has shared both accurate and inaccurate information in the past, Apple is thinking of ways to reevaluate how it treats pro and non-pro iPhones for the iPhone 15.

The post outlines two possible strategies reportedly under consideration at Apple, with the first being to further differentiate the pro and non-pro iPhones, which was previously rumored by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Secondly, Apple is considering reducing the price of the Plus model of the lineup, which starts at $899, according to the post, which cites supply chain and industry sources. A price reduction of the Plus model means the standard ‌iPhone‌, which starts at $799, could also see a price decrease unless Apple wants to shrink the pricing gap between the two models.

In the last few years, Apple has shifted and reevaluated its iPhone lineup a few times. Starting with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple began offering small and large-sized iPhones before branching out and offering four models, two standard and two high-end models, with different materials, colors, and camera features. Starting with the iPhone 13 Pro, for example, Apple began to offer the same camera systems on the 6.1-inch Pro and 6.7-inch Pro Max model, unlike in previous years where more advanced camera features were reserved for only the largest iPhone.

With the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, Apple chose to offer two standard and two high-end models with matching sizes: two 6.1-inch models and two 6.7-inch models. Both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature the same cameras and designs, the only difference being a physically bigger battery in the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone 15 is still a year away, so it's too early to know what strategy Apple will use. In one sign, however, that it's looking to unify the entire lineup, Dynamic Island is expected to come to all iPhone 15 models. For a complete rundown of everything we know so far about the iPhone 15, check out our roundup.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly 'Seriously' Concerned About iPhone 14 Plus Sales, Looking to Reevaluate iPhone 15 Lineup
iPhone 15 Pro mini anyone? Just slap on an 11/12 Pro-sized camera module. Wonder if that would sell.
 
Come on iPhone 15 Pro Mini, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
Agreed. Not to mention the whole “pro” line is a waste of time to begin with. There should only be one iPhone, three sizes. No point in releasing a budget model every year when the used market is oversaturated to begin with.
 
It was extremely dumb of Apple to get rid of the mini from the line-up and replace it with a giant phablet no one wants.

The mini was the least popular model. Accounting for only 3% of sales. That is aweful from a product sales point of view. The mini may make a comeback but it won’t be until 2027 if I had to guess. The 14 plus may get on more year, then they will simplify thee lineup, and finally a new product a couple years later.
 
The mini was the least popular model. Accounting for only 3% of sales. That is aweful from a product sales point of view. The mini may make a comeback but it won’t be until 2027 if I had to guess. The 14 plus may get on more year, then they will simplify thee lineup, and finally a new product a couple years later.
Yes but the 14 Plus is selling worse than the 13 mini. At least the Mini provides a different size option in the line up, they just need to produce fewer units to maintain their profit margins as a niche product. The 13 Mini appears to have picked up in sales though, e.g. Amazon UK sell them fast when they periodically get new stock in at the £649 RRP price. The 14 Plus is a decent phone, but too expensive and oddly placed as there is already a 6.7" iphone in the line up in the 14 Pro Max.
 
Poor iPhone 14 sales? Not only are the new models not that much of an upgrade from previous versions, now the iPhone purchased through your carrier comes with a 36-month no-interest payment plan. Used to be 24-months, then it jumped to 30-months, now it is a full 3 years. Which means the average consumer who buys from their carrier will hold onto their devices longer.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.