Apple Says Original iPhone SE is Now 'Obsolete'

[subjonas]

My thoughts on why Apple (and other smartphone makers like Samsung, Google, Motorola, Xiaomi, Oppo, etc) no longer offer a smaller display phone is not because there isn't demand. It's because they're trying to achieve max unit sales. Apple did keep the iPhone mini around for 2 generations so there obviously was demand. But the Apple bean counters probably saw how well the larger display iPhones were selling and thought to themselves "Hey, let's replace the mini with a Plus-sized iPhone. That should sell even better... maybe as well as the iPhone, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max."

But guess what? The Plus iPhones did about as well as the mini iPhones. Apple then pivoted to the iPhone Air because someone thought the market wanted large but also thinner phones. So far, that demand is about as much as for the mini and Plus iPhones.

In 2 years, we'll probably see Apple try again with a replacement for the iPhone Air, not because there isn't demand, but because Apple wants to achieve higher unit sales. Higher unit sales means Apple can ask their parts suppliers for bigger discounts since Apple will be placing larger volume orders on parts. This helps their bottom line. In the end, that's all Apple cares about.

Those unit sales have to come from somewhere though, so the question is where is Apple aiming to get them? They're either from other iPhone model users, Android users, or new smartphone users (youth and newly developed countries) who could potentially go to Android. I don't think Apple is looking to take sales away from other iPhones especially higher profit iPhone Pro/Max models, so it's either Android users or new smartphone users who otherwise would go to Android. The other possibility is the phone is meant to retain iPhone users who otherwise would switch to Android.

I think the only way to get/retain those sales is either with cheaper iPhones or offering something new that Android doesn't. I don't think Apple wants to go much cheaper, so I think Apple is just looking for a model that is somewhat unique.

But no matter what form this model takes, the idea that it needs to sell anywhere close to flagship numbers (unless it itself is a flagship) is very unrealistic. It's only taking the sales of Android users and potential Android users, so it won't be droves, it will be modest numbers in this saturated market.

 

[Eric_WVGG]

Gawd I loved this phone. I hated the 6 and 6+ designs from the moment I saw them, that Apple would just pop up out of nowhere with a phone that was not just the better design, but also cheaper, felt like such a gift.

In some better universe, Apple would have repeated that strategy with an "iPhone SE 4" — the iPhone Mini with the 15 guts… one can dream

 

[hybrid_x]

This was my favourite phone. RIP one-handed devices.

 

[mattspace]

Og SE, SE3, not buying another iPhone until TouchID for ApplePay returns.

 

[ChrisMac47]

I miss small phones, but more, I miss the fact that Apple has taken all the fun and diversity out of most of their product lines.

The possible exception might be their computers (two distinct laptops, iMac, Mini and Studio), but I would not be surprised if they start to sell only the computer with the largest profit margin and discontinue the others.

It's all about profit margins and C-level remuneration. For those of us who have been with Apple since the beginning ... or near the beginning (SE30 in my case), it's sad to see this decline.

Yes, decline, even if they are a multi-trillion dollar company!

 

[East India Company]

😂

Apple Introduces iPhone SE — The Most Powerful Phone with a Four-inch Display

www.apple.com

Pricing & Availability

iPhone SE will be available in space gray, silver, gold and rose gold metallic finishes in 16GB and 64GB models starting at $399 (US) from Apple’s retail stores, Apple.com, Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers.


It's successor, the iPhone 16e starts at $599.00 for 128GB. That extra $200 gets you 8GB memory vs 2GB, a much faster SoC, a bigger display, etc.


$399 in 2016 is approximately $540 today when adjusted for inflation, so in reality, you're paying $60 more for the iPhone 16e in 2016 dollars.

View attachment 2584029

And how much have wages increased during the same time period? Way less than inflation.
Inflation will not tell you how “expensive” something is.

 

[hokuspokus]

Oh darn. I still have my iPhone SE that I only replaced with the 13 Mini when there was no Mini during the iPhone 14 year. I keep it just in case (ie. 13 Mini breaks and I need a temporary replacement).

I wish I had replaced the battery when I had the chance.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Oh darn. I still have my iPhone SE that I only replaced with the 13 Mini when there was no Mini during the iPhone 14 year. I keep it just in case (ie. 13 Mini breaks and I need a temporary replacement).

I wish I had replaced the battery when I had the chance.

I've done battery replacements in phones with the iPhone 5 design, it's pretty easy.

 

[jetlagged]

I have this iPhone SE from 2016. I just powered it on. It’s iOS 15.8.3.

Haven’t used it in so long.

What are my options? I wanna get rid of it and make a few bucks at least $50.

Can it still be used as a cellphone by putting a SIM card?

Any advice and tips is appreciated

 

[mlayer]

I have a working pink original SE that I tried to give to my niece (5 yo at the time) a while back. Her parents didn't allow it. Maybe down the road, kiddo.

 

[mansplains]

Rose Gold 😍
I know it would be impractical with full screen iPhone displays, but I miss the white bezels. White glass looked much cleaner to me.

 

[klasma]

Speaking as an OG iPhone SE and Mini enjoyer: have you tried an Air? They're for sure not for everyone, but it's the first big-screen phone I can comfortably use one-handed--in part because it's thinner and lighter and in part because the plateau makes it harder to drop.

It tried it. Too big, and not light-weight compared to the SE1 and mini, or even the 16e.

 

[klasma]

Yes, decline, even if they are a multi-trillion dollar company!

The focus on intuitive usability and user needs has gone away. While they are adding the occasional useful feature, it’s become a swamp of complexity, idiosyncratic limitations, and the opposite direction of “just works”. As a user, it has mostly become “whatever”. There is little advantage over Android anymore.

 

[DownUnderDan]

So many that every attempt Apple has made to sell smaller phones has been a resounding, barnstorming, profit-exploding success. Scrooge McDuck levels of lucre flooding into Apple's coffers due to the unyielding torrents of demand for diminutive phones.

So let's keep litigating the idea of small phones over and over again in every thread possible with all sorts of delusional pronouncements of this, that, and the other reason why they weren't a success. Meanwhile, the reality is they weren't a success because people didn't actually want them in sufficient numbers to make it worthwhile for anyone to make them.

You want one? I'm sorry there isn't a product that matches your wants, from Apple or anyone else. Truly. Everyone should be able to get exactly the product they want. But markets don't work that way. And if there was a market for small phones, some company, if not Apple then a wayward Android manufacturer looking to make a name for itself, would embrace that "market" with both hands. Hell, there are still companies making Blackberry-style keyboard phones to serve that minuscule, equally over-vocal audience. Imagine how small the market for small phones must be that no one will step up to serve it similarly. Not even with a Kickstarter, where the financial burden is offloaded onto people committing to buy. Not even then.

You make a good point. I agree we should keep litigating the idea of small phones.

 

[iZac]

But it will live in my heart forever

 

[sdfox7]

It speaks volumes that the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and iPhone 7 are still "Vintage". Like OGSE they still use iOS 15.

I wonder if this is related to their still viable 4.7"/5.5" screens. The 2020 SE and 2022 SE still feature 4.7" screens and are supported.

If I had to guess why it's now obsolete, the OGSE is probably becoming more difficult to program apps for, due to the 4" display. And, sourcing repair parts may be more challenging as the parts bin is a throwback to the iPhone 5/iPhone 5S era.

EDIT: Why are the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 still vintage, and not obsolete?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772#iphonevintage

 

[leifp]

Still have my mom’s pink SE sitting on an office shelf. Really miss that old form factor, but I’ll say that nostalgia only goes so far: the iPhone 12/13 minis were great and, for myself, better than the 5/5S/SE. My mother in law has my old 13 mini… and if Apple released an updated model of that, I’d jump on it to replace the lump that is my 15 Pro.