iPhone 14/Plus Apple was right in deleting the iPhone mini

[JPack]

Based on the most recent display panel order data provided by Ross Young, it's clear this was the right move for Apple and for customers.

• iPhone 13 mini received about 5 million units. The selling price is $729.
• iPhone 14 Plus is getting 20 million panels. The selling price is $929.

Which one generates more revenue? The data suggests customers are buying iPhone 14 at the same rate as iPhone 13 last year, but the mix has shifted significantly to iPhone 14 Plus.

iPhone 14 orders down 38% compared to iPhone 13 - 9to5Mac

We’ve heard quite a bit about how the iPhone 14 Pro models are selling better than the rest of the...

9to5mac.com

 

[madrigal77]

Waiting for all 5 in the world who actually bought a mini to come in desperately in defence.

 

[MrAperture]

# of panel orders doesn’t equal sales.

Apple ordered a bunch of 14 Plus Panels, and so there will be good carrier deals on that model due to weak demand.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

# of panel orders doesn’t equal sales.

Apple ordered a bunch of 14 Plus Panels, and so there will be good carrier deals on that model due to weak demand.

Exactly. Apple was already going to kill the Mini so they reduced 13 orders based on this and the 12 Mini numbers.

Apple is already shifting orders for 14’s so we can assume that they might not sell all their initial orders.

 

[aurora_sect]

Waiting for all 5 million people in the world who actually bought a mini to come in desperately in defence.

FTFY

 

[JPack]

Exactly. Apple was already going to kill the Mini so they reduced 13 orders based on this and the 12 Mini numbers.

Apple is already shifting orders for 14’s so we can assume that they might not sell all their initial orders.

These panel order numbers are already adjusted as we see higher Pro Max numbers, which Apple did not expect.

iPhone 14 Plus deliveries have slipped to late October in China, Hong Kong, Australia, and other Asia Pacific countries.

Either way, it's 5 million vs. 20 million. There is no way the mini would be so much higher or the Plus so low.

 

[slythfox]

Fine, I'll bite. The problem isn't necessarily demand, it's Apple's lineup. They prioritized offering a renewed SE model over the Mini, which are similar form factors that compete with one another. The Mini isn't priced competitively and they were two years too late in delivering the Mini product line when folks who might have chosen the Mini instead chose the SE since that was what was available. I suspect Apple was reluctant to introduce the Mini but responded to the apparent interest in it. It's like they set up the Mini for failure from the get-go. Lest we forget Jobs originally introducing the iPhone so it could be used with one hand...

 

[compwiz1202]

These panel order numbers are already adjusted as we see higher Pro Max numbers, which Apple did not expect.

iPhone 14 Plus deliveries have slipped to late October in China, Hong Kong, Australia, and other Asia Pacific countries.

Either way, it's 5 million vs. 20 million. There is no way the mini would be so much higher or the Plus so low.

I can't see how they wouldn't expect high Max numbers, especially with delaying the Plus. I'm curious to see what happens once the Plus is available. Will the ones who just want a big screen and have way out ship dates for Max bail and order Plus instead?

 

[lkalliance]

Fine, I'll bite. The problem isn't necessarily demand, it's Apple's lineup. They prioritized offering a renewed SE model over the Mini, which are similar form factors that compete with one another. The Mini isn't priced competitively and they were two years too late in delivering the Mini product line when folks who might have chosen the Mini instead chose the SE since that was what was available. I suspect Apple was reluctant to introduce the Mini but responded to the apparent interest in it. It's like they set up the Mini for failure from the get-go. Lest we forget Jobs originally introducing the iPhone so it could be used with one hand...

I think that's a reasonable way to look at it. I upgraded to a mini from an SE 2020, though, so I don't agree with the idea that the two are the same. Camera-wise, at least, the mini is much better. But I don't think your way of thinking is wrong. I do hope that the mini becomes the new form factor for the SE going forward, then you have a blending of the two lines, essentially.

BUT...I don't think that is happening. The SE has always been made of parts that Apple could make (or already has made) for dirt cheap. The 6 form factor had been through four model years, including the 6 and 6 Plus, the all-time best selling iPhones. They probably had enough parts still produced to make a bunch of SEs at pretty small cost. And the camera on the original SE was pretty basic. It was new at the time, but it was not that much different than the one that was in the 5S. Can all this be said of the mini? I mean, I don't know, but it doesn't feel like it. So though I hope that the mini becomes the SE, I don't hold out a LOT of hope.

I don't hold the Jobs vision as the be-all, end-all any more. It was perfect in its time; the world has moved on by more than a decade now, and it generally uses phones differently and has different requirements.

 

[lkalliance]

I can't see how they wouldn't expect high Max numbers, especially with delaying the Plus. I'm curious to see what happens once the Plus is available. Will the ones who just want a big screen and have way out ship dates for Max bail and order Plus instead?

Are most of the market hung up on ship dates? If I am looking at getting a new iPhone (and I mean me specifically, not just some made-up "me"), I would figure out what one I wanted and wait for it to become available, not the other way around. Heck, I even knew I wanted to get a 13 mini when it launched and I waited until the new year. And I do believe that's how most buyers are.

 

[erikkfi]

Waiting for all 5 in the world who actually bought a mini to come in desperately in defence.

Strange, my reading of the chart makes it look like about 7 million.

 

[eicca]

Here I am, defending my Mini. Some of us actually like being able to fit the phone in our pockets and use it with one hand.

 

[mcled53]

Waiting for all 5 in the world who actually bought a mini to come in desperately in defence.

$5.6B is apparently not worth Apple's efforts.

 

[ian87w]

View attachment 2084803

Based on the most recent display panel order data provided by Ross Young, it's clear this was the right move for Apple and for customers.

• iPhone 13 mini received about 5 million units. The selling price is $729.
• iPhone 14 Plus is getting 20 million panels. The selling price is $929.

Which one generates more revenue? The data suggests customers are buying iPhone 14 at the same rate as iPhone 13 last year, but the mix has shifted significantly to iPhone 14 Plus.

iPhone 14 orders down 38% compared to iPhone 13 - 9to5Mac

We’ve heard quite a bit about how the iPhone 14 Pro models are selling better than the rest of the...

9to5mac.com

I think we know all this already. The difference is that some are in denial.

The general market preference have been established when Samsung released the first Galaxy Note. Unlike people here who have multiple devices like laptops, desktops, tablets, etc, most consumers out there have only one device, thus that device has to be their best tool for everything from productivity to entertainment. Larger screen provides better experience for most people.

There's a reason Android OEMs are not even bothered with anything less than 6.4". They even intentionally have 6.5" and up for even their cheapest $100 models. People want the largest screen they can for the money.

 

[madrigal77]

Here I am, defending my Mini. Some of us actually like being able to fit the phone in our pockets and use it with one hand.

I've got a 14 Pro Max and I've got no problems at all fitting it in my pockets or using it with one hand. And I'm a guy with small little girly hands.

 

[ian87w]

Here I am, defending my Mini. Some of us actually like being able to fit the phone in our pockets and use it with one hand.

I don't think anybody is attacking your own personal choice. If you personally like the mini, good for you. I myself also start to liking smaller phones. But that personal preference doesn't translate to the general market preference, and as a profit driven company, Apple has made their decision based on their numbers.

The 13 mini is going to be my next iPhone.

 

[madrigal77]

Strange, my reading of the chart makes it look like about 7 million.

Peanuts by iPhone standards and obviously Apple doesn't feel it's worth the effort.

 

[ian87w]

Fine, I'll bite. The problem isn't necessarily demand, it's Apple's lineup. They prioritized offering a renewed SE model over the Mini, which are similar form factors that compete with one another. The Mini isn't priced competitively and they were two years too late in delivering the Mini product line when folks who might have chosen the Mini instead chose the SE since that was what was available. I suspect Apple was reluctant to introduce the Mini but responded to the apparent interest in it. It's like they set up the Mini for failure from the get-go. Lest we forget Jobs originally introducing the iPhone so it could be used with one hand...

The 12 mini was a test and also a decoy product.
Many people were claiming they wanted a smaller iPhone with the same hardware as the regular iPhone, and they said they were willing to pay for it. Apple obliged, $700 12 mini, and those people didn't walk the talk. Apple took notice.

Second, the mini was also created to increase the price of the regular iPhone to $800 (from $700 on the launch price of iPhone 11). And it succeeded. Literally nobody realized that the regular iPhone 12 was $100 more expensive than the iPhone 11 at launch. Now people just accepts that regular iPhone starts at $800. Mission accomplished. Time to move on.

If you still think the mini is "overpriced" when it has the same internals as the more expensive regular iPhone, it shows that you don't want a "smaller" phone, you just want a cheap iPhone.

 

[JamesMcFlyJR]

Got not much more to say that has been said except this

Its gonna be interesting to see the Mini fans when Apple releases a new SE and its based on the iPhone Xr design and size. Because it seems adamant to them that the next SE will be in the body of the Mini.

I wonder what their excuse for that will be.

 

[ian87w]

I can't see how they wouldn't expect high Max numbers, especially with delaying the Plus. I'm curious to see what happens once the Plus is available. Will the ones who just want a big screen and have way out ship dates for Max bail and order Plus instead?

I can see the Plus being highly popular in Asia. There's a reason Apple decided to delay the release of the Plus, as to not cannibalize the Pro Max sales.

I'd say if all the iPhone 14 models were launched at the same time, we would see something different. People will simply see "hey, that's the big iPhone but $200 less, I want that." Pro Max model wouldn't be selling well.

 

[ian87w]

Got not much more to say that has been said except this

Its gonna be interesting to see the Mini fans when Apple releases a new SE and its based on the iPhone Xr design and size. Because it seems adamant to them that the next SE will be in the body of the Mini.

I wonder what their excuse for that will be.

Yup.

The SE doesn't mean anything other than the cheapest iPhone Apple can make, thus the old designs. It has been true from its origin, the first iPhone SE, using the iPhone 5s body. The smaller screen size is just a coincidence as it was the cheapest model Apple had from the previous lineup. With the 11 gone from the lineup, it makes perfectly sense that the XR will be the next SE design. It's the cheapest glass sandwich design with LCD and single camera. The tagline will be FaceID finally coming to the SE.

 

[ericg301]

Waiting for all 5 in the world who actually bought a mini to come in desperately in defence.

I had both the 12 and 13 minis. They were great pandemic phones. But now I’ve got the 14 Pro.

 

[erikkfi]

The 12 mini was a test and also a decoy product.
Many people were claiming they wanted a smaller iPhone with the same hardware as the regular iPhone, and they said they were willing to pay for it. Apple obliged, $700 12 mini, and those people didn't walk the talk. Apple took notice.

Second, the mini was also created to increase the price of the regular iPhone to $800 (from $700 on the launch price of iPhone 11). And it succeeded. Literally nobody realized that the regular iPhone 12 was $100 more expensive than the iPhone 11 at launch. Now people just accepts that regular iPhone starts at $800. Mission accomplished. Time to move on.

If you still think the mini is "overpriced" when it has the same internals as the more expensive regular iPhone, it shows that you don't want a "smaller" phone, you just want a cheap iPhone.

Overall this is probably the most accurate summation here: most people do not see a 6.1-inch device as too large and the 13 Mini was a feint to increase the average selling price of the iPhone line.

If the demise of the Mini is permanent I'll get the cheapest iPhone when I upgrade, but I would (really truly, pinky promise) pay more for a 5.4-inch device because that's the largest device I find comfortable.

 

[ian87w]

I think that's a reasonable way to look at it. I upgraded to a mini from an SE 2020, though, so I don't agree with the idea that the two are the same. Camera-wise, at least, the mini is much better. But I don't think your way of thinking is wrong. I do hope that the mini becomes the new form factor for the SE going forward, then you have a blending of the two lines, essentially.

BUT...I don't think that is happening. The SE has always been made of parts that Apple could make (or already has made) for dirt cheap. The 6 form factor had been through four model years, including the 6 and 6 Plus, the all-time best selling iPhones. They probably had enough parts still produced to make a bunch of SEs at pretty small cost. And the camera on the original SE was pretty basic. It was new at the time, but it was not that much different than the one that was in the 5S. Can all this be said of the mini? I mean, I don't know, but it doesn't feel like it. So though I hope that the mini becomes the SE, I don't hold out a LOT of hope.

I don't hold the Jobs vision as the be-all, end-all any more. It was perfect in its time; the world has moved on by more than a decade now, and it generally uses phones differently and has different requirements.

Agree.
Also, Jobs' vision was form the perspective of an American during that time, where the typical American consumer would already have a big screen TV and a PC/laptop, and the best iPad was just $500. So a phone is merely a third of fourth screen device that they carry around temporarily.

It's in contrast with how the rest of the world works, where many people have the phone as their first, and only computer. Even Scott Forstall mentioned this during iOS5 "cut the cord" announcement, that most people only have the iPhone as their only device (thus the push to have iPhones activate without iTunes).

Jobs' "vision" would change once he deep dived into the general Asian market (and not just wealthy Chinese that he was only focusing on). There's a reason the Samsung Galaxy Note took the world by storm, and Apple, as a for profit company, had to take notice.

 

[ArchEtech]

I would have bought a 14 mini. Shrug. I bought the pro.